Introduction

Red algae, or Rhodophyta, are one of the oldest groups of eukaryotic algae. The Rhodophyta also comprises one of the largest phyla of algae, containing over 7,000 currently recognized species with taxonomic revisions ongoing. The majority of species (6,793) are found in the Florideophyceae (class), and mostly consists of multicellular, marine algae, including many notable seaweeds. Red algae are abundant in marine habitats but are relatively rare in freshwaters.

Approximately 5% of the red algae occur in freshwater environments with greater concentrations found in warmer areas. Except for two coastal cave dwelling species in the asexual class Cyanidiophyceae, there are no terrestrial species, which may be due to an evolutionary bottleneck where the last common ancestor lost about 25% of its core genes and much of its evolutionary plasticity.

Rhodophyta

The scientific name of Red Algae is Rhodophyta and they belong to Class Rhodophyceae. There are two classes of red algal namely the Florideophyceae and Bangiophyceae. Both Florideophyceae and Bangiophyceae comprise 99% of red algal diversity in marine and freshwater habitats.

Red algae or Rhodophyta-It is a distinctive type of species that are mostly found in the freshwater lakes and are the oldest type of eukaryotic algae. They are red in colour due to the presence of a pigment called chlorophyll A, phycocyanin, and phycoerythrin. They are the member of the tribe Amansieae (Rhodomelaceae, Ceramiales, Rhodophyta), in which only Aneurianna and Lenormandia Sonder have foliar blades. They are the distinctive type of species, mostly found in the deep freshwater bodies.

Characteristics

Red algae are different from other groups except for diatoms. Listed below are general characteristics of Red Algae. Lack of flagella and centrioles, Presence of photosynthetic pigments, Found both in marine and freshwater, They show biphasic or triphasic life cycle patterns. They are a multicellular, filament, blade structure. Stored food is in the form of starch and polymers of galactan sulphate, A pit connection (hole in the septum) is formed between two algal cells. Have a diffuse growth pattern- Apical growth, Complex oogamy (triphasic). These groups of red algae is generally found in tropical marine locations

The mode of nutrition may either be saprophytic, parasitic or also epiphytic. Their cell walls consist of cellulose and many different types of carbohydrates. Grow on solid surfaces independently or sometimes found attached to other algae, Presence of pit in the cell walls through which cytoplasmic connections are maintained. The male sex organs are known as spermatangium and the female sex organs are called carpogonia or procarp. Mode of Reproduction: It takes place by all the three means: vegetative, asexual and sexual. Asexual mode of reproduction is by monospores and during the sexual mode of reproduction, they undergo alternation of generations.

Red Algae have great ecological importance. They form a vital part of the food chain and are also involved in producing about 40 to 60 per cent of the total global oxygen for both terrestrial habitat and other aquatic habitats. Listed below are a few ecological and commercial importances of red algae.

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