Encyclopaedia of Algae (In 4 Volumes)

Algae encompass several groups of living aquatic organism that get light-energy though photosynthesis, using it to transform inorganic substances into organic substances. Algae are the photosynthetic organism which are found in most species, such as ‘Giant Kelps’ that grow to 65 meters in length. Conventionally, these have been regarded as simple plants within the study of botany, all are Eukaryota. Chromophyta have bacterial characteristics and some authorities consider them all to be Protists. Protists are traditionally considered more animal-like. The prokaryotic forms, referred to as blue-green algae are only half-algae with a mixture of bacterial characteristics. All algae have photosynthetic machinery ultimately derived from cyanobacteria and so produce oxygen as a by-product of photosynthesis, unlike non-cyanobacterial photosynthetic bacteria. This eminent work has perfect and realistic features of the algae in an interesting manner. This work is bound to generate a separate discipline in the study of algae.