Prasinophyte
Class of algae / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The prasinophytes are a group of unicellular green algae.[3] Prasinophytes mainly include marine planktonic species, as well as some freshwater representatives.[3][4] The prasinophytes are morphologically diverse, including flagellates with one to eight flagella and non-motile (coccoid) unicells. The cells of many species are covered with organic body scales; others are naked.[4] Well studied genera include Ostreococcus, considered to be the smallest (ca. 0.95 μm) free-living eukaryote,[5] and Micromonas, both of which are found in marine waters worldwide. Prasinophytes have simple cellular structures, containing a single chloroplast and a single mitochondrion. The genomes are relatively small compared to other eukaryotes (about 12 Mbp for Ostreococcus[6][7] and 21 Mbp for Micromonas[8]). At least one species, the Antarctic form Pyramimonas gelidicola, is capable of phagocytosis and is therefore a mixotrophic algae.[9]
Prasinophyte Paraphyletic group of chlorophytes | |
---|---|
Pyramimonas sp. | |
Scientific classification | |
(unranked): | Viridiplantae |
Division: | Chlorophyta |
Informal group: | Prasinophyte |
Included classes[1][2] | |
Excluded classes (i.e. chlorophytes not considered prasinophytes) | |
Some authors treat the prasinophytes as a polyphyletic grouping of green algae from different clades. As the Tetraphytina emerged in the Prasinophytes, recently authors include it, rendering it monophyletic, and equivalent to chlorophyta.[10][11]