The Structure Thal
The Structure Thal
The Structure Thal
Presented by:
Dr. Ankit Kumar Singh
Assistant Professor
Department of Botany
Marwari College
Lalit Narayan Mithila University
Darbhanga
ankitbhu30@gmail.com
Lecture No.16
❖ The vegitative structure of algae shows a wide variety and its ranges in form from
unicellular to complex multicellular thalli.
❖ Size ranges from one micron to several meters.
❖ On the basis of thallus organization algae are divided into the following five groups
1. Unicelluar forms
2. Colonial forms
3. Filamentous forms
4. Siphonaceous forms
5. Parenchymatous form
1. Unicellular forms
➢Simple unicellular forms are found in all groups of algae accept charophyceae and
phaeophyceae.
➢ Sometimes unicellular forms are referred to as acellular since they function as complete
living unit without any cellular differentiation.
➢ Unicellular forms are divided into following subgroups
i. Rhizopodial unicells:
➢ These forms lack rigid cell wall
➢ Possess cytoplasmic projection that helps in the amoeboid movement.
e.g., Rhizocrysis (Chrysophyceae), Rhizochloris (Xanthophyceae)
Fig.: Chrysamoeba
(A)
➢ The colonial habit is achieved by the aggregation of the products of cell divisions with in a
➢ These associations are usually loose , such colony may break into smaller pieces.
➢ In some colonial forms all members of colony were connected by cytoplasmic connection,
➢ On the basis of morphology, colonial forms may be divided into four types
i) Coenobial
ii) Palmelloid
iii) Dendroid
iv) Rhizopodial
i) Coenobial
▪ A colony with definite size, shape and arrangement of cells is known as coenobium.
▪ Number of cells in a coenobium is determined at juvenile stage, subsequently colony
increases only in size.
▪ Coenobia may be motile or non motile.
e.g., Pandorina, Volvox, Eudorina (Cells are flagellated in all these three algal species),
Hydrodictyon (Cells are non flagellated).
Figure: Chrysodendron
iv) Rhizopodial
In rhizopodial colonies cells are united through rhizopodia. e.g., Chrysidiastrum
Figure: Chrysidiastrum
3. Filamentous Forms
➢A further development would involve a more closely knit structure, i.e., the division of the
single cell into many daughter cells with septa between the divided cells and common lateral
walls derived from the mother cell.
➢The daughter cells do not separate and they remain attached one upon the other in a definite
sequence.
➢Filaments may be branched or un-branched.
➢The cells in filament may arrange in single row (uniaxial) or more than one row (multiaxial)
Reference : All the figures were taken from the A Text Book of Botany by Singh, Pande , Jain. Fifth edition
(B) Branched filaments…………………………….
Thank You!!!