14
Nov
What Ecological Role Do Algae Play. Microscopic algae are arguably the source of more than half of the worlds oxygen though photosynthesis. One of the similarities between land plants and several algae species is the presence of chlorophyll which allows them to form organic food molecules by utilizing energy from the sun and carbon dioxide. All algae contain chlorophyll but most lack leaves roots vascular tissue and stems. Ecologically algae are at the base of the food chain.
We advance this hypothesis using a model of color-based absorption of irradiance an experiment with colored particles in snow and the natural history of glacier algae. Similar to land plants algae are at the base of the food chain and given that plants are virtually absent from the oceans the existence of nearly all marine lifeincluding whales seals fishes turtles shrimps. Algae form organic food molecules from carbon dioxide and water through the process of photosynthesis in which they capture energy from sunlight. A key component of ocean food webs as well as a contributor to the formation of clouds algae play a major role in the ecosystems of the world. They play a vital role in aquatic ecosystems by forming the energy base of the food web for all aquatic organisms. Along with bacteria fungi are the major decomposers in most terrestrial and some aquatic ecosystems and therefore play a critical role in biogeochemical cycles and in many food webs.
Red-colored secondary pigments in glacier algae play an adaptive role in melting snow and ice.
As autotrophic organisms algae convert water and carbon. The kelp forest ecosystem around the Channel Islands largely depends on the relationship between sea otters and sea urchins. All algae contain chlorophyll but most lack leaves roots vascular tissue and stems. A key component of ocean food webs as well as a contributor to the formation of clouds algae play a major role in the ecosystems of the world. Along with bacteria fungi are the major decomposers in most terrestrial and some aquatic ecosystems and therefore play a critical role in biogeochemical cycles and in many food webs. Algae are the undisputed primary producers in the aquatic ecosystem and contribute approximately half of the global net primary productivity Field et al 1998.