Phycology

Phycology (from Greek φῦκος, phykos, "seaweed"; and -λογία, -logia) is the scientific study of algae. Also known as algology, phycology is a branch of life science and often is regarded as a subdiscipline of botany.

Algae are important as primary producers in aquatic ecosystems. Most algae are eukaryotic, photosynthetic organisms that live in a wet environment. They are distinguished from the higher plants by a lack of true roots, stems or leaves. They do not flower. Many species are single-celled and microscopic (including phytoplankton and other microalgae); many others are multicellular to one degree or another, some of these growing to large size (for example, seaweeds such as kelp and Sargassum).

Phycology includes the study of prokaryotic forms known as blue-green algae or cyanobacteria. A number of microscopic algae also occur as symbionts in lichens.

Phycologists typically focus on freshwater and marine algae, rather than terrestrial algae. Among the many areas of research are algal ecology, algal physiology, algal taxonomy, algal molecular biology, algal biogeography, phycological evolution, and the use of algae in biofuel production.

History

The formal study of algae began in the 19th century with the work of French botanist Jean Pierre Étienne Vaucher, who described several freshwater species and noted their similarity to higher plants.

Branches of Phycology

• Phycological ecology: This branch of phycology involves the study of the relationships between algae and their environments.
• Phycological physiology: This branch studies the way in which algae function and live.
• Phycological taxonomy: This branch involves the classification and naming of algae.
• Phycological molecular biology: This branch studies the molecular mechanisms and the interactions of biological molecules in algae.
• Phycological biogeography: This branch studies the geographic distribution of algae.
• Phycological evolution: This branch studies the evolutionary history of algae.

See also

• Algae
• Cyanobacteria
• Seaweed
• Phytoplankton
• Jean Pierre Étienne Vaucher

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