Phycology

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Phycology (from Greek φῦκος, phykos, "seaweed"; and -λογία, -logia) or algology (from Latin alga, also "seaweed"), a subdiscipline of botany, is the scientific study of algae. 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. 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/algology is the branch of life science that involves the study of algae.

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

A phycologist is a person who studies algae as described above. In a similar manner, a mycologist is a person who has been professionally trained in mycology, the study of fungi.

[edit] See also

• History of phycology
• Algaculture, the culture of algae
• Algae fuel

[edit] External links

• http://www.algaefuel.org/ AlgaeFuel research and development company in California bay area.
• http://www.brphycsoc.org/ British Phycological Society
• http://www.intphycsoc.org/ International Phycological Society
• http://www.schweizerbart.de/j/algological-studies/ Algological Studies is an international journal of phycology which publishes peer reviewed scientific papers of international significance from the entire field of algology (phycology)
• http://www.psaalgae.org/ Phycological Society of America
• http://www.algaebase.org/ AlgaeBase
• http://www.seaweed.ie/ Seaweed Site