Algae

 

     

    

Algae are a diverse group of aquatic organisms that have the ability to conduct photosynthesis. “Alga is a term that describes a large and incredibly diverse group of eukaryotic, photosynthetic lifeforms. These organisms do not share a common ancestor and hence, are not related to each other (polyphyletic).” Multicellular examples of algae include the giant kelp and brown algae.Algae are eukaryotic organisms that have no roots, stems, or leaves but do have chlorophyll and other pigments for carrying out photosynthesis. Algae can be multicellular or unicellular.Algae is a term used to describe a large, diverse group of eukaryotic, photosynthetic organisms.The unique feature of algae is the ability to perform photosynthesis. This is what differentiates them from other organisms and is also the main reason for their inclusion in the plant kingdom. The mode of nutrition is naturally autotrophic mode

Characteristics of Algae

• Algae are photosynthetic organisms

• Algae can be either unicellular or multicellular organisms

• Algae lack a well-defined body, so, structures like roots, stems or leaves are absent

• Algaes are found where there is adequate moisture.

• Reproduction in algae occurs in both asexual and sexual forms. Asexual reproduction occurs by spore formation.

• Algae are free-living, although some can form a symbiotic relationship with other organisms.

• Algae are the simplest multicellular plants. Some are unicellular eg. Chlamydomonas

• Pant body: known as Thallus and they are avascular

• Habitat: Algae are usually aquatic, either freshwater or marine and some are terresterial.

• Algae are eukaryotic thallophytes.

• Algae are photoautotrophs.

• Storage form of food: Starch

• Reproduction: Algae reproduce either by vegetative, asexual or sexual method

• Vevetative method: fragmentation, hormogonia

• Asexual spore: zoospores, aplanospores, hypnospores, akinetes, azygospore

• Sexual method:  isogamous, anisogamous, and oogamous gametic fusion

• Benefits

Algae are emerging to be one of the most promising long-term, sustainable sources of biomass and oils for fuel, food, feed, and other co-products. What makes them so attractive are the large number and wide variety of benefits associated with how and where they grow.

Nearly all these benefits stem from the fact that these plants have evolved over billions of years to produce and store energy in the form of oil, and they do this more efficiently than any other known natural or engineered process.

Here are 10 reasons why algae are a promising new source of fuel and other products:

1) Algae Grow Fast

Algae can double their numbers every few hours, can be harvested daily, and have the potential to produce a volume of biomass and biofuel many times greater than that of our most productive crops.

2) Algae Can Have High Biofuel Yields

Algae store energy in the form of oils and carbohydrates, which, combined with their high productivity, means they can produce from 2,000 to as many as 5,000 gallons of biofuels per acre per year.

3) Algae Consume CO2

Like any other plant, algae, when grown using sunlight, consume (or absorb) carbon dioxide (CO2) as they grow, releasing oxygen (O2) for the rest of us to breathe. For high productivity, algae require more CO2, which can be supplied by emissions sources such as power plants, ethanol facilities, and other sources.

4) Algae Do Not Compete With Agriculture

Algae cultivation uses both land that in many cases is unsuitable for traditional agriculture, as well as water sources that are not useable for other crops, such as sea-, brackish- and wastewater. As such, algae-based fuels complement biofuels made from traditional agricultural processes.

5) Microalgal Biomass Can Be Used for Fuel, Feed and Food

Microalgae can be cultivated to have a high protein and oil content, for example, which can be used to produce either biofuels or animal feeds, or both. In addition, microalgal biomass, which is rich in micronutrients, is already used for dietary supplements to advance human health.

6) Macroalgae Can Be Grown in the Sea

Macroalgae (seaweeds) are grown in the sea, or even on land with seawater, and their sugars can be converted into biofuels and chemicals.

7) Algae Can Purify Wastewaters

Algae thrive in nutrient-rich waters like municipal waste waters (sewage), animal wastes and some industrial effluents, at the same time purifying these wastes while producing a biomass suitable for biofuels production.

8) Algal Biomass Can Be Used as an Energy Source

After oil extraction, the remaining algal biomass can be dried and “pelletized” and used as fuel that is burned in industrial boilers and other power generation sources.

9) Algae Can Be Used to Produce Many Useful Products

Algae can be cultivated to produce a variety of products for large to small markets: plastics, chemical feedstocks, lubricants, fertilizers, and even cosmetics. See other products algae is used for here.

10) The Algae Industry is a Job Creation Engine

Algae can grow in a wide variety of climates in a multitude of production methods, from ponds to photobioreactors to fermenters, and thus will create a wide variety of jobs throughout the United States, from research to engineering, from construction to farming, from marketing to financial services. 

Embryology

In coconut, the water inside the fruit is its free nuclear endosperm and its edible part is

cellular endosperm. Cellular part gradually gains thickness as the fruit attains maturity.
Free nuclear part of endosperm in coconut Is commonly called coconut milk. It is highly nutrient rich drink containing cytokinins or similar growth hormone to accelerate growth of callus in tissue culture medium. It contains polysaccharides, polypeptide and polynucleotides with essential minerals and vitamins. Coconut Oil is extracted from the cellular endosperm of coconut fruit.
Tissue Culture Tips-
Use of various concentrations and combinations of auxins and cytokinins for proper differentiations of root and shoot in callus (0.2 mg/L kinetine induces vigourous growth in callus, 3.0 mg/L IAA with 0.2 mg/L kinetine induces rooting in callus, 2-3 mg/L kinetine with 0.2 mg/L IAA induces shoot formation in callus).

World smallest flower

The world’s smallest flowering plant is the watermeal, or Wolffia globosa. Found all over the planet, this bright green oval plant is about the size of a grain of rice!

Largest Flower in the world

The flower with the world’s largest bloom is the Rafflesia arnoldii. This rare flower is found in the rainforests of Indonesia. It can grow to be 3 feet across and weigh up to 15 pounds! It is a parasitic plant, with no visible leaves, roots, or stem. It attaches itself to a host plant to obtain water and nutrients.

Basics Botany

🍃 *BOTANY & THE MORDERN WORLD*🍃

The plants had been the fundamental & the basic need of other living things, ever since the beginning of life on earth,   Despite being the primary source of Nutrition, they also help to purify the atmosphere through photosynthesis, where they will absorb the Carbon dioxide that has been exhaled by the animals & produce Oxygen in return Which is  absorbed by the animals .
However, in the ecological pyramid, the plants are the primary Sources of food which provide the energy to the next trophic level which are the Hervivours, In the process, 90% of the energy in the plants is been lost to the surrounding. The Carnivours will then feed on the Hervivours & still 90% of the energy is been lost to the surrounding, The process continues untill it reached the decomposers.
This shows the energy flow in the ecosystem, in which the plants are the producers & the major sources of energy in the ecosystem.

Biology is the study of life in general, among its branches is the *BOTANY* which is a branch of Biology that deals with the study of PLANTS, their structure, Habitat, Type, Anatomy, Reproduction, Physiology, propagation as well as the Abiotic factors that affect their growth like Temprature, Wind, Rainfall, Relative Humudity & Etc.
Or it has been defined as the study of the plant life or the properties & life phenomenom exhibited by a plant, plant type or plant group.
Botany is among the fastest growing fields of science in the global scale today.
From amongst the fields of Botany we have the Herbalism, because it had been Discovered since 7th & 8th centuries that some plants have a healing power for treating some specific human ailments, as a result, many of the early scientist made their contributions in this field.
The ancient chineese, egyptians, indians, babylonians & Native American were all herbalist, the oldest known list of medicinal herbs is Shen Nungs pen tsao a chinese herbal that is a compilation of even older oral traditions.
The ancient Greeks & Romans were all herbalist, a group of surgeons in the Roman army like Diaschorides & Gallen spread the herbal expertise through out the Roman empire in Spain, Germany, France & England. These hebalists compiled herbals that remained a definitive materia medica text for 1500 years.
Moreover, the association of humans & animals with plants obviously originated with the beginning of life on earth, when plants supplied much of the shelter, oxygen, food & medicine needed by higher life forms.
With the invention of printing press in the mid-fifteenth century, the works of the earliest scientist were mass produced & made accessible to the public.
Subsequently, From amongst the fields of Botany, we have the PLANTS BREEDING, which is the science & art of genetic modification of crops or changing the phenotype of the plant, so as to incorporate in traits in the plants, like: Drought resistance, increasing yield, To be tolerant to soem microorganism like bacteria & to increase the quality of the crop.

In conclusion, Botany remai the most important course of study in this era, this is due to its effectiveness in our sociieties, despite the medicinal use, plants are major sources of foreign exchange, Some of its parts like the wood can exported to other countries for making furniture & other industrial uses

Some important parts of plants

Leaf:

leaf is a organ of a vascular plant and is the principal lateral appendage of the stem, usually borne above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. 

Inflorescense :

An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. 

Flower :

flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants. The biological function of a flower is to affect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs.

Petal:

Petals are modified leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. Together, all of the petals of a flower are called corolla.

Calyx:

A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms. Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom. The term sepalum was coined by Noël Martin Joseph de Necker in 1790, and derived from the Greek σκέπη, a covering

Seed:

seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering. The formation of the seed is part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiosperm plants. 

Pod:

a long, narrow, flat part of some plants, such as beans and peas, that contains the seeds 

Androcieum  :

The third whorl, called the androecium, is made up of male reproductive units called stamens. They produce sperm cells packaged inside pollen grains

Gynocieum:

A gynoecium (from Ancient Greek gyne, "woman") is the female reproductive parts of a flower. ) is the female reproductive parts of a flower. 

Some important Botanical Names

• #Botanical_name-of #100_important_plants
• 
  
• Neem ------------ Azadirachta indica (Meliaceae) 
• White cedar ----------- Melia azedarach (Meliaceae)
• Deodar ----------------- Cedrus deodara (Pinaceae)
• Shisham ---------------- Dalbergia sissoo (Fabaceae)
• Karira ------------------- Capaparis decidua (Capparaceae)
• Gum arabic tree ---------------- Vachellia nilotica (Fabaceae)
• Buttonwood ------------- Conocarpus erectus (Combretaceae)
• Gul-e-cheen ------------ Plumaria rubra (Apocynaceae)
• Salt grass ---------------- Leptochloa fusca (poaceae)
• Sufaida ------------------- Eucalyptus (Myrtaceae)
• Bhurut -------------------- Cenchrus bifloris (Poaceae)
• Sourgrass ------------ Oxalis stricta (Oxalidaceae)
• Imli -------------------Tamarindus indica (Fabaceae)
• Buffel grass --------- Cenchrus ciliaris (Poaceae)
• Lemon grass --------- Cymbopogon citratus (Poaceae)
• Ganna ------- Saccharum officinarum (Poaceae)
• Maize/corn -------- Zea mays (Poaceae)
• Wheat -------------- Triticum aestivum (Poaceae)
• Rice ---------------- Oryza sativa (Poaceae)
• Barley -------------- Hordeum vulgare (Poaceae)
• Rye -------------- Secale cereale (Poaceae)
• Oat -------------- Avena sativa (Poaceae)
• Mint ------------- Mentha spicata (Lamiaceae)
• Rose ------------ Rosa indica (Rosaceae)
• Jasmine -------- Jasminum officinale (Oleaceae)
• Royal Jasmine ------- Jasminum grandiflorum (Oleaceae)
• Neelam tree ---------- Jacaranda mimosifolia (Bignoniaceae)
• Castor oil plant ------- Ricinus communis (Euphorbiaceae)
• Kalga/Cockscomb ------ Celosia cristata (Euphorbiaceae)
• Chocolate cosmos ------ Cosmos astrosanguineus (Asteraceae)
• Ak/King's crown -------- Calotropis procera (Apocynaceae)
• Bitter apple ------------ Citrullus colocynthis (Cucurbitaceae)
• Ten o'clock ------------ Portulaca grandiflora (Portulaceae)
• Money Plant ----------- Epipremnum aureum (Araceae)
• Farash ---------------- Tamarix articulata (Tamariaceae)
• Blood Flower -------- Asclepias curassavica (Apocynaceae)
• Shoe Flower ---------- Hibiscus rosa-sinensis (Malvaceae)
• Wallflower ----------- Erysiumu cheiri (Brassicacea)
• Sunflower ------------ Helianthus annuus (Asteraceae)
• London rocket -------- Sisymbrium irio (Brassicaceae)
• Wax Plant ----------- Hoya carnosa (Apocynaceae)
• Waterthyme --------- Hydrilla verticillata (Hydrocharitaceae)
• Horseweed ---------- Conyza canadensis (Asteraceae)
• Gul-e-asharfi ------- Calendula arvensis (Asteraceae)
• Wormwood --------- Artemisia absinthium (Asteraceae)
• Khash khaas -------- Vetiver zizanioides (Poaceae)
• Rubber tree --------- Hevea brasiliensis (Euphorbiaceae)
• Jamalgota ----------- Croton tiglium (Euphorbiaceae)
• Ajwain --------------- Trachyspermum ammi (Apiaceae)
• Tulsi ----------------- Ocimum tenuifloram (Lamiaceae)
• Niazbo --------------- Ocimum bacilicum (Lamiaceae)
• Amaltas -------------- Cassia fistula (Fabaceae)
• Frywood -------------- Albizia lebbeck (Fabaceae)
• Ghaf ----------------Prosopis cineraria (Fabaceae)
• Touch me not ------- Mimosa pudica (Fabaceae)
• Mung bean ---------- Vigna radiata (Fabaceae)
• Black-eyed-pea ------ Vigna unguiculalta (Fabaceae)
• Muskdana ----------- Abelmoschus moschatus (Malvaceae)
• Cotton --------------- Gossypium arboreum (Malvaceae)
• Showy banksia ------- Banksia speciosa (Proteaceae)
• Desi Gulab --------- Rosa moschata (Rosaceae)
• Rat ki rani ---------- Cestrum nocturnum (Solanaceae)
• Moonflower/Thorn apple  -------- Datura stramonium (Solanaceae)
• Tobacco ------------------ Nicotiana tabacum (Solanaceae)
• Lucky bamboo ---------- Dracaena sanderiana (Asparagaceae)
• Areca palm --------------Areca catechu (Arecaceae)
• Sago palm --------------- Cycas revoluta (Cycadaceae)
• Sugar palm -------------- Arenga pinnata (Arecaceae)
• Mor punkh --------------- Thuja occidentalis (Cupressaceae)
• Chir pine ---------------- Pinus roxburghi (Pinaceae)
• Chilgoza pine ----------- Pinus gerardiana (Pinaceae)
• Maidenhair fern -------- Adiantum species (Pteridaceae)
• Common horsetail ------ Equisetum arvense (Equisetaceae)
• Mare's tail ------------ Hippuris vulgaris (Plantaginaceae)
• Red hogweed -------- Boerhavia diffusa (Nyctaginaceae)
• Phog -------------- Calligonum polygonoides (Polygonaceae)
• Cord moss -------- Funaria hygrometrica (Funariaceae)
• Feather finger grass ------ Chloris virgata (Poaceae)
• Desert salt grass --------- Distichlis spicata (Poaceae)
• Pigeon grass ----------- Setaria pumila (Poaceae)
• Buffel grass ---------- Cenchrus ciliaris (Poaceae)
• Golden fig ----------- Ficus aurea (Moraceae)
• Alexander palm ------ Archontophoenix alexandrae (Arecaceae)
• Peepal tree ------------ Ficus religiosa (Moraceae)
• Manchineel tree ------- Hippomane mancinella (Euphorbiaceae)
• Bhangari ------------ Blepharis sindica (Acanthaceae)
• Goosefoot ----------- Chenopodium album (Amaranthaceae)
• Shahtra ------------- Fumaria indica (Fumariaceae)
• Vilayati kikar ------ Prosopis juliflora (Fabaceae)
• Rough milk thistle ----- Sunchus asper (Asteraceae)
• White milk weed ------- Asclepias variegata (Apocynaceae)
• Ironwood ---------------- Olney tesota (Fabaceae)
• Brittlebush -------------- Encelia farinosa (Asteraceae)
• Desert spoon ----------- Dasylirion wheeleri (Asparagaceae)
• Poison ivy -------------- Toxicodendron radicans (Anacardiaceae)
• Yellow paloverde ------ Parkinsonia microphylla (Fabaceae)
• Desert marigold --------- Baileya multiradiata (Asteraceae)
• Ocotillo -------------- Fouquiera splendens (Fouquieraceae)
• Field pansy ---------- Viola arvensis (Violaceae)
• Water lettuce --------- Pistia stratiotes (Araceae)