Red Algae
Absorption spectrum from 1 April 1999 the true wavelengths for green start at about 1.5 Optical Density Units at 400nm and sink to .30odu at 600nm and thin rise from there to about .65oduover 700nm and fall to 0 at about 720nm.
Red pigments (incl. phycoerethryn) started at .6odu at 400nm rise to 1.0odu at 440nm and fall to .1 at 480, rise to .3 over 500nm and taper at .1odu until a short rise over 700nm to .3odu.
Phycoerethryn absorbs best between 500nm and 600nm.
Chlorophyll a best at 420nm and 700nm
Chlorophyll b at 450nm and 650nm
Fucoxanthin at 500nm
Phycocyanobilin between 600nm and 700nm
Bangean Reds
Bangia - Fresh water and marine algae group
Phophyridium Single cell LRRT's Little Round Red Things
Porphyra- another word for Nori (Japan), or Laver (Ireland)
Life cycle
1 Grown on rope as 1n or 2n (isomorphic- can't tell by sight)
2 Releases monospores(vegetative 2n), spermatids, and carpogoial (gametes 1n) cells
3 Gametes fuse
4 Carpospore lands on shell becomes a red crust (Conchocelis filament)
5 Conchospores(2n) undergo meiosis or not and become original 1n/2n thallus-on-a-rope.
Ecology/Commercial Uses
Sulfated galactans - main reason for harvest:
Carrageenans
Carrageenans used for:
1 To make soft or firm gels
2 Can be tailored to different foods
3 Agar
4 Rigid gels
5 Food thickening
Different sources of Carrageenan:
Gelidium - Japan does not grow because of pollution
Gracilaria - Desulfated with NaOH to make it thicker source of most world agar supply
Chondrus crispus - Irish moss
Euchema - Phillapeans, 4 species produce different viscosity's for different uses.
Coralline reds are essential to the development of coral reefs -builds up reef ridge red algae can be dominant anywhere from in spray zone all the away to the deepest species known 268 m off Hawaii
Stains
1. for identifying algae types
2. Look in fish guts for diet analysis
Vital stains
Neutral Red - taken up by living cells
Evans Blue - taken up by dead cells - excluded by live cells
Lipid Chemical stains
Nile Blue - lipid chemical stain
Sudan Red - starch or lipid stain