What is the study of algae called?
Q: What is the study of algae called?
A: The study of algae is called phycology or algology.
Q: Are all types of algae closely related?
A: No, the term covers different groups and they are not all closely related. They are a polyphyletic group.
Q: How old are algae?
A: Algae are very ancient and existed long before other types of plants. They date back to the Mesoproterozoic, over a thousand million years ago.
Q: Do all types of algae use plastids?
A: Yes, they all seem to use plastids which originate in cyanobacteria.
Q: How do algae make food?
A: Algae make food from sunlight by photosynthesis.
Q: What do all types of algae have in common?
A: All types of algae have in common that they are autotrophic; they use natural sources of energy and simple inorganic materials.
Q: What distinguishes land plants from non-vascular plants such as algae?
A: Non-vascular plants such as algae do not have the structure that land plants have, so this is what distinguishes them from one another.
