Phycology

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Phycology (or algology), 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 and 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). Phycology also includes the study of prokaryotic forms known as blue-green algae or cyanobacteria.

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

[edit] External links

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.phycology.net/ The Phycology.Net
http://www.algaebase.org/ AlgaeBase
http://www.seaweed.ie/ Seaweed Site