algae

Algae ( , ; : alga ) are any of a large and diverse group of photosynthetic organisms. It excludes the land plants (embryophytes). Such organisms range from microscopic unicellular microalgae (including cyanobacteria and phytoplankton) to seaweeds, multicellular macroalgae which may grow up to in length. Most algae are aquatic (especially marine), and some form cohesive colonies. Freshwater algae include Charophyta such as the filamentous Spirogyra and the grasslike stoneworts. Most algae are planktons carried passively by water, although some macroalgae have holdfasts for anchorage.

Algae are polyphyletic as they do not share a common ancestor. Although algae with two-membraned chloroplasts seem to form a paraphyletic group within the clade Archaeplastida, other algae with chloroplasts that have three or more membranes evolved from protists that acquired photosynthesis after engulfing archaeplastids. Chlorophytes, rhodophytes (red algae) and glaucophytes (grey algae) have primary chloroplasts directly derived from endosymbiont cyanobacteria, while diatoms, cryptomonads, euglenoids and phaeophyceae (brown algae) have secondary chloroplasts derived from indirectly endosymbiont red algae or green algae.