Chlorophyceae

The Chlorophyceae, also known as chlorophycean algae, are one of the classes of green algae, within the phylum Chlorophyta. They are a large assemblage of mostly freshwater and terrestrial organisms; many members are important primary producers in the ecosystems they inhabit. Their body plans are diverse and range from single flagellated or non-flagellated cells to colonies or filaments of cells. The class Chlorophyceae has been distinguished on the basis of ultrastructural morphology; molecular traits are also being used to classify taxa within the class.

==Description== Chlorophycean algae are eukaryotic organisms composed of cells which occur in a variety of forms. Depending on the species, Chlorophyceae can grow unicellular (e.g. Chlamydomonas), colonial (e.g. Volvox), coenocytic (e.g. Characiosiphon), or filamentous (e.g. Chaetophora). In their vegetative state, some members have flagella while others produce them only in reproductive stages; still others never produce flagella.