Abstract

The Fine Structure of Algal Cells is a hybrid between a review and a comprehensive descriptive work on fine structure of algae. Such fine structural data are important for any consideration of the classification of algae and for attempting to analyze their phylogenetic relationships.
”Fine-structure” has provided many vital keys to the understanding of the interrelationships and phylogeny of the algae. Notably, the trend in algal fine structure work is toward use of electron microscopy to try to understand the functions of cells and organelles under both normal and experimental conditions. This book brings together information which has been gathered by electron microscopists. It considers 13 classes of algae: Chlorophyceae, Haptophyceae, Prasinophyceae, Bacillariophyceae, Chloromonadophyceae, Phaeophyceae, Euglenophyceae, Dinophyceae, Eustigmatophyceae, Cryptophyceae, Xanthophyceae, Rhodophyceae, and Chrysophyceae. It covers the main structural features of the various classes and the organelles present in typical cells. The book also describes the algal cell covering, flagella, pyrenoid, eyespot, nucleus, and ejectile organelles,as well as membranes, envelope, and stroma of algal chloroplasts. Lastly, it also explains the algal cell division.
This book will help students visualize and compare algal structure, and at the same time provide enough references so that research workers can enter the literature to find out more precise details from the original sources.