Algal Reproduction and Classification

Vocabulary flashcards covering the reproductive structures, processes, and terminology of algae based on the lecture transcript.

Polysiphonia lanosa

A species of red alga found in the littoral and sublittoral zones in eastern Canada, characterized by a bushy filamentous thallus.

Ascophyllum nodosum

A type of brown alga to which species like Polysiphonia lanosa may attach and grow.

Zoospores

Unicellular, motile spores with flagella, often formed by aquatic algae during asexual reproduction.

Aplanospores

Nonmotile spores produced during asexual reproduction, commonly formed by terrestrial types of algae.

Gametes

Sex cells that undergo fusion (conjugation) to form a union in which blending of nuclear material occurs.

Zygote

The cell formed by the union of two gametes.

Isogamous

A fusion process where the two gametes are identical, with no visible sex differentiation.

Heterogamous

A sexual reproduction process where the gametes are unlike, differing in size between male and female.

Ovum

A large and nonmotile female egg cell.

Oogamous

A sexual process involving a small, actively motile male gamete (sperm cell) and a large, nonmotile female gamete (ovum).

Dioecious (Heterothallic)

Plants or thalli that are exclusively male or female, producing only one type of gamete.

Monoecious (Homothallic)

Plants in which gametes from the same individual can unite.