3. Occurrence and Vegetative
Structure
• All species are aquatic , abundant in fresh water
and marine habitat
• Usually attached to the substratum and epizoic
• Common species-Cladophora glomerata
• This green alga is macroscopic
• Plant body multicellulae,filamentous,profusely
branched
• It is coarse and stringy to touch
• Species growing in stagnant water, not attached
to the substratum-aegagropilous
• Attached forms attached to the substratum by
rhizoidal cell
4. Cladohora-Branching
• Branches arise laterally from
the upper ends just below the
septum as a tubular outgrowth
• Outgrowth seperated from the
main thallus by formation of a
septum
• During the development the
main axis and the branch give
the appearance of dichotomy
5. Cladophora-Cell Structure
• Cells are
elongated,cylindrical,multinucleate
and coenocytic
• Each cell has a 3 layered cell wall
• Outer layer made of chitin
• Reticulate chloroplast
• Chloroplast associated with large
number of pyrenoids
• Centre of the cell occupied by a
large central vacuole
7. Vegetative Reproduction
•Storage cells-Rhizoids grow into the substratum , undergo
repeated cell divisions , produce short filaments , store food ,
thick walled, perennate over unfavourable conditions
•Fragmentation-Aegagropilous species filaments break into
small fragments and develop into seperate plants
•Stolons-Rhizoidal branches form stolons and grow into new
filaments
8. Asexual Reproduction
• Akinetes-Cells in larger branches become
filled with food materials and get swollen.
They develop thick and resistant walls
called akinetes which remain dormant
under unfavourable conditions,germinate
under favourable conditions
• Zoospores-zoospores produced inside the
terminal cells which behave as a
zoosporangium, zoospores are haploid,
produce gametophytic thallus
