Algae living in unusual conditions. Types of algae, their features and significance in nature

Algae can live and reproduce in such special conditions, which seem to us, at first glance, completely unacceptable for life. It can be hot springs, the temperature of which sometimes reaches the boiling point, as well as cold arctic waters, ice and snow.

Algae living in unusual conditions

Algae can live at fairly wide temperature ranges: from three degrees to eighty-five. But most organisms live in a narrower range.

Hardy under extreme conditions are blue algae and green. They are called cynobacteria. Most of them are thermophilic algae. This means that they can live at high enough temperatures (eighty-eighty-five).

Thermal springs are inhabited by multicellular filamentous algae , as well as unicellular algae . Nymphs often grow in large colonies, lining the walls of reservoirs, or floating on their surface.

In large quantities in hot bodies of water you can find green and diatom algae. But they are less adapted to high temperatures, and therefore prefer to dwell on the edges of water bodies in cooler places. For them, the maximum temperature for life is fifty degrees.

In general, more than two thousand species of algae have been found in hot waters. Undoubtedly, blue-green species prevail, then diatoms and then green ones.

In the hot geysers of Kamchatka, the temperature reaches 75.5 degrees. They found fifty-two species of algae. So, twenty-eight of them are blue-green, and only seventeen are diatoms, and seven are green species.

Algae among the snows and ice

There are also algae living in unusual conditions, the habitat of which is snow and ice. Of course, the temperature limits for algae are quite wide, which allows them to inhabit even in very cold conditions. In such unfavorable places there is even an intensive multiplication of algae, which sometimes leads to the coloration of ice in a variety of colors: crimson, red, green, brown, purple. The color predominates, which algae are more in this place. The thickness of the colored layer is a couple of centimeters, it is to this depth that light penetrates.

In the red color, snow is capable of chlamydomonas, and in green - filamentous algae, in brown - diatoms.

It must be said that snow algae are in a calm state most of the time. But in the spring, when the frosts are slightly weakened, there is an intensive multiplication of algae. They live, as a rule, on the remains of old snow in crevices or high in the mountains. Begin to develop algae in the thawed water, which is formed under the first rays of the sun. At night, when the temperature drops, they freeze together with the liquid.

Snow algae can be found in many parts of the globe, mostly high-altitude areas.

"Blooming" of glaciers

In 1903 on Franz Josef Land there was a "flowering" of ice, which became possible due to the development of huge colonies of chlamydomonades. In Russia, algae were found in the Northern Urals, the Caucasus, Tien Shan, Kamchatka, Siberia, the Northern Urals, Novaya Zemlya and many other places.

It is proved that the flowering of snow and ice is a universal phenomenon. Now there are more than a hundred snow algae. These are green, blue-green algae and diatoms, as well as yellow-green, golden. In the Caucasus, a kind of crimson was found.

Studies show that the higher up the mountains, the less there becomes the species composition of the algae. This is due to the fact that in the most difficult conditions only some species survive, so to say the most stable.

Strangely enough, but the intensive development of algae occurs in the ice of the Antarctic and the Arctic. In these regions diatom varieties are most developed. When they multiply in huge quantities, they paint water and ice in a brownish-yellow or brown color.

Algae, living in unusual conditions, ensure the flowering of ice not on its surface, due to mass reproduction, but in various kinds of depressions or protrusions that are submerged in water. Initially, they develop on the lower part of the ice cover, and then with the arrival of the cold freeze. When spring comes, ice thaws, and along with it come out to the surface and algae.

All algae that live in unusual cold conditions are called cryobionts. In conditions of low temperature, not only microscopic, but multicellular algae live, for example, laminaria.

Algae in salt water bodies

For obvious reasons, the more saline water, the less living organisms in it dwells. This also applies to algae. Only some of them tolerate high salinity. But even in extremely concentrated waters one-celled green varieties live. Sometimes such algae in nature cause a green or red "flowering". The bottom of salt water bodies is sometimes completely covered by them.

The characteristics of algae are such that in highly saline water they lead to sometimes unexpected biochemical processes. For example, the formation of therapeutic mud.

Algae that live without water

Aerial algae living in unusual conditions, contact directly with the air. A typical habitat of such species is the surface of rocks, stones, tree bark.

By the degree of moisture they are divided into two subgroups: air and water-air. The life of algae is very distinctive and is characterized by a sharp and frequent change in temperature and humidity. During the day these algae get quite heated, and at night the temperature drops considerably.

Such sharp changes are affected only by aerophilic algae. However, they are well adapted to such an existence. The largest of their colonies are observed on the surfaces of wet rocks.

Factors of algae development

The main factors that affect the development of algae are the presence of moisture, light, temperature, carbon, organic and mineral fertilizers. Algae are very widespread all over the world, they can be found in water, on bark of trees, in soil and on its surface, on the walls of stone buildings, and even in the most inappropriate places for habitation.

Strangely enough, but some species are so adapted to life in extreme conditions that the wave feels comfortable, and even very actively multiply.

It is a mistake to assume that in the conditions of high and very low temperatures there is nothing alive. This is completely wrong. It turns out that under these conditions, single-celled and multicellular algae are quite normal. They are not always visible to the naked eye, but they live in hot geysers and in ice.

Interesting scientific facts

Recent studies in Kamchatka have led biologists to a rather unexpected result. Before the researchers had a goal: to survey hot springs for the content of mercury in them. It was supposed initially that water from these sources is unsuitable for drinking.

During the research it turned out that only one geyser is dangerous. However, other interesting facts were found out. Biologists say with confidence about the detection of dark green filamentous algae in hot water. It would seem, well, what's surprising. The fact of their residence at high temperatures has long been known. But the temperature of the water of the investigated geysers reached 98 degrees. Though earlier the boundary temperature of their dwelling in the area of eighty seven degrees was assumed.

Instead of an afterword

For us, habitual habitat for algae is the water space. But, as we could see, this is not quite true. Among them there are enough species that feel great outside the water. Moreover, as it turned out, algae have a very wide temperature range of habitat, like no other living organism. They are able not only to live, but also to reproduce in the most severe conditions, where, it would seem, nothing living can be. And for some species it is quite acceptable and comfortable conditions.