Structure spirogyra - a typical representative of the department Green algae

Spirogira refers to the department of Green algae. Its body is a thallus filamentous form, which consists of individual cells and does not form tissues and organs. This is a characteristic feature of all representatives of a group of lower plants. To attach to the base, as in all algae, spirogyra have rhizoids. With the help of these filamentous formations, tall is attached to the substrate. Rizoids are also represented by the accumulation of cells and do not form tissues.

The belonging of the spirogyra to the department of Green algae is determined by the presence of chloroplasts in the cells of this plant organism. These structures are one of the varieties of plastids. Due to the presence of chloroplasts, algae, like all plants, are able to carry out the process of photosynthesis - independently form carbohydrates, necessary for growth and development.

Structure of spirogyra cells

This representative of green algae is a multicellular organism. The structure of spirogyra (the figure above shows the main structures) is represented by a long filamentary structure. Chloroplasts of this algae look like ribbons, which spiral twist. This trait also defines the name of the described organisms. The cells are also elongated, having a cylindrical shape. They are connected by means of pores in the shells, through which the metabolic process is carried out.

Like all plant cells, most of them are occupied by vacuoles, which are reservoirs filled with water with dissolved nutrients. Shells impregnated with carbohydrate cellulose, giving them strength and rigidity.

Algae spirogyra, like all plants, is a eukaryotic organism. This means that its cells contain a nucleus. In the organelle there is a genetic material enclosed in DNA molecules.

Habitat

Algae spirogyra in the vast majority of cases is the inhabitant of fresh water reservoirs with standing water. But it also occurs in the seas. Its threads, intertwined in large quantities, look like green cotton wool floating on the surface.

Food

The structure of the spirogyra determines its type of food, since algae cells contain green plastids of chloroplasts capable of carrying out the process of photosynthesis. Its essence lies in the formation of organic substances from inorganic energy due to solar radiation. This type of food is called autotrophic.

The algae obtained by glucose is used to carry out vital processes and body growth. A secreted oxygen is required for all living organisms for breathing - a necessary condition for existence on the planet. The source of the substances necessary for photosynthesis, namely water and carbon dioxide, is directly their habitat.

Reproduction

For this green alga, vegetative propagation by parts of the thallus is predominant. Numerous threads are torn apart, each of which gives rise to a new organism. This determines the intensity and high productivity of this process. However, the structure of spirogyra makes possible the sexual process. It is carried out in the form of conjugation. In this case, the threads of algae intertwine among themselves, between them there is a specialized formation - the copulatory channel. According to it, the inner contents of one cell containing genetic material flow into the other. As a result, there is a compacted formation - zygospora. In this state, algae tolerates unfavorable conditions, and in spring a young filamentous specimen grows from it.

The sexual process makes possible the emergence of new properties of the body, which is an important condition for the adaptation of plants to the constantly changing environmental conditions.

Importance in ecosystems and human life

The structure of spirogyra makes it the main object in laboratory studies, since it has fairly large cells that reach 0.01 mm in diameter. This algae forms dense thickets in many water bodies. Such a biomass can provide a sufficiently large amount of oxygen. But this property also has a negative value, since it leads to the processes of bogging, rotting and flowering of water. As a result, many animals can simply die. Surely the words from the children's song "dragged the brown mud of the surface of the ancient pond" are dedicated to the green filamentous accumulations of spirogyra. However, due to it, a large number of aquatic inhabitants survive, and the biomass that it is able to form, several times higher than that of terrestrial plants.

Spirogira is a typical representative of the Lower Plant group, namely the Green algae department. It is an integral part of the ecosystems of almost all fresh water bodies, a source of organic substances and oxygen.