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Haptophyte

 
Haptophyte

 
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Haptophyte
 
 
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The haptophytes, classed either as the Prymnesiophyta or Haptophyta, are a phylum
Phylum

A phylum "Phylum" is adopted from the Greek phylai, the clan-based voting groups in Greek city-states. is a taxonomic rank below Kingdom and above Class ....
 of algae. The chloroplast
Chloroplast

Chloroplasts are organelles found in plant cells and other eukaryote organisms that conduct photosynthesis. Chloroplasts capture light energy to conserve Thermodynamic free energy in the form of Adenosine triphosphate and reduce NADP to NADPH through a complex set of processes called photosynthesis....
s are pigmented similarly to those of the heterokont
Heterokont

The heterokonts or stramenopiles are a major line of eukaryotes presently containing about 10,500 known species. Most are algae, ranging from the giant multicellular kelp to the unicellular diatoms, which are a primary component of plankton....
s, such as golden algae, but the structure of the rest of the cell is different, so it may be that they are a separate line whose chloroplasts are derived from similar endosymbionts.

The cells typically have two slightly unequal flagella
Flagellum

A flagellum is a tail-like structure that projects from the cell body of certain prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, and it functions in locomotion....
, both of which are smooth, and a unique organelle called a haptonema, which is superficially similar to a flagellum but differs in the arrangement of microtubule
Microtubule

Microtubules are one of the components of the cytoskeleton. They have a diameter of 25 Nanometre and length varying from 200 nanometers to 25 micrometers....
s and in its use.






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The haptophytes, classed either as the Prymnesiophyta or Haptophyta, are a phylum
Phylum

A phylum "Phylum" is adopted from the Greek phylai, the clan-based voting groups in Greek city-states. is a taxonomic rank below Kingdom and above Class ....
 of algae. The chloroplast
Chloroplast

Chloroplasts are organelles found in plant cells and other eukaryote organisms that conduct photosynthesis. Chloroplasts capture light energy to conserve Thermodynamic free energy in the form of Adenosine triphosphate and reduce NADP to NADPH through a complex set of processes called photosynthesis....
s are pigmented similarly to those of the heterokont
Heterokont

The heterokonts or stramenopiles are a major line of eukaryotes presently containing about 10,500 known species. Most are algae, ranging from the giant multicellular kelp to the unicellular diatoms, which are a primary component of plankton....
s, such as golden algae, but the structure of the rest of the cell is different, so it may be that they are a separate line whose chloroplasts are derived from similar endosymbionts.

The cells typically have two slightly unequal flagella
Flagellum

A flagellum is a tail-like structure that projects from the cell body of certain prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, and it functions in locomotion....
, both of which are smooth, and a unique organelle called a haptonema, which is superficially similar to a flagellum but differs in the arrangement of microtubule
Microtubule

Microtubules are one of the components of the cytoskeleton. They have a diameter of 25 Nanometre and length varying from 200 nanometers to 25 micrometers....
s and in its use. The name comes from the Greek
Greek language

Greek is an Indo-European languages native to the southern Balkan peninsula, the language of the Greek people. It forms an independent branch within Indo-European....
 hapsis, touch, and nema, thread. The mitochondria
Mitochondrion

In cell biology, a mitochondrion is a membrane-enclosed organelle found in most eukaryote cell . These organelles range from 0.5–10 micrometers in diameter....
 have tubular crista
Crista

Cristae are the internal compartments formed by the Inner mitochondrial membrane of a mitochondrion. They are studded with proteins, including ATP synthase and a variety of cytochromes....
e.

Haptophytes are economically important as Pavlova lutheri and Isochrysis
Isochrysis

Isochrysis is a genus of alga comprising approximately 1 species. Isochrysis produces tetraspores and carpospores....
 sp. are widely used in the aquaculture
Aquaculture

Aquaculture is the farming of freshwater and saltwater organisms including molluscs, crustaceans and aquatic plants. Unlike fishing, aquaculture, also known as aquafarming, implies the cultivation of aquatic populations under controlled conditions....
 industries.

The best-known haptophytes are coccolithophore
Coccolithophore

Coccolithophores are single-celled algae, protists and phytoplankton belonging to the division haptophytes. They are distinguished by special calcium carbonate plates of uncertain function called coccoliths , which are important Micropaleontology....
s, which have an exoskeleton of calcareous plates called coccolith
Coccolith

File:Gephyrocapsa oceanica color.jpgCoccoliths are individual plate of calcium carbonate formed by coccolithophores which are arranged around them in a coccosphere....
s. Coccolithophores are some of the most abundant marine phytoplankton, especially in the open ocean and are extremely abundant as microfossils. Other planktonic haptophytes of note include Chrysochromulina
Chrysochromulina

Chrysochromulina is a genus of alga comprising approximately 27 species. Chrysochromulina produces tetraspores and carpospores....
 and Prymnesium
Prymnesium

Prymnesium is a genus of alga comprising approximately 6 species. Prymnesium produces tetraspores and carpospores....
, which periodically form toxic marine algal bloom
Algal bloom

An algal bloom is a rapid increase in the population of algae in an aquatic system. Algal blooms may occur in freshwater as well as marine environments....
s, and Phaeocystis blooms of which can produce unpleasant foam which often accumulates on beaches. Both molecular and morphological evidence supports their division into five orders; coccolithophores make up the Isochrysidales and Coccolithales.