Which of the following lineages forms it's protective structures from silica dioxide and is responsible for -40-45% of the oxygen gas (O2) in the atmosphere?
37 Please ignore my selection, please give me the true answer.
Diatoms are a very small marine organism that is responsible for the production of 40-45% of the oxygen present in the atmosphere. It is a unicellular photosynthetic algae present in the oceans. The unique feature of these algae is that they are surrounded by a cell wall that is made up of silica dioxide. This covering gives them a unique appearance and therefore diatoms are also called the "jewels of the sea" and "living opals".
Dinoflagellates are marine algae commonly known as plankton. These also produce a huge amount of oxygen and are second only to diatoms. When the population of dinoflagellates increases exponentially, the surface of the water looks red. This phenomenon is known as a red tide.
Euglenozoans are free-living flagellated protists. It has a large variety of organisms with modes of nutrition ranging from bacteriotrophs to photosynthetic autotrophs (Euglena). This group also contains parasites that infect humans. Euglenozoans are not responsible for the production of large amounts of oxygen.
Red Algae or Rhodophyta is one of the largest phyla of Algae. It is usually found in freshwater lakes. Red algae contain pigments phycoerythrin and phycocyanin that give them their unique red color and hence their name red algae. Like all algae, they also produce atmospheric oxygen but in smaller quantities as compared to diatoms.
Step by step
Solved in 3 steps
