Green Algae
Algearous greenensis is a planktonic photosynthetic Algeayan. It utilizes dark green pigments to photosynthesize. A. greenensis grows in strands of cells that float high in the water column, typically at the surface due to their low density. The strands will often get tangled and twisted as A. greenensis floats. If undisturbed by consumers large patches of A. greenensis can be found floating in marine waters.
A. greenensis reproduces by fragmentation and through the production of special resistant form cells. In good conditions A. greenensis will dedicate all of its nutrients to growth, creating long strands and reproducing when the strands are broken and separated. In poor conditions, such as when light is unavailable, cells will undergo mitosis, one cell will remain in the form of the parent cell in the strand while the other cell will be formed outside of the strand with thick cell walls allowing it to better survive unfavorable environment conditions. The resistant cell will detach from the parent organism and float freely until favorable conditions are present when it will begin mitosis again, creating new strands.
