Ectocarpales

Ectocarpales
Leathesia difformis
Leathesia difformis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Clade: Diaphoretickes
Clade: SAR
Clade: Stramenopiles
Phylum: Gyrista
Subphylum: Ochrophytina
Class: Phaeophyceae
Subclass: Fucophycidae
Order: Ectocarpales
Setchell & N.L.Gardner
Families
Synonyms[1]
  • Chordariales Setchell & N.L.Gardner
  • Dictyosiphonales Setchell & N.L.Gardner
  • Scytosiphonales Feldmann

Ectocarpales is a very large order in the brown algae (class Phaeophyceae). The order includes families with pseudoparenchymatous (Splachnidiaceae) or true parenchymatous (Scytosiphonaceae) tissue. Pseudoparenchymatous refers to a filamentous alga with cells packed very close together to give an appearance of parenchymatous tissue, the latter being composed of cells which can truly divide in three dimensions, unusual among the algae. Filamentous algae are composed of cells that divide along a single plane, allowing only elongation to form filaments of one or more rows of cells. Algae that can divide in two planes can form sheet-like thalli or bodies. Cells that can divide in a third plane potentially allow for the organism to develop a more complex body plan, and diversification of body plans into an erect thallus of some sort and a holdfast for attaching the upright portion to the substrate.[2][3]

A 2014 classification recognizes the following families:[1]

  1. ^ a b Silberfeld, Thomas; Rousseau, Florence; Reviers, Bruno de (2014). "An Updated Classification of Brown Algae (Ochrophyta, Phaeophyceae)". Cryptogamie, Algologie. 35 (2): 117–156. doi:10.7872/crya.v35.iss2.2014.117. ISSN 0181-1568.
  2. ^ Lee, R.E. (1999). Phycology (Third ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-63883-8.
  3. ^ Guiry, M.D.; G.M. Guiry (2006). "AlgaeBase version 4.2". World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. Retrieved 2006-11-22.