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Green Algae

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The Structural Basis of Biological Energy Generation

Part of the book series: Advances in Photosynthesis and Respiration ((AIPH,volume 39))

Summary

Green algae have been treated for a long time as “free living choroplasts” and therefore used as model organisms in photosynthesis research. However, recent progress has provided evidence that they have a paraphyletic origin, resulting in a wide array of different evolutionary lineages. This diversity opens the opportunity to utilise green algae not only for the production of bulk biomass, but also for the extraction of specific biotechnological compounds. This chapter gives an overview of the taxonomic, structural, biochemical, molecular and physiological features of those species which are the most widely used in algal biomass technologies. Based on this description, we suggest how green algal biodiversity and metabolic pathways can be exploited in the future for biological energy generation.

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Abbreviations

AX:

– Astaxanthin

CAN:

– Cantaxanthin

CAR:

– β-carotene

Chl:

– Chlorophyll

ITS:

– Internal transcribe spacer (commonly referring to the ribosomal rRNA operon)

LUT:

– Lutein

Mya:

– Million years ago

ROS:

– Reactive oxygen species

VDE:

– Violaxanthin de-epoxidase

ZEA:

– Zeaxanthin

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Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge the German Funding Agency (DFG) for financial support for Maria Schmidt and the German Ministry of Science and Education (BMBF) for support in developing new concepts of algal based biofuels production (VIP 16 V0001)

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  1. Department of Plant Physiology, Institute of Biology, University of Leipzig, Johannisallee 23, D-04103, Leipzig, Germany

    Maria Schmidt & Christian Wilhelm

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  1. Maria Schmidt
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  2. Christian Wilhelm
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Correspondence to Christian Wilhelm .

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  1. Department of Biotechnology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Sør-Trøndelag Fylke, Norway

    Martin F. Hohmann-Marriott

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Schmidt, M., Wilhelm, C. (2014). Green Algae. In: Hohmann-Marriott, M. (eds) The Structural Basis of Biological Energy Generation. Advances in Photosynthesis and Respiration, vol 39. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8742-0_17

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