The Chlorophyta are a division (phylum) of the algae. Green in color, their photosynthetic pigments are similar to those of flowering plants—namely a complex of chlorophylls a and b, xanthophylls, and carotenes contained in well-defined chloroplasts (Dawson, 1966).
The Chlorophyta are found in a wide range of environments from freshwater, where they are the dominant form of algae, through brackish and estuarine conditions to marine situations. In the latter, they are usually far less conspicuous; especially in cold and temperate seas, they are far less prevalent than the reds (Rhodophyta) and the browns (Phaeophyta). Their sizes range from planktonic, where they occupy an important place, to large macrophytic forms, the largest recorded size being 8 m, attained by Codium magnum .
Although they rarely dominate the coast, in some places such as quiet lagoons or near sewage outlets their biomass can be considerable and their locally overwhelming presence can exclude almost all other...
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Reference
Dawson, E. Y., 1966. Marine Botany: An Introduction. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 371p.
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© 1982 Hutchinson Ross Publishing Company
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Sheppard, C.R.C. (1982). Chlorophyta . In: Beaches and Coastal Geology. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-30843-1_99
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-30843-1_99
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