The protozoan Phylum Viridiplantae, are also known as
Green algae, chlorophytes, chlorophyceans.
5 main characteristics are:
- They are unicellular eukaryotes with cell wall composed of
cellulose.
- They have two flagella (or in pairs), which are both whiplash
or with sparse hairs or scales and anteriorly directed. These help
in locomotion.
- Chloroplasts are Variable in the organism; it is grass green
with chlorophylls a and b, B-carotene and various xanthophylls.
This helps them in photosynthesis.
- The green plants or Viridiplantae, like others eukaryotes ,
they also use mitochondria as a source of energy generation.Here
the mitochondria are small, oval shaped organelles surrounded by
two specialized membranes. Mitochondria are the major energy
production center and are the sites for aerobic respiration.
- The food reserves are true starch that are deposited within the
chloroplast in association with a pyrenoid. They usually reproduce
sextually.
Some examples are:
Hydrodictyon ,Volvox ,
Chlamydomonas , Oedogonium , Ulva ,
Cladophora , Codium ,
Acetabularia