Overview
A taxonomic infraphylum.
Taxonomy
The Infraphylum Charophytae is a member of the Subphylum Phragmophytina. Here is the complete "parentage" of Charophytae:
- Domain: Eukaryota
Whittaker & Margulis,1978 - eukaryotes
- Kingdom: Plantae
Haeckel, 1866 - Plants
- Subkingdom: Viridaeplantae
Cavalier-Smith, 1981 - Green Plants
- Phylum: Charophyta
- Subphylum: Phragmophytina
Cavalier-Smith, 1998 - Phragmophytes
- Infraphylum: Charophytae (Engler, 1887) Cavalier-Smith, 1998
- Subphylum: Phragmophytina
Cavalier-Smith, 1998 - Phragmophytes
- Phylum: Charophyta
- Subkingdom: Viridaeplantae
Cavalier-Smith, 1981 - Green Plants
- Kingdom: Plantae
Haeckel, 1866 - Plants
The Infraphylum Charophytae is further organized into finer groupings including:
- Class (2): Charophyceae · Chlorophyceae
Classes
Charophyceae
Charophyceae is a taxon of green algae whose exact rank is the matter of some current debate. Some botanists recommend expanding the existing plant kingdom to include charophyceans and chlorophytes while others consider Charophyceae to be a class within either the divisions Chlorophyta, Streptophytina, or Streptophyta. Other systematists classify Charophyceae as a class under division Charophyta, with Chlorophyta remaining a distinct division. [more]
Chlorophyceae
The Chlorophyceae are one of the classes of green algae, distinguished mainly on the basis of ultrastructural morphology. For example the chlorophycean CW clade, and chlorophycean DO clade, are defined by the arrangement of their flagella. Members of the CW clade have flagella that are displaced in a "clockwise" (CW, 1?7 o'clock) direction e.g. Chlamydomonadales. Members of the DO clade have flagella that are "directly opposed" (DO, 12?6 o'clock) e.g. Sphaeropleales. They are usually green due to the dominance of pigments chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b.The chloroplast may be discoid, plate-like, reticulate, cup-shaped, spiral or in different species. Most of the members have one or more storage bodies called Pyrenoids located in the chloroplast.Pyrenoids contain protein besides starch.Some algae may store food in the form of oil droplets.Green algae usually have a rigid cell wall made up of an inner layer of cellulose and outer layer of pectose. [more]
At least 4,392 species and subspecies belong to the Class Chlorophyceae.
More info about the Class Chlorophyceae may be found here.
Sources
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