Question
Question: Which of the following is commonly present in freshwater? (A)Ulothrix (B)Spirogyra (C)Ectocarp...
Which of the following is commonly present in freshwater?
(A)Ulothrix
(B)Spirogyra
(C)Ectocarpus
(D)Batrachospermum
(a)A and B
(b)A, B, and D
(c)A,B,C and D
(d)A, B, and C
Solution
Hint The freshwater species is the plant called water silk, the tresses of the mermaid, which is a filamentous green alga. Other species include the non-branching filamentous green algae species and the red algae genus, which are violet to blue-green in color.
Complete answer:
Freshwater is water that contains only a minimal amount of dissolved salts and therefore differentiates it from seawater or brackish water. Ultimately, all freshwater comes through the accumulation of ambient water vapor, immediately reaching inland lakes, rivers, and bodies of groundwater, or after melting snow or ice.
Algae are the thallophyta group, are chlorophyll carriers, and have a basic body structure. There are a couple of examples given, which are:
Ulothrix is a green, filamentous alga, often found in low salinity freshwater areas such as wetlands, lakes, etc.
Spirogyra belongs to the largest group of green algae and are commonly found in deep ponds, rivers, etc.
Ectocarpus Belongs to the brown algae group which mostly occurs in colder wetlands. In marine bodies of water, they are commonly found.
Batrachospermum is a red algae member that is present in seawater, but few are found in freshwater.
So, the correct answer is, ‘A, B, and D’.
Note: Green algae (Chlorophyta), red algae (Rhodophyta), blue-green algae (Cyanobacteria), and diatoms (Bacillariophyta) are the major classes of algae that are found in streams.
Spirogyra is a filamentous charophyte green algae. They belong to the order Zygnematales and named for the helical or spiral structure of the chloroplasts that is characteristic of the genus. Spirogyra (common names include water silk, mermaid tresses, and blanket weed)
Ulothrix is a genus of filamentous green algae that are not branched, commonly found in fresh and marine water. Its cells are typically as large as they are long, and in the low temperatures of spring and winter, they thrive.
Batrachospermum, a freshwater red algae genus (Batrachospermaceae family) ranging from violet to blue-green in color. Dense whorls of branchlets carry long, branched, threadlike filaments, resembling beads on a string.