RED ALGAE

Red algae = Rhodophyta

Red algae, or Rhodophyta (/roʊˈdɒfɪtə/ roh-DOF-it-ə, /ˌroʊdəˈfaɪtə/ ROH-də-FY-tə; from Ancient Greek ῥόδον (rhodon) 'rose', and φυτόν (phyton) 'plant'), are one of the oldest groups of eukaryotic algae.

The Rhodophyta also comprises one of the largest phyla of algae, containing over 7,000 currently recognized species with taxonomic revisions ongoing. 

The majority of species (6,793) are found in the Florideophyceae (class), and mostly consist of multicellular, marine algae, including many notable seaweeds. Red algae are abundant in marine habitats but are relatively rare in freshwaters. 

Approximately 5% of the red algae occur in freshwater environments with greater concentrations found in warmer areas. Except for two coastal cave dwelling species in the asexual class Cyanidiophyceae, there are no terrestrial species, which may be due to an evolutionary bottleneck where the last common ancestor lost about 25% of its core genes and much of its evolutionary plasticity.

The red algae form a distinct group characterized by having eukaryotic cells without flagella and centrioles, chloroplasts that lack external endoplasmic reticulum and contain unstacked (stroma) thylakoids, and use phycobiliproteins as accessory pigments, which give them their red color. 

Red algae store sugars as floridean starch, which is a type of starch that consists of highly branched amylopectin without amylose, as food reserves outside their plastids.

Most red algae are also multicellular, macroscopic, marine, and reproduce sexually.

The red algal life history is typically an alternation of generations that may have three generations rather than two.The coralline algae, which secrete calcium carbonate and play a major role in building coral reefs, belong here.

Red algae such as dulse (Palmaria palmata) and laver (nori/gim) are a traditional part of European and Asian cuisines and are used to make other products such as agar, carrageenans and other food additives.

Evolution
Chloroplasts evolved following an endosymbiotic event between an ancestral, photosynthetic cyanobacterium and an early eukaryotic phagotroph.

 This event (termed primary endosymbiosis) resulted in the origin of the red and green algae, and the glaucophytes, which make up the oldest evolutionary lineages of photosynthetic eukaryotes.

 A secondary endosymbiosis event involving an ancestral red alga and a heterotrophic eukaryote resulted in the evolution and diversification of several other photosynthetic lineages such as Cryptophyta, Haptophyta, Stramenopiles (or Heterokontophyta), and Alveolata. In addition to multicellular brown algae, it is estimated that more than half of all known species of microbial eukaryotes harbor red-alga-derived plastids.

Red algae are divided into the Cyanidiophyceae, a class of unicellular and thermoacidophilic extremophiles found in sulphuric hot springs and other acidic environments,an adaptation partly made possible by horizontal gene transfers from prokaryotes, with about 1% of their genome having this origin, and two sister clades called SCRP (Stylonematophyceae, Compsopogonophyceae, Rhodellophyceae and Porphyridiophyceae) and BF (Bangiophyceae and Florideophyceae), which are found in both marine and freshwater environments.

The SCRP clade are microalgae, consisting of both unicellular forms and multicellular microscopic filaments and blades. The BF are macroalgae, seaweed that usually do not grow to more than about 50 cm in length, but a few species can reach lengths of 2 m.

Most rhodophytes are marine with a worldwide distribution, and are often found at greater depths compared to other seaweeds. While this was formerly attributed to the presence of pigments (such as phycoerythrin) that would permit red algae to inhabit greater depths than other macroalgae by chromatic adaption, recent evidence calls this into question (e.g. the discovery of green algae at great depth in the Bahamas). Some marine species are found on sandy shores, while most others can be found attached to rocky substrata. 

Freshwater species account for 5% of red algal diversity, but they also have a worldwide distribution in various habitats; they generally prefer clean, high-flow streams with clear waters and rocky bottoms, but with some exceptions.

A few freshwater species are found in black waters with sandy bottoms  and even fewer are found in more lentic waters. Both marine and freshwater taxa are represented by free-living macroalgal forms and smaller endo/epiphytic/zoic forms, meaning they live in or on other algae, plants, and animals.

 In addition, some marine species have adopted a parasitic lifestyle and may be found on closely or more distantly related red algal hosts.

Taxonomy
Further information: Wikispecies:Rhodophyta
In the system of Adl et al. 2005, the red algae are classified in the Archaeplastida, along with the glaucophytes and green algae plus land plants (Viridiplantae or Chloroplastida). The authors use a hierarchical arrangement where the clade names do not signify rank; the class name Rhodophyceae is used for the red algae. No subdivisions are given; the authors say, "Traditional subgroups are artificial constructs, and no longer valid."

Many studies published since Adl et al. 2005 have provided evidence that is in agreement for monophyly in the Archaeplastida (including red algae). However, other studies have suggested Archaeplastida is paraphyletic. As of January 2011, the situation appears unresolved.

Below are other published taxonomies of the red algae using molecular and traditional alpha taxonomic data; however, the taxonomy of the red algae is still in a state of flux (with classification above the level of order having received little scientific attention for most of the 20th century).

If one defines the kingdom Plantae to mean the Archaeplastida, the red algae will be part of that kingdom.
If Plantae are defined more narrowly, to be the Viridiplantae, then the red algae might be considered their own kingdom, or part of the kingdom Protista.
A major research initiative to reconstruct the Red Algal Tree of Life (RedToL) using phylogenetic and genomic approach is funded by the National Science Foundation as part of the Assembling the Tree of Life Program.

Species of red algae
Over 7,000 species are currently described for the red algae,but the taxonomy is in constant flux with new species described each year. The vast majority of these are marine with about 200 that live only in fresh water.

Some examples of species and genera of red algae are:

Cyanidioschyzon merolae, a primitive red alga
Atractophora hypnoides
Gelidiella calcicola
Lemanea, a freshwater genus
Palmaria palmata, dulse
Schmitzia hiscockiana
Chondrus crispus, Irish moss
Mastocarpus stellatus
Vanvoorstia bennettiana, became extinct in the early 20th century
Acrochaetium efflorescens
Audouinella, with freshwater as well as marine species
Polysiphonia ceramiaeformis, banded siphon weed
Vertebrata simulans
Morphology
Red algal morphology is diverse ranging from unicellular forms to complex parenchymatous and non- parenchymatous thallus. Red algae have double cell walls. The outer layers contain the polysaccharides agarose and agaropectin that can be extracted from the cell walls by boiling as agar. The internal walls are mostly cellulose. They also have the most gene-rich plastid genomes known.

Cell structure
Red algae do not have flagella and centrioles during their entire life cycle. Presence of normal spindle fibres, microtubules, un-stacked photosynthetic membranes, presence of phycobilin pigment granules, presence of pit connection between cells filamentous genera, absence of chloroplast endoplasmic reticulum are the distinguishing characters of red algal cell structure.

Chloroplasts
Presence of the water-soluble pigments called phycobilins (phycocyanobilin, phycoerythrobilin, phycourobilin and phycobiliviolin), which are localized into phycobilisomes, gives red algae their distinctive color. Chloroplast contains evenly spaced and ungrouped thylakoids. Other pigments include chlorophyll a, α- and β-carotene, lutein and zeazanthin. Double membrane of chloroplast envelope surrounds the chloroplast. Absence of grana and attachment of phycobilisomes on the stromal surface of the thylakoid membrane are other distinguishing characters of red algal chloroplast.

Storage products
The major photosynthetic products include floridoside (major product), D‐isofloridoside, digeneaside, mannitol, sorbitol, dulcitol etc. Floridean starch (similar to amylopectin in land plants), a long term storage product, is deposited freely (scattered) in the cytoplasm. The concentration of photosynthetic products are altered by the environmental conditions like change in pH, the salinity of medium, change in light intensity, nutrient limitation etc. When the salinity of the medium increases the production of floridoside is increased in order to prevent water from leaving the algal cells.

Pit connections and pit plugs
Main article: Pit connection
Pit connections
Pit connections and pit plugs are unique and distinctive features of red algae that form during the process of cytokinesis following mitosis. In red algae, cytokinesis is incomplete. Typically, a small pore is left in the middle of the newly formed partition. The pit connection is formed where the daughter cells remain in contact.

Shortly after the pit connection is formed, cytoplasmic continuity is blocked by the generation of a pit plug, which is deposited in the wall gap that connects the cells.

Connections between cells having a common parent cell are called primary pit connections. Because apical growth is the norm in red algae, most cells have two primary pit connections, one to each adjacent cell.

Connections that exist between cells not sharing a common parent cell are labelled secondary pit connections. These connections are formed when an unequal cell division produced a nucleated daughter cell that then fuses to an adjacent cell. Patterns of secondary pit connections can be seen in the order Ceramiales.

Pit plugs
After a pit connection is formed, tubular membranes appear. A granular protein called the plug core then forms around the membranes. The tubular membranes eventually disappear. While some orders of red algae simply have a plug core, others have an associated membrane at each side of the protein mass, called cap membranes. The pit plug continues to exist between the cells until one of the cells dies. When this happens, the living cell produces a layer of wall material that seals off the plug.

Function
The pit connections have been suggested to function as structural reinforcement, or as avenues for cell-to-cell communication and transport in red algae, however little data supports this hypothesis.

Reproduction
The reproductive cycle of red algae may be triggered by factors such as day length. Red algae reproduce sexually as well as asexually. Asexual reproduction can occur through the production of spores and by vegetative means (fragmentation, cell division or propagules production).

Fertilization
Red algae lack motile sperm. Hence, they rely on water currents to transport their gametes to the female organs – although their sperm are capable of "gliding" to a carpogonium's trichogyne.

The trichogyne will continue to grow until it encounters a spermatium; once it has been fertilized, the cell wall at its base progressively thickens, separating it from the rest of the carpogonium at its base.

Upon their collision, the walls of the spermatium and carpogonium dissolve. The male nucleus divides and moves into the carpogonium; one half of the nucleus merges with the carpogonium's nucleus.

The polyamine spermine is produced, which triggers carpospore production.

Spermatangia may have long, delicate appendages, which increase their chances of "hooking up".

Life cycle
They display alternation of generations. In addition to a gametophyte generation, many have two sporophyte generations, the carposporophyte-producing carpospores, which germinate into a tetrasporophyte – this produces spore tetrads, which dissociate and germinate into gametophytes. The gametophyte is typically (but not always) identical to the tetrasporophyte.

Carpospores may also germinate directly into thalloid gametophytes, or the carposporophytes may produce a tetraspore without going through a (free-living) tetrasporophyte phase.Tetrasporangia may be arranged in a row (zonate), in a cross (cruciate), or in a tetrad.

The carposporophyte may be enclosed within the gametophyte, which may cover it with branches to form a cystocarp.

These case studies may be helpful to understand some of the life histories algae may display:

In a simple case, such as Rhodochorton investiens:

In the Carposporophyte: a spermatium merges with a trichogyne (a long hair on the female sexual organ), which then divides to form carposporangia – which produce carpospores.

Carpospores germinate into gametophytes, which produce sporophytes. Both of these are very similar; they produce monospores from monosporangia "just below a cross-wall in a filamentband their spores are "liberated through the apex of sporangial cell."

The spores of a sporophyte produce either tetrasporophytes. Monospores produced by this phase germinates immediately, with no resting phase, to form an identical copy of the parent. Tetrasporophytes may also produce a carpospore, which germinates to form another tetrasporophyte.

The gametophyte may replicate using monospores, but produces sperm in spermatangia, and "eggs"(?) in carpogonium.

A rather different example is Porphyra gardneri:
In its diploid phase, a carpospore can germinate to form a filamentous "conchocelis stage", which can also self-replicate using monospores. The conchocelis stage eventually produces conchosporangia. The resulting conchospore germinates to form a tiny prothallus with rhizoids, which develops to a cm-scale leafy thallus. This too can reproduce via monospores, which are produced inside the thallus itself. They can also reproduce via spermatia, produced internally, which are released to meet a prospective carpogonium in its conceptacle.

Chemistry
Algal group        δ13C range
HCO3-using red algae        −22.5‰ to −9.6‰
CO2-using red algae        −34.5‰ to −29.9‰
Brown algae        −20.8‰ to −10.5‰
Green algae        −20.3‰ to −8.8‰

The δ13C values of red algae reflect their lifestyles. The largest difference results from their photosynthetic metabolic pathway: algae that use HCO3 as a carbon source have less negative δ13C values than those that only use CO
2. An additional difference of about 1.71‰ separates groups intertidal from those below the lowest tide line, which are never exposed to atmospheric carbon. The latter group uses the more 13C-negative CO
2 dissolved in sea water, whereas those with access to atmospheric carbon reflect the more positive signature of this reserve.

Photosynthetic pigments of Rhodophyta are chlorophylls a and d. Red algae are red due to phycoerythrin. They contain the sulfated polysaccharide carrageenan in the amorphous sections of their cell walls, although red algae from the genus Porphyra contain porphyran.

They also produce a specific type of tannin called phlorotannins, but in a lower amount than brown algae do.
Red algae, (division Rhodophyta), any of about 6,000 species of predominantly marine algae, often found attached to other shore plants. Their morphological range includes filamentous, branched, feathered, and sheetlike thalli.

The taxonomy of the group is contentious, and organization of the division Rhodophyta may not accurately reflect the phylogeny (evolutionary relationships) of its members.

In most species, thin protoplasmic connections provide continuity between cells. Their usual red or blue colour is the result of a masking of chlorophyll by phycobilin pigments (phycoerythrin and phycocyanin).

The reproductive bodies of red algae are nonmotile. The female sex organ, called a carpogonium, consists of a uninucleate region that functions as the egg and a trichogyne, or projection, to which male gametes become attached. The nonmotile male gametes (spermatia) are produced singly in male sex organs, the spermatangia.

Some red algae are important foods (e.g., laver, dulse). They may retain both their colour and gelatinous nature when cooked. Industrially, Irish moss (Chondrus) is used as a gelatin substitute in puddings, toothpaste, ice cream, and preserves.

Some species of Corallina and its allies are important, along with animal corals, in forming coral reefs and islands. Agar, a gelatin-like substance prepared primarily from Gracilaria and Gelidium species, is important as a culture medium for bacteria and fungi.

Red algae are red because of the presence of the pigment phycoerythrin; this pigment reflects red light and absorbs blue light. Because blue light penetrates water to a greater depth than light of longer wavelengths, these pigments allow red algae to photosynthesize and live at somewhat greater depths than most other "algae". Some rhodophytes have very little phycoerythrin, and may appear green or bluish from the chlorophyll and other pigments present in them.

In Asia, rhodophytes are important sources of food, such as nori. The high vitamin and protein content of this food makes it attractive, as does the relative simplicity of cultivation, which began in Japan more than 300 years ago.

Some rhodophytes are also important in the formation of tropical reefs, an activity with which they have been involved for millions of years; in some Pacific atolls, red algae have contributed far more to reef structure than other organisms, even more than corals. These reef-building rhodophytes are called coralline algae, because they secrete a hard shell of carbonate around themselves, in much the same way that corals do.

General Characteristics of Red Algae
Red algae are different from other groups except for diatoms. Listed below are general characteristics of Red Algae.

Lack of flagella and centrioles
Presence of photosynthetic pigments
Found both in marine and freshwater
They show biphasic or triphasic life cycle patterns.
They are a multicellular, filament, blade structure.
Stored food is in the form of starch and polymers of galactan sulphate
A pit connection (hole in the septum) is formed between two algal cells.
Have a diffuse growth pattern- Apical growth, Complex oogamy (triphasic)
These group of red algae is generally found in tropical marine locations
The mode of nutrition may either be saprophytic, parasitic or also epiphytic.
Their cell walls consist of cellulose and many different types of carbohydrates.
Grow on solid surfaces independently or sometimes found attached to other algae.
Presence of pit in the cell walls, through which cytoplasmic connec­tions are maintained.
The male sex organs are known as spermatangium and the female sex organs are called carpogonia or procarp.
Mode of Reproduction: It takes place by all the three means: vegetative, asexual and sexual. Asexual mode of reproduction is by monospores and during the sexual mode of reproduction, they undergo alternation of generations.

Uses of Red Algae
Red Algae has great ecological importance. They form a vital part of the food chain and are also involved in producing about 40 to 60 per cent of the total global oxygen for both terrestrial habitat and other aquatic habitats. Listed below are a few ecological and commercial importance of red algae.

Algae provide natural food for fish and other aquatic animals.
Red alga is the most important commercial food in Japan and in the region of North Atlantic.
Agar or agar-agar, a jelly-like substance which is used in puddings, dairy toppings and other instant food products is extracted from Red algae.
Red algae are used as the source of food for thousands of years as they are high in vitamins, minerals, a rich source of calcium, magnesium, and antioxidants.
They are sources of dietary fibre as they have the ability to promote healthy circulation, lower bad cholesterol and regulate blood sugar levels.
They are also involved in nourishing your skin, boosting the immune system and contributing to bone health.
Stay tuned with BYJU’S to know more about the algae, their types, general characteristics,  important facts about the algae, red algae, and blue-green algae.

Rhodophyta
The scientific name of Red Algae is Rhodophyta and they belong to Class Rhodophyceae. There are two classes of red algal namely the Florideophyceae and Bangiophyceae. Both Florideophyceae and Bangiophyceae comprise 99% of red algal diversity in marine and freshwater habitats.

Red algae or Rhodophyta – It is a distinctive type of species that are mostly found in the freshwater lakes and are the oldest type of eukaryotic algae. They are red in colour due to the presence of a pigment called chlorophyll A, phycocyanin, and phycoerythrin.

They are the member of the tribe Amansieae (Rhodomelaceae, Ceramiales, Rhodophyta), in which only Aneurianna and Lenormandia Sonder have foliar blades. They are the distinctive type of species, mostly found in the deep freshwater bodies.

According to the original description of the genus (Phillips, 2006), Aneurianna differs from Lenormandia in having endogenous branching and elliptic surface pattern with various irregularly ordered ellipses on the blade (so-called “elliptical areolation”) and incurved or inflexed apices, in contrast to the absence of endogenous branching, rhombic surface pattern with regularly arranged rhombi (“rhombic areolation”).

What are red algae?
Red algae are the oldest group of eukaryotic algae containing over 6000 species. They fall under the kingdom Protista and phylum Rhodophyta. They contain chlorophyll and can prepare their own food by the process of photosynthesis.

Why are red algae named so?
Red algae are named so because of their red colour which they obtain from the pigment Phycoerythrin. The pigment reflects red light and absorbs blue light and hence give a reddish appearance to the algae.

What distinguishes the red algae from other algae?
The only difference between the red algae and other algae is that the red algae lack flagella, the whip-like structures that help in locomotion and perform sensory functions.

What is the importance of red algae?
Red algae form an important part of the ecosystem and are consumed by various organisms such as crustaceans, fish, worms and even humans. Red algae are also used to produce agar that is used as a food additive. They are rich in calcium and also used in vitamin supplements.

Give a few examples of red algae.
Irish moss
Dulse
Laver (Nori)
Coralline algae

Where are red algae found?
Red algae are commonly found in coral reefs and tide pools. They have the ability to survive at a greater depth than other algae because the pigment Phycoerythrin absorbs the blue light that can penetrate deeper than any other light wave. This allows red algae to carry out photosynthesis at a greater depth.

What are the different pigments present in red algae?
The different pigments present in red algae are:

Red Phycoerythrin
Blue Phycocyanin
Zeaxanthin
Carotenes
Lutein

Characteristics:

The red colour of these algae results from the pigments phycoerythrin and phycocyanin; this masks the other pigments, Chlorophyll a (no Chlorophyll b), beta-carotene and a number of unique xanthophylls.

The main reserves are typically floridean starch, and floridoside; true starch like that of higher plants and green algae is absent. The walls are made of cellulose and agars and carrageenans, both long-chained polysaccharide in widespread commercial use. There are some unicellular representatives of diverse origin; more complex thalli are built up of filaments.

A very important group of red algae is the coralline algae, which secrete calcium carbonate onto the surface of Corallina officinalis their cells. Some of these corallines are articulated (right, Corallina, with flexible erect branches; others are crustose (below).

These corallines have been used in bone-replacement therapies. Coralline algae were used in ancient times as vermifuges, thus the binomial Corallina officinalis.

Several red algae are eaten: best known amongst these is dulse (Palmaria palmata above) and Carrageen Moss (Chondrus crispus and Mastocarpus stellatus).

The red algae Kappaphycus and Betaphycus are now the most important sources of carrageenan, a commonly used ingredient in food, particuarly yoghurts, chocolate milk and repared puddings.

Gracilaria, Gelidium, Pterocladia and other red algae are used in the manufacture of the all-important agar, used widely as a growth medium for microorganisms, and for food and biotechnological applications.

AlgaeBase dynamic species counts shows that there are about 10,000 species of seaweeds, of which about 6,500 are red algae (Rhodophyta), the vast majority of which are marine. These are found in the intertidal and in the subtidal to depths of up to 40, or occasionally, 250 m. The main biomass of red algae worldwide is provided by the Corallinaceae and Gigartinaceae.

Red algae is an extract of various species of Algae; Extract of the Seaweed, Fucus vesiculosus, Furaceae. It helps the skin to attract water and acts as a humectant. It is used in cosmetics products as an emollient and skin conditioner.
Red algae is classified as :
Emollient
Humectant
Masking
Oral care
Skin conditioning

Red Alga Gel is a light yellow to yellow, clear viscous gel obtained from Red Alga (Ahnfeldtia Concinna) from the Pacific Ocean. This product is a moisturizing, softening, filmogenic, protective gel that helps with skin protection, oral hygiene, and personal hygiene in soaps, creams, gels, as well as toothpaste and mouth rinse.

Red algae (Rhodophyta) are known as the source of unique sulfated galactans, such as agar, agarose, and carrageenans. ... Moreover, several red algae may contain sulfated mannans or neutral xylans instead of sulfated galactans as the main structural polysaccharides.

Synonyms
algae 
carpospore 
carrageen 
Rhodophyta carragheen 
Chondrus crispus 
Rhodymenia palmata
 dulse carageen 
alga red laver division
 Rhodophyta
 laver 
Irish moss 
sea moss

Morphological Features
Important Features of Red Algae
The most important of the red algae, it does not contain sperm, no cell carries a flagellum. It has leaf-shaped thallus. In some species, calcium carbonate is stored in the cell walls. Reefs made up of these species cut the waves and provide shelter for the creatures living in them.
Some of them are made of pectin, a polymer called “agar agar” is made from the cell walls and a mucilage gel is obtained. There are also varieties that are used as food and medicine.
Classification in Red Algae
porphyria
2-FLORIDAEOPHYCIDE (FLORIDAE)
Florida
Florida
Grateloupia sp.
Uses of Agar agar
Company name
Uses of Carrageenan
Red Algae from Carrageenan:
chondrus cirupsus
euchema
Gigartina
gracilaria
hypnea
Laurencia

In addition to cocoa aids in preventing the disappearance of ice cream, milk emulsification, children's and dairy-processing chocolate, soup, fruit, tomato paste, etc. It is used in correction, creation in the design of desserts and milk pudding, in toothpaste, as a builder and for polishing teeth, on the basis of cosmetics and leather emulsion.

Uses of Funori
It is obtained from red algae. It is used as a business partner for paper veler. It is chemically similar to a robegar agar except for the collection of sulfate esters.

Red Algae Species
Some common examples of red algae include carrageenan, dulse, laver (nori), and coralline algae.

Coralline algae help build tropical coral reefs. These algae secrete calcium carbonate to form a hard shell around their cell walls. There are coralline algae, both in vertical form, very similar to corals and rocks, and shell forms that grow as a mat on hard structures such as the shells of organisms such as snails and slugs.

Coralline algae are usually found deep in the ocean, at maximum depth light penetrates the water.

Natural and Human Use of Red Algae
Red algae are an important part of the ecosystem because they are eaten by fish, crustaceans, earthworms and gastropods, but these algae are also eaten by humans.

Nori, for example, is used for sushi and snacks; It turns dark, almost black, when it dries and becomes a green tint when cooked. Carrageenan, or carrageenan, is an additive used for the manufacture of certain beverages, including pudding and for nut milks and beer. Red algae is also used to produce gelatinous substances used as a food additive and agar as a culture medium in science laboratories. Red algae are rich in calcium and are sometimes used in vitamin supplements.

red algae
To know red algae and their uses, you need to know all the information about red algae, because it is a type of mononuclear organism found in water and has many different types and shapes, it differs significantly from plants as it has a complex structure and does not contain leaves or stems.

Red algae has many uses and benefits as it benefits the skin, hair and body, and besides getting rid of some problems that attack the skin, Red algae is included in cosmetics that naturally heals the body, and later on we will learn about the different uses of red algae and how we can benefit from these uses in our lives for different organisms.

General red algae benefits
To know the red algae and their uses, the general benefits that can be obtained by using the organism that differs greatly from the plant that is the red algae, living in the deep sea has many benefits and these benefits include:

Red algae brings many benefits to the soil as it greatly aids the fertility of the soil and can also be used as a type of biological fertilizer, which helps to significantly improve the quality of the soil, as moss contains a large amount of nitrogen that helps to improve the soil.

Algae also aid in the ecological balance process as they enter the formation of coral reefs, which contain chemical compounds with beneficial properties that help show the structure of living marine organisms, including coral animals, including limescale.

Red algae also help maintain the oxygen content of the planet because it is one of the organisms that is an important source of oxygen production in the ocean, therefore it is one of the main algae that spreads in large quantities in the seas and oceans.

To know about red algae and its uses, it is possible to identify many industries that need the presence of red algae, there is a group of industries that rely on such algae in addition to certain skin cleansers containing algae and other drugs, such as medicines where toothpaste consists of red algae. Helps control the level of hormones in the body, which consists of algaeso it can be used.

Red algae are involved in oil production as they contribute greatly to oil formation as they convert sunlight into organic matter. If this material accumulates in water bodies for a long time, Red algae causes the emission of petroleum oils or important gases such as methane.
Since algae is considered one of the essential organisms that carry out the process of photosynthesis, it also helps in the purification of wastewater. This process is beneficial for converting organic materials into oxidizing agents in water.

Red algae can also be used in many genetic studies.
Iodine is made from red algae like agar used in bacterial cultures.
Red algae and their uses for the skin
Red algaes uses for red algae and skin are diverse, as it is one of the ingredients used in cosmetics with many benefits, including:

Red algae helps treat acne on the face, especially on oily skin, and algae can be used to prevent acne or soothe the inflammation caused by it.
Different types of red algae help to nourish the skin significantly as it produces collagen which helps in improving the shape of the skin as well as getting rid of the signs of aging of the face.
Red algae fights free radicals in the skin and, when used continuously, provides a strong nourishment as it helps the skin's elasticity.
It also helps to show the skin in a rare and different way, as it contains various minerals that the body needs to nourish the skin from iron and zinc.
Red algae also helps get rid of dead skin cells.
Red algae contains anti-inflammatory properties for anyone suffering from facial inflammation and red pimples that cause severe pain.
It also contains skin-friendly fatty acids such as omega-3, which makes the face and body look strong.
Use for red algae and hair
You can benefit from the use of red algae and hair by obtaining hair products containing red algae as they contain important substances that increase and protect the strength of the hair, such as:
While red algae helps to treat hair loss and increase growth quickly, it also contributes to hair densification for those who suffer from baldness.
Red algae helps to treat the scalp and get rid of unpleasant odors in the hair.
It also contains substances that fight bacteria and fungi on the scalp, help get rid of damage and toxins that spread to the scalp, and ensure healthy hair growth.
Seaweed contains beneficial fatty acids that contribute to eliminating shampoo damage to the scalp.

There is only one class of red algae: Rhodophyceae
There are systematically two subclasses: Bangiopyhcidae and Floridaeophycidae.
According to research, there are about 4100 known species of red algae. About 200 of them live in fresh water.
Red algae have inhabited Earth's warm, tropical waters for more than 500 million years. It gets its unique color from phycoerythrin, a pigment that absorbs blue light and reflects red light. Like kelp, red algae is rich in proteins and vitamins and is a popular food source for countries in Asia.
The most important feature of red algae is that none of their cells, including sperm cells, carry a flagellum. Calcium carbonate is stored in the cell walls of some species. These species cut the waves and create shelter for the creatures that live there.
Red algae can grow even in very low light. Therefore, they can live even in the deepest parts of the other sea. Polymer mucilage gel is obtained from the pectin cell walls of some species. There are also types used as food and used in the pharmaceutical industry.
The red algae Kappaphycus and Betaphycus are the most important source of carrageenan, an ingredient commonly used in food today, particularly in yogurts, chocolate milks, and some puddings.
It is used to prevent the loss of colors in ice creams, to balance emulsion in milk production, to ensure the suspension of cocoa particles in milk chocolate. Also, tomato paste, salad, juice, soup, etc. It is used as a binder in toothpastes to improve the quality of products. Dyeing, textile, cosmetics etc. It is also used in emulsion balancing in industries.