Also referred to as algology in some spheres, phycology is the study of algae; members of the plant kingdom.
Although they lack stems, roots, and leaves commonly found on terrestrial plants, algae serve an important role as primary photosynthetic plants in freshwater as well as being a source of food for various organisms in aquatic environments.
Did you know that, without algae, we wouldn’t have enough oxygen to breathe? Most forms of algae are photosynthetic, which means that they have the ability to produce energy from sunlight, just like plants that live on land do. As a byproduct of photosynthesis, algae produces oxygen. There is a lot of algae on Earth, so all that algae makes a whole lot of oxygen. In fact, about 70% of all the Earth’s oxygen is made by algae!
Algae also provides the foundation of the aquatic food chain. Without it, all the larger animals in the world’s lakes, rivers, and oceans would not be able to survive. That would, in turn, affect all animals living on land, including people. Lots of people throughout the world rely on algae as a food source as well.
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