Palmophyllaceae Explained

The Palmophyllales are a deep-branching order of thalloid green alga, containing the single family Palmophyllaceae. They possibly form a sister group to the Chlorophyta. They survive today in deep waters, and can be found at 210 meters below the surface, where predation pressure is reduced.^[1] The group contains the genera Palmophyllum, Verdigellas and Palmoclathrus.^[2] The morphology of Palmophyllales is unusual in that they are composed of cells in a gelatinous matrix, so they are multicellular, but not in a conventional way.^[3]

Genera

• Palmoclathrus Womersley 1971
• Palmophyllum Kützing 1845 non Conwentz 1886
• Verdigellas Ballantine & Norris 1994

Notes and References

1. https://phys.org/news/2010-11-deep-sea-algae-fossils.html Deep-sea algae may be 'living fossils' - Phys.org
2. Leliaert . F. . Verbruggen . H. . Zechman . F. W. . Into the deep: New discoveries at the base of the green plant phylogeny . 10.1002/bies.201100035 . BioEssays . 33 . 9 . 683–692 . 2011 . 21744372.
3. Zechman . F. W. . Verbruggen . H. . Leliaert . F. . Ashworth . M. . Buchheim . M. A. . Fawley . M. W. . Spalding . H. . Pueschel . C. M. . Buchheim . J. A. . Verghese . 10.1111/j.1529-8817.2010.00900.x . B. . Hanisak . M. D. . An Unrecognized Ancient Lineage of Green Plants Persists in Deep Marine Waters . Journal of Phycology . 46 . 6 . 1288–1295 . 2010 .