Red Algae

Many students think of red algae primarily in terms of sushi and the intimidating
triphasic life history they may have had to memorize in an introductory course.
Here, in addition to surveys of red algal evolutionary history, cell biology, and
morphology, we present basic information about red algal life histories in an
evolutionary and adaptive context, in order to foster student comprehension.
Unusual ecological aspects of red algae, such as parasitism and migration from
marine habitats to freshwaters, are also covered here, but more general community
and biogeographic discussions can be found in Chapter 23.