Showing results for "alga"

• singular of algae.

alga

American  

[al-guh] / ˈæl gə /

noun

algae, plural algas plural

1. any organism belonging to one of the numerous groups of algae.

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alga Scientific  

/ ăl′gə /

algae plural

1. Any of various green, red, or brown organisms that grow mostly in water, ranging in size from single cells to large spreading seaweeds. Like plants, algae manufacture their own food through photosynthesis and release large amounts of oxygen into the atmosphere. They also fix large amounts of carbon, which would otherwise exist in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. Algae form a major component of marine plankton and are often visible as pond scum and blooms in tidal pools. Land species mostly live in moist soil and on tree trunks or rocks. Some species live in extreme environments, such as deserts, hot springs, and glaciers. Although they were once classified as plants, the algae are now considered to be protists, with the exception of the cyanobacteria, formerly called blue-green algae. The algae do not form a distinct phylogenetic group, but the word alga serves as a convenient catch-all term for various photosynthetic protist phyla, including the green algae, brown algae, and red algae.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• alga-like
  adjective
• algal
  adjective
• antialgal
  adjective
• non-algal
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• algae
  plural
• algas
  plural

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

alga algae

In this study, pyrenoid-associated proteins in a marine chlorarachniophyte alga were identified through a proteomic approach.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 1, 2024

Blue-green algae is not actually an alga but rather a type of bacteria called cyanobacteria.

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2023

This is the first recorded example of an alga practicing an aquatic equivalent to pollination.

From Scientific American ● Jul. 28, 2022

In the case of Gracilaria, however, things are more complicated: The female alga doesn’t release its egg cells, but keeps them inside funnel-shaped filaments.

From Science Magazine ● Jul. 27, 2022

She is curious; she wants to know the difference between an alga and a lichen, a Diplodon char- ruanus and a Diplodon delodontus.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

Marine snow is made up of tiny clumps of dead algae, microbes, and other organic material drifting through the ocean.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026

Within days of the pool’s reopening, however, algae blooms coated the floor with a thick layer of algae that was difficult to remove.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026

The $14.7-million repainting of the Reflecting Pool became particularly controversial last month after algae overtook the renovated pool and the new paint appeared to peel off.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026

The effort sparked its own controversy after the pool subsequently became plagued with algae growth and other issues - for which Trump and the US National Parks Service have blamed vandalism.

From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026

The entire back wall of the building collapsed, sending a cloud of silt and algae through the chamber.

From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan