ROLE OF ALGAE AND
FUNGI IN IMPROVING
ENVIRONMENT
Submitted by: Muqqadas Khan
Submitted to: Dr. Sana Jabeen
Subject: Diversity of Plants
Dated: February 17, 2020
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Contents
ROLE OF FUNGI..........................................................................................................................3
Fungi as Decomposers.................................................................................................................3
Nutrient Cycling..........................................................................................................................3
As Mycorrhizae...........................................................................................................................3
As Lichens...................................................................................................................................4
In Soil aggregation.......................................................................................................................4
Bioremediation............................................................................................................................5
ROLE OF ALGAE AND BLUE GREEN ALGAE....................................................................5
Algae Constitute the Link of Food Chain:...................................................................................5
Pisci culture:................................................................................................................................6
Algae is Used as Fertilizers:........................................................................................................6
Algae is Useful in Sewage Treatment Plants:..............................................................................6
Algae in the Origin of Petroleum and Gas:.................................................................................6
Algae in reclamation of alkaline or usar soils.............................................................................7
Algae as research material...........................................................................................................7
Algae as recreational use.............................................................................................................7
References.......................................................................................................................................8
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ROLE OF FUNGI
Fungi plays an important role in improving environment by following ways:
Fungi as Decomposers
Most fungi get organic compounds from dead organisms. They are decomposers called
saprotrophs. A saprotroph feeds on any remaining organic matter after other decomposers do
their work. Fungi use enzymes to digest organic remains and then absorb the resulting organic
compounds. As decomposers, fungi are vital for the health of ecosystems. They break down
nonliving organic matter and release the nutrients into the soil. Plants can then use the nutrients
and pass them on to herbivores and other consumers.
Bacteria are also major decomposers, but they can grow and feed only on the exposed
surfaces of organic matter. In contrast, fungi can use their hyphae to penetrate deep into organic
matter. Fungi are also the only decomposers that can break down tough plant substances,
including lignin (in wood) and cellulose (in plant cell walls). They have special enzymes to do
this work. The enzymes are released by the tips of the hyphae. Because of these abilities, fungi
are the primary decomposers in forest.[CITATION CK1 \l 1033 ]
Nutrient Cycling
Plants require nutrients for growth, but nutrients are seldom freely available in soil or
water because they are locked up in insoluble compounds. Plants therefore rely on decomposers
to provide them with soluble nutrients that can be taken up by roots. For instance, nitrogen, one
of the most important plant nutrients, is locked into proteins that are not easily taken up by plants
-- although some plants have been shown to do so. Fungi metabolize proteins, and release
inorganic forms of nitrogen, such as nitrate, that can easily be taken up by plant roots. In
freshwater environments fungi are instrumental in the transfer of energy from riparian forest to
aquatic ecosystems, by decomposing wood and leaf litter that fall into the water. In terrestrial
systems, fungi transfer energy from above the ground, to below it, where it is recycled back to
plants.[CITATION SCI20 \l 1033 ]
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As Mycorrhizae
Mycorrhizas are beneficial fungi growing in association with plant roots, and exist by taking
sugars from plants ‘in exchange’ for moisture and nutrients gathered from the soil by the fungal
strands. The mycorrhizas greatly increase the absorptive area of a plant, acting as extensions to
the root system.
Phosphorus is often in very short supply in natural soils. When phosphorus is present in insoluble
forms it would require a vast root system for a plant to meet its phosphorus requirements
unaided. It is therefore thought that mycorrhizas are crucial in gathering this element in
uncultivated soils.[CITATION RHS20 \l 1033 ]
As Lichens
Lichens are mutualistic associations of a fungus and an alga or cyanobacterium and occur as
crusty patches or bushy growths on trees, rocks and bare ground. The names given to lichens
strictly refer to the fungal partner; the algae have separate names.
Lichens are very sensitive to Sulphur dioxide pollution in the air. Since industrialization,
many lichen species have become extinct in large areas of lowland Britain, one example being
the beard moss Usnea articulate. This is mainly due to Sulphur dioxide pollution, but the loss of
habitat, particularly ancient woodland, has also led to reductions in some species. Lichens are
sensitive to Sulphur dioxide because their efficient absorption systems result in rapid
accumulation of Sulphur when exposed to high levels of Sulphur dioxide pollution. The algal
partner seems to be most affected by the Sulphur dioxide; chlorophyll is destroyed and
photosynthesis is inhibited. Lichens also absorb Sulphur dioxide dissolved in water[CITATION
Air \l 1033 ].
In Soil aggregation
Fungi are important as decomposers in the soil food web. They convert hard-to-digest
organic material into forms that other organisms can use. Fungal hyphae physically bind soil
particles together, creating stable aggregates that help increase water infiltration and soil water
holding capacity.
Soil fungi can be grouped into three general functional groups based on how they get
their energy. Decomposers – saprophytic fungi – convert dead organic material into fungal
biomass, carbon dioxide (CO2), and small molecules, such as organic acids. These fungi
generally use complex substrates, such as the cellulose and lignin, in wood, and are essential in
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decomposing the carbon ring structures in some pollutants. A few fungi are called “sugar fungi”
because they use the same simple substrates as do many bacteria. Like bacteria, fungi are
important for immobilizing, or retaining, nutrients in the soil. In addition, many of the secondary
metabolites of fungi are organic acids, so they help increase the accumulation of humic-acid rich
organic matter that is resistant to degradation and may stay in the soil for hundreds of years.
[CITATION Uni20 \l 1033 ]
Bioremediation
Bioremediation refers to cost-effective and environment-friendly method for converting
the toxic, recalcitrant pollutants into environmentally benign products through the action of
various biological treatments.
Bioremediation of pollutants can be carried out by applying any one of the following
processes such as natural attenuation, biostimulation and bioaugmentation. This has been aptly
demonstrated during the bioremediation of atrazine, petroleum hydrocarbons, and tri-nitro
toluene (TNT) in soil.
White-rot fungi are chief agents of biodegradation of lignininous material in nature
which contribute in the global carbon recycling. The potential of marine fungi for production of
secondary metabolites, biosurfactants, novel enzymes, polysaccharides and polyunsaturated fatty
acids in addition to their application in bioremediation of hydrocarbons and heavy metals has
been well documented.[CITATION Rad16 \l 1033 ]
ROLE OF ALGAE AND BLUE GREEN ALGAE
Cyanobacteria are prokaryotes. Cyanobacteria are closely related to true bacteria, but
perform photosynthesis like algae to gain or fix energy, and in turn, produce oxygen.
Algae and Blue Green Algae have their role in improving environment by following
ways:
Algae Constitute the Link of Food Chain:
Both fresh and salt waters contain an enormous variety of algae which constitute the fundamental
or primary link of many diverse food chains. Algae synthesize organic food stuffs, just as do the
plants of the land. As the flesh of the land is dependent upon the activities of the green leaf, so
the fish and other aquatic forms of animal life are dependent, directly or indirectly, upon algae,
and fish in turn are important item in the daily diet of larger sea animals and man.
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A number of aquatic algae form the food of fish either directly or indirectly. Diatoms,
filamentous and some planktonic green algae, and a number of blue-green algae are very often
found in the guts of various species of fresh and brackish water fish and they appear to be
directly utilized as fish food.[CITATION Din \l 1033 ]
Pisci culture:
Algae, both floating and attached forms, marine as well as fresh water, provide the
primary food for fish and other aquatic animals. The great fishing grounds of the seas are found
where these are present in large numbers. In many countries pond culture for fishes has been
taken up and they are fed with various forms of algae.
Judged by the works carried out by various investigators in India, on the food and feeding habits
of fishes (Singh, 1956), it appears that the Green algae, the Diatoms and some Blue-greens are
most widely eaten up by the fishes. Fish food is mainly the planktons (the floating forms),
phytoplankton’s and zooplanktons. So, directly or indirectly, the algae form the source of food
for fishes. At the same time, these algae keep the water habitable for fishes by absorbing the
carbon dioxide and enriching water with oxygen by the photosynthetic activity.[CITATION
Din \l 1033 ]
Algae is Used as Fertilizers:
The value of seaweeds in fertilizing the soil was discovered early in the history of
agriculture in coastal Asia, and by the ancient colonizers of the coasts and islands of North-
Western Europe. In the United States, long before the recognition of their potash content, sea-
weeds were employed for fertilizers by the thrifty farmers. Not only the chemical fertilization,
but also the water-holding capacity of fragments of the algae in the soil proved effective. These
provided valuable small reservoirs of water in close contact with the roots of the cultivated
plants.
Furthermore, the bulky organic substances decay slowly in the soil and form humus.
Again, yield of paddy is increased substantially when paddy field is inoculated with nitrogen
fixing blue-green algae.[CITATION Din \l 1033 ]
Algae is Useful in Sewage Treatment Plants:
Species of Chlamydomonas, Scenedesmus, Chlorella and Euglena are used in sewage
treatment plants for providing through photosynthesis the oxygen necessary for rapid
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decomposition of the sewage by bacteria. They convert carbonate into N, P ,K.[CITATION
Meh \l 1033 ]
Algae as the Origin of Petroleum and Gas:
The origin of oil and gas has been derived by them. The plankton of the seas was
probably of the greatest importance as a source of this organic matter. Minute marine algae
captured the energy of sunlight, which was in turn transferred to the animals that fed upon them.
/Organic compounds derived from the plankton, both plant and animal, accumulated in
mud deposits in shallow waters of the ocean floor. In the source, materials were buried by
sedimentary action and, in an oxygen-free environment, gradually converted into oil and gas.
[CITATION Meh \l 1033 ]
Algae in reclamation of alkaline or usar soils
Our country has more amount of alkaline or sterile soils. Nostoc, Oscillatoria, Spirulina
are used to convert these soils into fertile soil. Because they fixed Nitrogen to the soil. Nearly
they convert 400kg of Nitrogen per year. Soil erosion is also reduced by these algae.[CITATION
Abe15 \l 1033 ]
Algae as research material
I biological research, algae are useful because of their brief life span, easy mode of
cultivation and rapid growth.
Chlorella are used in investigation in photosynthesis.
Blue-green algae are used in studies on nitrogen fixation[CITATION Abe15 \l 1033 ]
Algae as recreational use
Some select algae grown in recreational areas lake streams and ponds along with fishes.
Trentophila gives reddish colour to land looks beautiful.
Oedocladium imparts velvety appearance to soil.
Vaucheria gives parrot green colour to land.[CITATION Abe15 \l 1033 ]
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References
Air quality and lichens. (n.d.). Retrieved from Air Pollution: http://www.air-
quality.org.uk/19.php
Alhakem, A. (2015, jan 26). Biological and economic importance of algae. Retrieved from
Slideshare: https://www.slideshare.net/AbeerElhakem/biological-and-economic-
importance-of-algae
CK-12 Foundation 2020. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.ck12.org/section/ecology-of-
fungi-::of::-eukaryotes:-protists-and-fungi-::of::-ck-12-biology/.
Dinesh Sharma. (n.d.). Economic Importance of Algae. Retrieved from Biology Discussion:
www.biologydiscussion.com/algae/economic-importance-of-algae-botany-2/57866
Ecology of fungi. (n.d.). Fungi as Decomposers.
Mehak. (n.d.). Economic Importance of Algae. Retrieved from Biology Discussion:
http://www.biologydiscussion.com/algae/economic-importance-of-algae-botany-2/57866
Radhika Deshmukh, A. A. (2016). Diverse Metabolic Capacities of Fungi for Bioremediation.
Indian journal of microbiology.
Soil fungi. (n.d.). soil biology.
Soil fungi. (n.d.). Retrieved from Soil Biology:
https://web.extension.illinois.edu/soil/SoilBiology/fungi.htm
What are mycorrhizal fungi? (n.d.). Retrieved from RHS: https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?
pid=633
What Do Fungi Contribute to the Ecosystem? (2018, March 8). Retrieved from SCIENCING:
https://sciencing.com/fungi-contribute-ecosystem-21989.html
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ALGAE IN RECLAMATION OF ALKALINE
OR USAR SOILS
