Ectocarpales is a very large

order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...

in the

brown algae Brown algae (singular: alga), comprising the class Phaeophyceae, are a large group of multicellular algae, including many seaweeds located in colder waters within the Northern Hemisphere. Brown algae are the major seaweeds of the temperate and po ...

(class Phaeophyceae). The order includes families with pseudoparenchymatous (

Splachnidiaceae Splachnidiaceae is a family of brown algae in the order Scytothamnales Scytothamnales is an order of brown algae Brown algae (singular: alga), comprising the class Phaeophyceae, are a large group of multicellular algae, including many sea ...

) or true

parenchyma Parenchyma () is the bulk of functional substance in an animal organ or structure such as a tumour. In zoology it is the name for the tissue that fills the interior of flatworms. Etymology The term ''parenchyma'' is New Latin from the word π ...

tous (

Scytosiphonaceae Scytosiphonaceae is a family of brown algae Brown algae (singular: alga), comprising the class Phaeophyceae, are a large group of multicellular algae, including many seaweeds located in colder waters within the Northern Hemisphere. Brown algae ...

) tissue. Pseudoparenchymatous refers to a filamentous alga with cells packed very close together to give an appearance of parenchymatous tissue, the latter being composed of cells which can truly divide in three dimensions, unusual among the

algae Algae (; singular alga ) is an informal term for a large and diverse group of photosynthetic eukaryotic organisms. It is a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from unicellular mic ...

. Filamentous algae are composed of cells that divide along a single plane, allowing only elongation to form filaments of one or more rows of cells. Algae that can divide in two planes can form sheet-like

thalli Thallus (plural: thalli), from Latinized Greek (), meaning "a green shoot" or "twig", is the vegetative tissue of some organisms in diverse groups such as algae, fungi, some liverworts, lichens, and the Myxogastria. Many of these organisms were ...

or bodies. Cells that can divide in a third plane potentially allow for the organism to develop a more complex body plan, and diversification of body plans into an erect thallus of some sort and a holdfast for attaching the upright portion to the substrate. A 2014 classification recognizes the following families: *

Acinetosporaceae Acinetosporaceae is a family of brown algae in the order Ectocarpales Ectocarpales is a very large order in the brown algae (class Phaeophyceae). The order includes families with pseudoparenchymatous (Splachnidiaceae) or true parenchymatou ...

Hamel ex J Feldmann * Adenocystaceae F Rousseau,

B. de Reviers B is the second letter of the Latin alphabet. B may also refer to: Science, technology, and mathematics Astronomy * Astronomical objects in the List of dark nebulae#Barnard objects, Barnard list of dark nebulae (abbreviation B) * Latitude (''b ...

, M.-C. Leclerc, A Asensi, and R Delépine *

Chordariaceae Chordariaceae is a family of brown algae. Members of this family are may be filamentous, crustose with fused cells at the base, or they may be terete and differentiated into a central medulla and an outer photosynthetic cortex. They have a spor ...

Greville *

Ectocarpaceae Ectocarpaceae is a family of brown algae Brown algae (singular: alga), comprising the class Phaeophyceae, are a large group of multicellular algae, including many seaweeds located in colder waters within the Northern Hemisphere. Brown algae ar ...

C Agardh * Petrospongiaceae Racault et al. *

Farlow

References

External links

Brown algae orders {{Phaeophyceae-stub

References

Further reading

External links