AlgaeBase
Encyclopedia
AlgaeBase is a global species
database
of information on all groups of algae
, as well as one group of flowering plant
s, the sea-grasses
.
AlgaeBase evolved from Michael Guiry's seaweed website, and has grown into a database of algae from throughout the world, and in freshwater
, terrestrial, and brackish as well as marine
habitats. By 2005, the database contained about 65,000 names, and by September 2006, 122,240 species and infraspecific names were in the database, with 5,826 images, 38,290 bibliographic items, 138,706 distributional records. Currently, the data for the marine algae, particularly seaweeds, are the most complete. About 30,000 species of algae are included, of which the Rhodophyta (6000 species), marine Chlorophyta
(1500 species), and Phaeophyceae (1755 species) are the most complete. The diatoms and the smaller freshwater
green algae are currently (August 2010) the most incomplete groups.
Programming is carried out by VisualID (http://www.visualid.com) (Pier Kuipers and Caoilte Guiry) and the compilation of the data was funded by the Irish Government Department of Education and Science's PRTLI 3 and 4 programmes (http://www.hea.ie/en/prtli).
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
database
Database
A database is an organized collection of data for one or more purposes, usually in digital form. The data are typically organized to model relevant aspects of reality , in a way that supports processes requiring this information...
of information on all groups of algae
Algae
Algae are a large and diverse group of simple, typically autotrophic organisms, ranging from unicellular to multicellular forms, such as the giant kelps that grow to 65 meters in length. They are photosynthetic like plants, and "simple" because their tissues are not organized into the many...
, as well as one group of flowering plant
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
s, the sea-grasses
Seagrass
Seagrasses are flowering plants from one of four plant families , all in the order Alismatales , which grow in marine, fully saline environments.-Ecology:...
.
AlgaeBase evolved from Michael Guiry's seaweed website, and has grown into a database of algae from throughout the world, and in freshwater
Freshwater
Fresh water is naturally occurring water on the Earth's surface in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground as groundwater in aquifers and underground streams. Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and...
, terrestrial, and brackish as well as marine
Ocean
An ocean is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the hydrosphere. Approximately 71% of the Earth's surface is covered by ocean, a continuous body of water that is customarily divided into several principal oceans and smaller seas.More than half of this area is over 3,000...
habitats. By 2005, the database contained about 65,000 names, and by September 2006, 122,240 species and infraspecific names were in the database, with 5,826 images, 38,290 bibliographic items, 138,706 distributional records. Currently, the data for the marine algae, particularly seaweeds, are the most complete. About 30,000 species of algae are included, of which the Rhodophyta (6000 species), marine Chlorophyta
Chlorophyta
Chlorophyta is a division of green algae, informally called chlorophytes. The name is used in two very different senses so that care is needed to determine the use by a particular author...
(1500 species), and Phaeophyceae (1755 species) are the most complete. The diatoms and the smaller freshwater
Freshwater
Fresh water is naturally occurring water on the Earth's surface in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground as groundwater in aquifers and underground streams. Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and...
green algae are currently (August 2010) the most incomplete groups.
Programming is carried out by VisualID (http://www.visualid.com) (Pier Kuipers and Caoilte Guiry) and the compilation of the data was funded by the Irish Government Department of Education and Science's PRTLI 3 and 4 programmes (http://www.hea.ie/en/prtli).