ABSTRACT
Marine algae are the primary food source of a vast ecosystem on our planet. The marine environments are totally dependent of this resource and so are we. It has been estimated that 80% of the oxygen from the atmosphere comes from phytoplankton. Phytoplankton is composed of a considerable variety of photosynthetic microorganisms. In the scientifi c community there is a concept, which is fi nding increasing acceptance, that cyanobacteria are not microalgae. Thus, we distinguish two groups: cyanobacteria or blue-green algae (Prokaryota) and microalgae (Eukaryota). According to this concept, we can consider marine microalgae as eukaryotic and photoautotrophic microorganisms.
