When reviewing and reading articles revolving around symbioses, coral reefs &|or marine ecology there is often a ubiquity of 'algae' coined in text; whether it be from scientific journalists or researchers themselves. Does the overuse of algae, which is defined more or less as a nonflowering-chlorophyll containing photosynthesizer, belittle the complexity of protists role in the coral holobiont? Do you think the everyday citizen is becoming less aware of protist's expansively diverse nature and function because of this oversimplification?
Ex. The coral–zooxanthellae symbiosis is particularly vulnerable to higher temperatures, which result in the expulsion of the symbiotic
algae causing coral bleaching
- B.J. Harvey et al. (2018). Ecosystem-based management of coral reefs under climate change. Department of Animal & Plant Sciences. University of Sheffield, UK. Wiley Ecology and Evolution. pp 1-15.
In the literature available in Portuguese (and, apparently, also in other idioms), the term 'algae' may refer to organisms from three different kingdoms: cyanobacteria (blue-green algae), protists (most groups of algae) and plants (green and red algae).
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