Chlorodendrales

Chlorodendrales are an order of green, flagellated, thecate, unicellular eukaryotes, within the green algae class Chlorodendrophyceae. Prasinophyceae are defined by their cellular scales which are composed of carbohydrates, and Chlorodendrales are unique within this group due to these scales forming a fused thecal wall. Cells of Chlorodendrales are completely covered in scales, which fuse around the cell body producing the theca, but remain individually separated on the flagella, of which there are typically four per cell. Species within Chlorodendrales live in both marine and fresh water habitats, occupying both benthic and planktonic food webs. Additionally, they are photoautotrophs, meaning they produce their own food through the conversion of sunlight into chemical energy.

==Habitat and ecology== Species within Chlorodendrales are found in marine and freshwater ecosystems around the world, including locations such as the salt plains of Goa, India. Species occupy niches within planktonic and benthic food webs, in which all species are photoautotrophic and have an ecosystem and trophic role similar to land plants in terrestrial environments. Primary producers are consumed by primary consumers such as zooplankton, invertebrate larvae, and heterotrophic protists species. Most species within this group are free-living, however some species have become photosynthetic symbionts in animals; the animal species that can be in symbiosis with Chlorodendrales is limited, due to their need for sunlight for photosynthetic processes. Chlorodendrales populations in natural settings tend to experience extreme fluctuations in population numbers due to seasonal changes in abiotic conditions, such as ambient temperature, the amount of sunlight, and nutrient concentrations. This leads to what has been classified as "blooms," which is the rapid increase in algae numbers during the spring and autumn months because of high light activity and the turnover of nutrients within the water column. It results from the high amount of sunlight, and the mixing of the water layers which resupplies the upper photosynthetic layer with nutrients, allowing for primary productivity to flourish.