The representatives of the major algal divisions including Chlorophyta, Rhodophyta and Heterokontophyta usually show specific patterns of accumulated photoassimilatory products. Among these compounds, the accumulated low-molecular weight carbohydrates such as monosaccharides, disaccharides, alditols (i.e. polyhydroxy alcohols) and heterosides are of particular interest. Comparative analyses based on photosynthetic 14C-labelling provided sufficient evidence that occurrence and distribution of such compounds are in general indicative for particular algal taxa and in some cases useful biochemical parameters for a classiciation of lower taxa even at the ordinal or the generic levels.
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