Q. Consider the following:

1. Red Snow
2. Red Rust (of tea)
3. Red Tide

Which among the above is / are caused by algae?
Answer: 1, 2 & 3
Notes: Red snow’ is caused by an alga called Chlamydomonas nivalis. Red tide is a common name for a phenomenon known as an algal bloom (large concentrations of aquatic microorganisms) when it is caused by a few species of dinoflagellates and the bloom takes on a red or brown color. Another alga Cepheleuros virescence parasitizes tea plants and produces the disease “red rust.” One more option Red Sea could also be added to this question. That part of the Mediterranian sea in which the blue-green alga Trichodesmium grows profusely is called the ‘Red sea’, It is due to the presence of red phycoerythrin in the cells of Trichodesmium.

This question is part of UPSC Daily 20 MCQ Series Course on GKToday Android app.