Morphological Diversity Morphological diversity is very high among the algae. Many species are unicelluar, with a single cell serving as the plant. Others are colonial, having many cells that are retained in a gelatinous matrix or are attached by cellular connections. A third general morphological pattern is that of a filament. In the latter, cells are attached by endwalls and form a thread.
Some filamentous plants are uniseriate, without branches, while others are branched.
There are parenchymatous algae, those whose cells are associated in nonbranching but closely associated cells. Colors of algal plants range from brilliant red to deep violet, with all shades in between represented by both fresh water and marine forms. The wide variety in shades is the result of a blend of the various pigments contained within the cytoplasm, associated with membranes, or free in the vacuoles. Cell walls are pigmented in some forms of algae and present, generally, a brownish caste to the plants. Habitats Algae can be found in habitats ranging from snow fields to animal hair.