Can algae live at the bottom of a lake?

Question

i know that algae can live at the bottom of the ocean and makes its own energy but can it do the same thing at the bottom of a very deep/ dark lake, where there is no light to use photosynthesis?

Answer 1

Absolutely!

Answer 2

yes, but only certain types of algae can live at the bottom with little to no sun. it's pretty common.

Answer 3

Woah, hold on a second. Red Algae can live the deepest of all kinds because red light, which it uses for photosynthesis can penetrate the ocean's floor the farthest. Red Algae, sometimes found in lakes, can only live as far as the red light penetrates the water. If there is NO light it cannot survive.

Answer 4

Tiny algae can be found floating or swimming in lakes and seas.

Answer 5

While some algae like the red algae can live at greater depths, they still need to have some light.

To correct one item in Monera's answer, it's the red light that gets absorbed first.  But when you consider that red algae is red-reddish brown, this is because it reflects, rather than uses red light, so it doesn't use that for photosynthesis.

From the chart about 1/2 way down in this link:  http://www.ed.mtu.edu/esmis/id65.htm, you'll see that red light only penetrates 5 meters into the water, while violet light penetrates 100 meters assuming there is no turbidity (cloudiness) in the water to reduce light transmission.  So as long as the plant can use these short wavelengths (and plants can use wavelenghts in the blue spectrum) the plants would be able to survive 75 meters (246 feet) or so deep.