Plants and algae

The most familiar members of the plant kingdom are the mosses, ferns, conifers and flowering plants. With the exception of parasitic species such as the world’s biggest flower Rafflesia arnoldii, nearly all plants use chlorophyll to obtain energy through the process of photosynthesis. Without plants, which provide food and oxygen, life on earth would be almost non-existent. Whereas plants dominate the land, algae are most common in freshwater and marine environments. Habitat loss, invasive species, over-exploitation, pollution, disease and climate change are the greatest threats to the world’s plants and algae.

Explore ARKive for videos and images of endangered plants and algae, and learn about plant and algae conservation, biology and more in our species fact-files.