Brown Algae Pigments and Fucoxanthin — NEET Biology
✅ Asked in NEET 2023Which classes of algae possess pigment fucoxanthin and pigment phycoerythrin, respectively?
Which classes of algae possess pigment fucoxanthin and pigment phycoerythrin, respectively?
Answer & NCERT explanation
Correct answer: B — Phaeophyceae and Rhodophyceae
Fucoxanthin is the characteristic brown pigment found in Phaeophyceae (brown algae), while phycoerythrin is the red pigment found in Rhodophyceae (red algae). According to NCERT, these accessory pigments give these algal classes their distinctive colors and help in photosynthesis at different water depths. Chlorophyceae primarily contains chlorophyll a and b without these specific pigments.
Read more NCERT concept on the PYQ
The members of phaeophyceae or brown algae are found primarily in marine habitats. They show great variation in size and form. They range from simple branched, filamentous forms (Ectocarpus) to profusely branched forms as represented by kelps, which may reach a height of 100 metres. They possess chlorophyll a, c, carotenoids and xanthophylls. They vary in colour from olive green to various shades of brown depending upon the amount of the xanthophyll pigment, fucoxanthin present in
NTA tests whether students know that brown algae (Phaeophyceae) contain a unique xanthophyll pigment called fucoxanthin, which gives them their characteristic brown color. Students often confuse the pigments in brown algae with those in other algae groups—remember that brown algae have chlorophyll a AND c (not b), plus carotenoids and xanthophylls including fucoxanthin. The trick: fucoxanthin is the key pigment that masks chlorophyll's green color, making brown algae appear brown rather than green. This is clinically testable because pigment composition is fundamental to algae classification and directly distinguishes Phaeophyceae from Chlorophyceae and Rhodophyceae.
What does NCERT say about members phaeophyceae or brown?
Has this concept appeared in NEET?
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Through deep analysis of NEET and NTA, 88 of 90 questions from the NEET 2026 paper were matched straight from the MedicNEET Biology question bank.
88/90MedicNEET's Biology question bank is built from the same NCERT lines NTA picks repeatedly. Not random MCQs — questions crafted exactly like NTA crafts them.