Covering modern biology and the speciation of the red algae (Rhodophytia) from unicellular Cyandidia up to macrocellular sea weeds, this book describes a range of topics from cave algae in Chile, to genomes of red algae including carbohydrates, physiological mechanisms and relationship between red algae and neurodegenerative disease, organellar-nuclear genes and taxonomic revision. Emphasis is placed upon the rhodophytan chloroplast, its origin, evolution, division machinery and pigmentation.