Background Superoxide dismutase (SOD) is an essential enzyme that protects cells from oxidative stress and maintains redox balance. Many studies have explored the role of SOD in various genotypes of algae and plants, but a comprehensive review of the current literature is still lacking. Aims This review investigates the different SOD isoforms and their roles in adapting and surviving under stressful environmental conditions. We focus on two model organisms: the higher plant Arabidop- sis and the unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas. We show that different plant and algal genotypes have unique SOD classes with different metal cofac- tors, such as Cu/Zn, Mn, and Fe, that help them deal with specific stress conditions. The activity of each SOD class depends on the availability of these met- als in the cells. Moreover, we discuss how alterna- tive splicing, RNA-binding proteins, microRNAs,
