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Cyclotella | |
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Cyclotella meneghiniana | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Clade: | Diaphoretickes |
Clade: | SAR |
Clade: | Stramenopiles |
Phylum: | Gyrista |
Subphylum: | Ochrophytina |
Class: | Bacillariophyceae |
Order: | Thalassiosirales |
Family: | Stephanodiscaceae |
Genus: | Cyclotella (Kützing) de Brebisson |
Cyclotella is a genus of diatoms often found in oligotrophic environments, both marine and fresh water. It is in the family Stephanodiscaceae and the order Thalassiosirales. [1] The genus was first discovered in the mid-1800s and since then has become an umbrella genus for nearly 100 different species, the most well-studied and the best known being Cyclotella meneghiniana . Despite being among the most dominant genera in low-productivity environments, it is relatively understudied. [2]
Cyclotella's habitat has traditionally been described as low-productivity mesotrophic or oligotrophic freshwater environments, but with C. meneghiniana appearing in warm, nutrient-rich environments as well as low-productivity environments, it has become unclear whether there is an archetypal aquatic setting for this genus. [3]
The name Cyclotella is derived from the Greek term kyklos, meaning "circle." While "circle" can be used to describe many diatoms, Cyclotella spp. are all circular and have a girdle band arrangement that makes the structure of the organism resemble a wheel. [4]
The genus Cyclotella was described in 1838 by Louis Alphonse de Brébisson, a French botanist and photographer. [5] Brébisson shares the credit of discovering the genus with Friedrich Traugott Kützing, a German pharmacist, botanist, and phycologist. This is in spite of the fact that neither one of these scientists ever worked together or even came in contact with one another. Kützing was a pioneer in microbial science, demonstrating the difference between diatoms and desmids in a German research paper in 1833. In 1849, Kützing published a comprehensive work describing 6000 different algae species, including the most known species of Cyclotella today- C. meneghiniana. [6]
As Brébisson describes in the 1838 publication Flore de Normandie,Cyclotella "has a more or less elongated ovoid shape, it is swollen from both sides, and when its center is diaphanous, it resembles two tubular frustules united by their vertices ( translated from French )." Many databases, texts, and members of the scientific community refer to the entire genus of Cyclotella as Cyclotella (Kützing) Brébisson. [6] This full genus title indicates that Kützing initially discovered species of a genera and put them into another genus, which was then altered by Brébisson who took some of those same species and placed them within the Cyclotella genus.[ original research? ] Upon distinguishing Cyclotella from other diatom species, there have been nearly 100 different species of the genus described and taxonomically accepted.[ citation needed ]
Species of Cyclotella are most often found in oligotrophic (nutrient poor) environments. They are most often found in freshwater environments, but can also be found in brackish and marine habitats as well. Many of the freshwater species have been found throughout the United States in stagnant waters. [7] Species that are most commonly found in marine environments are C. caspia, C. litoralis, C. meneghiniana, C. striata, and C. stylorwn.
In a study performed in 1974, it was determined that the optimal osmolar concentration for growth in C. meneghiniana in a medium of 0.5 Osm/L. [8] For references, the osmolarity of seawater is on average, 1 Osm/L. [4] Marine diatoms and algae in general tend to flourish in higher osmolar concentrations due to the increased presence of carbon dioxide and nutrients to be utilized as sustenance, but the low-solute environment Schobert found to be most optimal for the growth of C. meneghiana is consistent with most Cyclotella being found in low-productivity mesotrophic to oligotrophic environments. Species of cyclotella have been found in harsh aquatic environments such as coldwater regions in northern regions of the world. [7]
Another study by Van de Vijver and Dessein found a new species of Cyclotella,C. deceusteriana, in the sub-antarctic region. [9] One of the only ecological characteristics of Cyclotella that is consistent among most of its species is the fact that they are found in stagnant or near-stagnant waters and are immobile. Beyond that, there is a great deal of variation. Many of the Cyclotella species that have been studied have been shown to be found in aquatic environments that are either slightly or highly alkaline. C. distinguenda is known to prefer alkaline waters, and C. gamma has been found in lakes that have a pH range of 7.2 to 7.8. Nutrient concentration in the habitats of Cyclotella spp. varies. C. sensulato has been described as a dominant member of both mesotrophic and oligotrophic environments, [2] as many are, but both C. atomus and C. meneghiniana are found to prefer nutrient-rich environments. Temperature ranges vary between species as well; it was mentioned earlier that C. deceusteriana was discovered in sub-antarctic regions, and C. gamma and C.quillensis have been found in the Northern United States and Saskatchewan, respectively. C. atomus, on the other hand, has been found in warmer lake sediments in California. Colonization patterns of Cyclotella spp. are relatively uniform, in the sense that most of them are solitary organisms. C. meneghiniana, however, has been described to occasionally live in colonies. [10] Of course, the preference of nutrient rich environments of C. meneghiniana conflicts the findings mentioned earlier.
The size of Cyclotella varies by species. C. atomus has a diameter of 5-7 μm, whereas C. quillensis can have a diameter up to 24-54 μm. [11] The most studied species of the genus, C. meneghiniana, has a diameter of 6-18 μm. Like all other diatoms, Cyclotella spp. have transparent cell walls. They form biosilica shells using dissolved silicon and carbon acquired from various carbon partitioning pathways.
Other materials Cyclotella spp. use for cell wall biosynthesis are semiconductor metal oxides and extracellular fibers made of chitin. The primary allomorph of chitin that is found most often in diatoms is α-chitin, but Cyclotella and Thalassiosira contain the β-chitin allomorph. Poly N-acetyl glucosamine chains are oriented in a parallel manner and contain intermolecular hydrogen bonds.
The bond chains and hydrogen bonds between molecules form a paracrystalline matrix of β-chitin. This matrix contains pores large enough for whatever solvent is available in the aquatic ecosystem in which Cyclotella spp. reside in to enter the matrix and swell the structure. [12]
Diatoms are unique in the sense that they have valves, created by the two halves of a diatom's test. Cyclotella spp. are no exception, as they form the upper and lower portions of the wall. The girdle bands that support the valves are thin strips of silica and ultimately circumscribe the cell. Each valve has two central tubes traversing its surface, meeting in the middle at the central nodule. The morphology of the Cyclotella cell wall and its valves are important traits that distinguish species from each other. Each species has tangentially undulated valves all throughout their cell wall, regardless of their length, width, and concentration. [13] Frustules contain areolas, that is orifices that mediate the passage of nutrients and exudates across the cell wall for sustenance. The characteristics of these areolas are thought to cause differences in mechanical strength and metabolism among different cells. [14]
Like other monoraphid diatoms, Cyclotella frustules can be characterized as heterovalvar. The cell wall and cell membrane are what are known to this point as what distinguishes Cyclotella from other diatom genera. The cytoplasmic components are assumed to be similar to what other diatoms have. In C. meneghiniana, there are granules scattered and attached at the chromatophore all throughout the cytoplasm. The genus is photosynthetic like all other diatoms, so all species contain one or many pyrenoids traversed by a thylakoid membrane and a chloroplast within the endoplasmic reticulum.
Dictyosomes are also present in the cytoplasm, being in close proximity to the nucleus and making up the golgi complex. The nucleus has been found to change locations in C. meneghiniana throughout generations as a result of the cell diameter gradually decreasing. [15]
Cyclotella meneghiniana splits in half during asexual reproduction. The halves are separated by the distinction between the two valves for each cell. Each of the two offspring that arise as a result of cell division have one of the two valves from the parent cell. During the separation of the parent cell, the cytoplasm forms the two offspring valves that will end up complementing the inherited parent valves in the offspring once reproduction is complete.
The offspring valves are formed within a silica deposition vesicle that gradually grows larger and separates into two different offspring valves. The parent valves become a template for the offspring valves being formed, with patterns of striae and the central cell area also being inherited. However, perfect complementation does not occur every generation, which can lead to consecutive generations inheriting a deformed parental valve that was initially a deformed offspring valve in a previous generation. The likeness of the offspring valves to the parental valves is determined by the flexibility of the girdle bands; the other factors are unknown. [14] Vegetative cell division occurs over hundreds of generations for C. meneghiniana, with the cell diameters of the offspring organisms becoming gradually smaller. Regardless of the flexibility of the girdle bands and functionality of vegetative cell division, there is a point where the diameter of C. meneghiniana offspring dips below a certain threshold diameter. It has been observed that at this point, species-specific environmental stimuli induces the change from asexual reproduction to sexual reproduction.
Sexual reproduction occurs with gametes being formed upon reaching the threshold. During the process of meiosis, male Cyclotella cells release sperm and the female Cyclotella cells develop and egg from within the two valves. Following fertilization of the egg, a zygote is formed from the union of the two gametes. The zygote then develops into an auxophore (2n). Once sexual reproduction is complete, the diameter of the offspring is larger and beyond the threshold once again, allowing for the production of another few hundred generations through the asexual division of auxophores.
Despite there being very little known about the internal morphology of Cyclotella, there have been a sizable number of studies done on the genus' molecular biology and genome. C. cryptica has been identified to be an oleaginous diatom, with a great deal of triacylglycerol. Its genome has been identified to contain many methylated repetitive sequences, which are supposed to function as a way of limiting the occurrences of DNA transposition. C. cryptica was discovered to have a very efficient lipid metabolism, which is needed for its high triacylglycerol production. [16]
Another study conducted in 1992 indicates that C. meninghiana has the largest genome and abundance of sequence repeats of any diatom species up to this specific study. [17] The C. meninghiana chloroplast genome alone has a vast amount of equimolar inversion isomers. Many of these isomers differ in their orientation to their single copy sequence counterparts. The species, according to the findings, still has some prokaryotic and land plant gene clusters as well as operons. In comparison to many other diatoms and plant chloroplast studies, C. meninghiana has a diversely rearranged gene order for single copy regions in its genome.[ citation needed ]
This section may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. The specific problem is: References 20 and 21 were not found during cleanup. Such citations need to be found and added.(May 2020) |
Fossils of Cyclotella are not commonly discovered, however there have been a few species found fossilized in freshwater ecosystems. Fossil assemblages have been found in glacial and interglacial segments. Regarding trophic levels, they have been found in oligotrophic and mesotrophic rivers in Europe and Mediterranean regions. The frequent discovery of C. distinguenda fossils led to a consensus that they generally have an undulated central area.
A sample of C. distinguenda was found at the Agios Floros fen, in Southwest Peloponnese, Greece. The fossilized sample was dated to 5700 to 5300 years ago. Support for the recognition of a new diatom species, C. paradistinguenda, was proposed after looking through the sample of C. distinguenda (20). C. paradistinguenda was dated back to 4600 years ago. Distinctions between the two species can also be described in the differences in stratigraphic distributions between the two, as C. paradistinguenda was found in an upper organic sequence of the sample compared to C. distinguenda (20).
Another sample of Cyclotella was found at Lake Petén-Itzá, lowland Guatemala. The newfound diatom species were found fossilized morphologically distinct from other Cyclotella species (21). One of the species was named C. petenensis. The other species was named C. cassandrae, characterized by its elliptically shaped valve paired with its coarse striae. Most notably it has a scattered ring of central fultoportulae (21). Discovering fossils is not often a credible enough way to determine a new species within the phylum of diatoms, given that determining underlying mechanisms based on morphological variability is unreliable. It's best to use both morphological and paleoecological data obtained from samples- the two are often difficult to obtain just from fossils (20).
An endosymbiont or endobiont is any organism that lives within the body or cells of another organism most often, though not always, in a mutualistic relationship. (The term endosymbiosis is from the Greek: ἔνδον endon "within", σύν syn "together" and βίωσις biosis "living".) Examples are nitrogen-fixing bacteria, which live in the root nodules of legumes, single-cell algae inside reef-building corals and bacterial endosymbionts that provide essential nutrients to insects.
A diatom is any member of a large group comprising several genera of algae, specifically microalgae, found in the oceans, waterways and soils of the world. Living diatoms make up a significant portion of the Earth's biomass: they generate about 20 to 50 percent of the oxygen produced on the planet each year, take in over 6.7 billion tonnes of silicon each year from the waters in which they live, and constitute nearly half of the organic material found in the oceans. The shells of dead diatoms can reach as much as a half-mile deep on the ocean floor, and the entire Amazon basin is fertilized annually by 27 million tons of diatom shell dust transported by transatlantic winds from the African Sahara, much of it from the Bodélé Depression, which was once made up of a system of fresh-water lakes.
Daphnia is a genus of small planktonic crustaceans, 0.2–6.0 mm (0.01–0.24 in) in length. Daphnia are members of the order Anomopoda, and are one of the several small aquatic crustaceans commonly called water fleas because their saltatory swimming style resembles the movements of fleas. Daphnia spp. live in various aquatic environments ranging from acidic swamps to freshwater lakes and ponds.
Trichodesmium, also called sea sawdust, is a genus of filamentous cyanobacteria. They are found in nutrient poor tropical and subtropical ocean waters. Trichodesmium is a diazotroph; that is, it fixes atmospheric nitrogen into ammonium, a nutrient used by other organisms. Trichodesmium is thought to fix nitrogen on such a scale that it accounts for almost half of the nitrogen fixation in marine systems globally. Trichodesmium is the only known diazotroph able to fix nitrogen in daylight under aerobic conditions without the use of heterocysts.
Micrasterias is a unicellular green alga of the order Desmidiales. Its species vary in size reaching up to hundreds of microns.
Beggiatoa is a genus of Gammaproteobacteria belonging to the order Thiotrichales, in the Pseudomonadota phylum. This genus was one of the first bacteria discovered by Ukrainian botanist Sergei Winogradsky. During his research in Anton de Bary's laboratory of botany in 1887, he found that Beggiatoa oxidized hydrogen sulfide (H2S) as an energy source, forming intracellular sulfur droplets, with oxygen as the terminal electron acceptor and CO2 used as a carbon source. Winogradsky named it in honor of the Italian doctor and botanist Francesco Secondo Beggiato (1806 - 1883), from Venice. Winogradsky referred to this form of metabolism as "inorgoxidation" (oxidation of inorganic compounds), today called chemolithotrophy. These organisms live in sulfur-rich environments such as soil, both marine and freshwater, in the deep sea hydrothermal vents and in polluted marine environments. The finding represented the first discovery of lithotrophy. Two species of Beggiatoa have been formally described: the type species Beggiatoa alba and Beggiatoa leptomitoformis, the latter of which was only published in 2017. This colorless and filamentous bacterium, sometimes in association with other sulfur bacteria (for example the genus Thiothrix), can be arranged in biofilm visible to the naked eye formed by a very long white filamentous mat, the white color is due to the stored sulfur. Species of Beggiatoa have cells up to 200 µm in diameter and they are one of the largest prokaryotes on Earth.
Photosynthetic picoplankton or picophytoplankton is the fraction of the phytoplankton performing photosynthesis composed of cells between 0.2 and 2 µm in size (picoplankton). It is especially important in the central oligotrophic regions of the world oceans that have very low concentration of nutrients.
Thalassiosira pseudonana is a species of marine centric diatoms. It was chosen as the first eukaryotic marine phytoplankton for whole genome sequencing. T. pseudonana was selected for this study because it is a model for diatom physiology studies, belongs to a genus widely distributed throughout the world's oceans, and has a relatively small genome at 34 mega base pairs. Scientists are researching on diatom light absorption, using the marine diatom of Thalassiosira. The diatom requires a high enough concentration of CO2 in order to utilize C4 metabolism (Clement et al. 2015).
The genus Ceratium is restricted to a small number of freshwater dinoflagellate species. Previously the genus contained also a large number of marine dinoflagellate species. However, these marine species have now been assigned to a new genus called Tripos. Ceratium dinoflagellates are characterized by their armored plates, two flagella, and horns. They are found worldwide and are of concern due to their blooms.
The deep chlorophyll maximum (DCM), also called the subsurface chlorophyll maximum, is the region below the surface of water with the maximum concentration of chlorophyll. The DCM generally exists at the same depth as the nutricline, the region of the ocean where the greatest change in the nutrient concentration occurs with depth.
Cyanobionts are cyanobacteria that live in symbiosis with a wide range of organisms such as terrestrial or aquatic plants; as well as, algal and fungal species. They can reside within extracellular or intracellular structures of the host. In order for a cyanobacterium to successfully form a symbiotic relationship, it must be able to exchange signals with the host, overcome defense mounted by the host, be capable of hormogonia formation, chemotaxis, heterocyst formation, as well as possess adequate resilience to reside in host tissue which may present extreme conditions, such as low oxygen levels, and/or acidic mucilage. The most well-known plant-associated cyanobionts belong to the genus Nostoc. With the ability to differentiate into several cell types that have various functions, members of the genus Nostoc have the morphological plasticity, flexibility and adaptability to adjust to a wide range of environmental conditions, contributing to its high capacity to form symbiotic relationships with other organisms. Several cyanobionts involved with fungi and marine organisms also belong to the genera Richelia, Calothrix, Synechocystis, Aphanocapsa and Anabaena, as well as the species Oscillatoria spongeliae. Although there are many documented symbioses between cyanobacteria and marine organisms, little is known about the nature of many of these symbioses. The possibility of discovering more novel symbiotic relationships is apparent from preliminary microscopic observations.
Chara is a genus of charophyte green algae in the family Characeae. They are multicellular and superficially resemble land plants because of stem-like and leaf-like structures. They are found in freshwater, particularly in limestone areas throughout the northern temperate zone, where they grow submerged, attached to the muddy bottom. They prefer less oxygenated and hard water and are not found in waters where mosquito larvae are present. They are covered with calcium carbonate (CaCO3) deposits and are commonly known as stoneworts. Cyanobacteria have been found growing as epiphytes on the surfaces of Chara, where they may be involved in fixing nitrogen, which is important to plant nutrition.
Chaetoceros pseudocurvisetus is a marine diatom in the genus Chaetoceros. It is an important primary producer in the oceans. C. pseudocurvisetus forms resting spores and resting cells, particularly in the absence of essential nutrients.
Thalassiosira weissflogii is a species of centric diatoms, a unicellular microalga. It is found in marine environments and also in inland waters in many parts of the world. It is actively studied because it may use C4-plant style strategies to increase its photosynthetic efficiency.
Trichodesmium thiebautii is a cyanobacteria that is often found in open oceans of tropical and subtropical regions and is known to be a contributor to large oceanic surface blooms. This microbial species is a diazotroph, meaning it fixes nitrogen gas (N2), but it does so without the use of heterocysts. T. thiebautii is able to simultaneously perform oxygenic photosynthesis. T. thiebautii was discovered in 1892 by M.A. Gomont. T. thiebautii are important for nutrient cycling in marine habitats because of their ability to fix N2, a limiting nutrient in ocean ecosystems.
Thalassiosira is a genus of centric diatoms, comprising over 100 marine and freshwater species. It is a diverse group of photosynthetic eukaryotes that make up a vital part of marine and freshwater ecosystems, in which they are key primary producers and essential for carbon cycling
Skeletonema is a genus of diatoms in the family Skeletonemataceae. It is the type genus of its family. The genus Skeletonema was established by R. K. Greville in 1865 for a single species, S. barbadense, found in the Barbados deposit [Jung 2009]. These diatoms are photosynthetic organisms, meaning they obtain carbon dioxide from their surrounding environment and produce oxygen along with other byproducts. Reproduce sexually and asexually [Guiry 2011]. Skeletonema belong to the morphological category referred to as centric diatoms. These are classified by having valves with radial symmetry and the cells lack significant motility [Horner 2002]. Skeletonema are cylindrical shaped with a silica frustule. Cells are joined by long marginal processes to form a filament [Horner 2002]. Their length ranges from 2-61 micrometers, with a diameter ranging from 2-21 micrometers [Hasle 1997]. They are found typically in the neritic zone of the ocean and are highly populous in coastal systems [Jung 2009]. The genus is considered cosmopolitan, showing a wide range of tolerance for salinity and temperature [Hasle 1973]. For example, they have been found in various aquatic environments such as brackish or freshwater. Skeletonema are found worldwide excluding Antarctic waters [Hevia-Orube 2016]. Some harmful effects these diatoms may have on an ecosystem are attributed to large blooming events which may cause hypoxic events in coastal systems. Additionally, they are known to cause water discoloration [Kraberg 2010].
Asterionella formosa is a species of diatom belonging to the family Tabellariaceae.
Richelia is a genus of nitrogen-fixing, filamentous, heterocystous and cyanobacteria. It contains the single species Richelia intracellularis. They exist as both free-living organisms as well as symbionts within potentially up to 13 diatoms distributed throughout the global ocean. As a symbiont, Richelia can associate epiphytically and as endosymbionts within the periplasmic space between the cell membrane and cell wall of diatoms.
Skeletonema costatum is a cosmopolitan centric diatom that belongs to the genus Skeletonema. It was first described by R. K. Greville, who originally named it Melosira costata, in 1866. It was later renamed by Cleve in 1873 and was more narrowly defined by Zingone et al. and Sarno et al. Skeletonemacostatum is the most well known species of the genus Skeletonema and is often one of the dominant species responsible for red tide events.