Dictyochloris | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
(unranked): | Viridiplantae |
Division: | Chlorophyta |
Class: | Chlorophyceae |
Order: | Sphaeropleales |
Family: | Dictyochloridaceae Fučíková, P.O.Lewis & L.A.Lewis |
Genus: | Dictyochloris Vischer, 1945 |
Species [1] | |
Dictyochloris is a genus of green algae in the class Chlorophyceae. [2] It is the sole genus of the family Dictyochloridaceae. [3] It is commonly found in terrestrial and subaerial habitats. [4]
The genus Dictyochloris was first described by Wilhelm Vischer in 1945. [1] Later, it was re-investigated by Richard C. Starr in 1955. [5] It is not to be confused with DictyochlorisKorshikov, which is an later (and thus illegitimate) homonym because it was described after Vischer used the name Dictyochloris. Because it is illegitimate, that genus was renamed to Dictyochlorella . [4] [6]
The scientific name Dictyochloris has roots in the Greek language. The prefix “dictyo” is derived from the Greek word “δίκτυο” or “díktyo” meaning “network”, [7] which is in reference to the net-like chloroplast present in this genus. The medial “-chloro-” is from “χλωρός” or “chloros” meaning “the colour green” [8] [9] because of the green pigment, chlorophyll, which colors the algae.
Dictyochloris consists of solitary, spherical cells surrounded by a thin cell wall. Cells are coenocytic, i.e. have multiple nuclei. The chloroplast is net-like, parietal when young, developing into an irregular three-dimensional network. Chloroplasts lack pyrenoids. [4]
Dictyochloris reproduces asexually via zoospores or aplanospores, which are produced when the mother cell's contents repeatedly undergo binary fission. Zoospores bear an eyspot and two flagella, one of which is slightly longer than the other. [10]
The genus is morphologically similar to Dictyochloropsis , which also has chloroplasts in the form of an irregular, three-dimensional network of strands. However, Dictyochloropsis has one nucleus at maturity while Dictyochloris has multiple nuclei. [11] Some Dictyochloropsis species have been transferred to a new genus, Symbiochloris. [12]
The Chlorophyceae are one of the classes of green algae, distinguished mainly on the basis of ultrastructural morphology. They are usually green due to the dominance of pigments chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b. The chloroplast may be discoid, plate-like, reticulate, cup-shaped, spiral- or ribbon-shaped in different species. Most of the members have one or more storage bodies called pyrenoids located in the chloroplast. Pyrenoids contain protein besides starch. Some green algae may store food in the form of oil droplets. They usually have a cell wall made up of an inner layer of cellulose and outer layer of pectose.
Chlorophyta is a taxon of green algae informally called chlorophytes. The name is used in two very different senses, so care is needed to determine the use by a particular author. In older classification systems, it is a highly paraphyletic group of all the green algae within the green plants (Viridiplantae) and thus includes about 7,000 species of mostly aquatic photosynthetic eukaryotic organisms. In newer classifications, it is the sister clade of the streptophytes/charophytes. The clade Streptophyta consists of the Charophyta in which the Embryophyta emerged. In this latter sense the Chlorophyta includes only about 4,300 species. About 90% of all known species live in freshwater. Like the land plants, green algae contain chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b and store food as starch in their plastids.
Sphaeropleales is an order of green algae that used to be called Chlorococcales. The order includes some of the most common freshwater planktonic algae such as Scenedesmus and Pediastrum. The Spaeropleales includes vegetatively non-motile unicellular or colonial taxa that have biflagellate zoospores with flagella that are directly opposed in direction : Sphaeroplea, Atractomorpha, Neochloris, Hydrodictyon, and Pediastrum. All of these taxa have basal body core connections.
Neochloridaceae is a family of green algae in the order Sphaeropleales.
Selenastraceae is a family of green algae in the order Sphaeropleales. Members of this family are common components of the phytoplankton in freshwater habitats worldwide. A few species have been found in brackish and marine habitats, such as in the Baltic Sea.
Ankistrodesmus is a genus of green algae in the family Selenastraceae. It is one of the most common types of phytoplankton in freshwater habitats around the world.
Dictyochloropsis is a genus of unicellular green alga of the phylum Chlorophyta. This genus consists of free-living algae which have a reticulate (net-like) chloroplast that varies slightly in morphology between species, and that when mature always lacks a pyrenoid. Dictyochloropsis is asexual and reproduces using autospores.
Lagerheimia is a genus of green algae in the family Oocystaceae. It is commonly found in freshwater habitats all over the world, although some species are rare and have only been recorded from Europe or the United States.
Neochloris is a genus of green algae in the family Neochloridaceae. It is found in freshwater aquatic and terrestrial soil habitats.
Podohedriella is a genus of green algae in the family Selenastraceae. It is found in freshwater habitats or on damp wood.
Pseudomuriella is a genus of green algae, specifically of the class Chlorophyceae. It is the sole genus of the family Pseudomuriellaceae. It is a terrestrial alga that inhabits soils.
Selenastrum is a genus of green algae in the family Selenastraceae. It is common in freshwater habitats around the world. Most species prefer temperate or warm-temperate waters.
Sorastrum is a genus of green algae in the family Hydrodictyaceae. It is a component of the phytoplankton of freshwater ponds, lakes, and ditches. Sorastrum is common in tropical to temperate regions of the world, but due to its small size it is often overlooked.
Tetraedron is a genus of green algae in the family Hydrodictyaceae. It may also be spelled as Tetraëdron.
Trebouxia is a unicellular green alga. It is a photosynthetic organism that can exist in almost all habitats found in polar, tropical, and temperate regions. It can either exist in a symbiotic relationship with fungi in the form of lichen or it can survive independently as a free-living organism alone or in colonies. Trebouxia is the most common photobiont in extant lichens. It is a primary producer of marine, freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems. It uses carotenoids and chlorophyll a and b to harvest energy from the sun and provide nutrients to various animals and insects.
Treubaria is a genus of green algae, the sole genus in the family Treubariaceae. Treubaria is found in freshwater habitats and has a cosmopolitan distribution.
Tetrastrum is a genus of green algae (Chlorophyta). It is a common component of the phytoplankton of freshwater habitats, particularly eutrophic and alkaline waters.
Actidesmium is a small genus of green algae in the family Characiaceae. It was described by the German phycologist Paul Friedrich Reinsch in 1875.
Korshikoviella is a genus of green algae in the family Characiaceae.
Bracteamorpha is a genus of green algae in the order Sphaeropleales, and is the only genus in the family Bracteamorphaceae. It contains a single species, Bracteamorpha trainorii.