Goniomonas

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Goniomonas
Scientific classification
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Genus:
Goniomonas

von Stein 1878 [1]
Type species
Goniomonas truncata
(Fresenius 1858) von Stein 1878
Species

See text

Goniomonas is a genus of Cryptomonads and contains five species. [2] It is a genus of single-celled eukaryotes, including both freshwater and marine species. [2] It lacks plastids, which is very unusual among all of the Cryptophyte genera. [2] It may reflect one of only a small number of times that the Cryptophytes evolved into freshwater habitats. [3] Goniomonas seems to have a number of freshwater relatives which have not yet been cultured and named.

Contents

Etymology

Goniomonas means angled small flagellates, combining goni and monas. [4] [5]

History of Discovery

It was established by German biologist Samuel Friedrich Stein in 1878. [2]

Morphology

This genus contains species that are free-swimming, flattened, biflagellate monads. They are oval in lateral view with an obliquely truncate anterior. [2] A furrow extends along the middle of the anterior margin and for a short distance down the ventral margin and is surrounded by a single lateral row of ejectisomes. [2] Chloroplasts, pyrenoids, nucleomorphs and starch are absent. [2] They have periplast with longitudinal striations visible in all species. [2] And, Goniomonas is the only Cryptomonad so far examined that does not possess a plastidial complex, and is therefore considered primitive among Cryptophytes. Other Cryptophytes have bipartite tubular flagellar hairs, whereas Goniomonas has solid spike-like flagellar projections. The furrow-gullet system of Goniomonas is located on the anterior of the cell rather than the usual ventral location. [2]

Reproduction

Cyst production is not known in this genus. [2]

Ecology

The genus is well known in freshwater habitats with a cosmopolitan distribution, but is rarely abundant. [6] It is also present in marine waters. [7] The temperatures and specific depths suitable for the species are not recorded.

Genetics

Only one freshwater and two marine species have been extensively described so far. [8] Marine species are G. pacifica and G. amphinema, while G. truncata is a freshwater species. [3] Although the two marine species are morphologically quite distinct from each other, it was unclear until recently whether one of them, G. pacifica, is really separate from the freshwater G. truncata because their morphology and size are similar. Results reveal remarkable genetic diversity within all three nominal species and confirm that G. pacifica is genetically very distinct from G. truncata. [3] Scientists suggest that if further studied, Goniomonads might turn out to have as many ‘species’ as Cryptophytes. [2] They reproduce by asexual reproduction as current research concludes. [2] Further studies can focus on whether Goniomonads are sexual. And, it is still to determine whether the biological species concept can be applied to them. [3]

List of Species

The following is a list of species. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cryptomonad</span> Group of algae and colorless flagellates

The cryptomonads are a group of algae, most of which have plastids. They are common in freshwater, and also occur in marine and brackish habitats. Each cell is around 10–50 μm in size and flattened in shape, with an anterior groove or pocket. At the edge of the pocket there are typically two slightly unequal flagella. Some may exhibit mixotrophy. They are classified as clade Cryptomonada, which is divided into two classes: heterotrophic Goniomonadea and phototrophic Cryptophyceae. The two groups are united under three shared morphological characteristics: presence of a periplast, ejectisomes with secondary scroll, and mitochondrial cristae with flat tubules. Genetic studies as early as 1994 also supported the hypothesis that Goniomonas was sister to Cryptophyceae. A study in 2018 found strong evidence that the common ancestor of Cryptomonada was an autotrophic protist.

Cryptomonas is the name-giving genus of the Cryptomonads established by German biologist Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg in 1831. The algae are common in freshwater habitats and brackish water worldwide and often form blooms in greater depths of lakes. The cells are usually brownish or greenish in color and are characteristic of having a slit-like furrow at the anterior. They are not known to produce any toxins. They are used to feed small zooplankton, which is the food source for small fish in fish farms. Many species of Cryptomonas can only be identified by DNA sequencing. Cryptomonas can be found in several marine ecosystems in Australia and South Korea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cryptophyceae</span> Class of single-celled organisms

The cryptophyceae are a class of algae, most of which have plastids. About 230 species are known, and they are common in freshwater, and also occur in marine and brackish habitats. Each cell is around 10–50 μm in size and flattened in shape, with an anterior groove or pocket. At the edge of the pocket there are typically two slightly unequal flagella.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chlorodendrales</span> Order of algae

Chlorodendrales are an order of green, flagellated, thecate, unicellular eukaryotes, within the green algae class Chlorodendrophyceae. Prasinophyceae are defined by their cellular scales which are composed of carbohydrates, and Chlorodendrales are unique within this group due to these scales forming a fused thecal wall. Cells of Chlorodendrales are completely covered in scales, which fuse around the cell body producing the theca, but remain individually separated on the flagella, of which there are typically four per cell. Species within Chlorodendrales live in both marine and fresh water habitats, occupying both benthic and planktonic food webs. Additionally, they are photoautotrophs, meaning they produce their own food through the conversion of sunlight into chemical energy.

<i>Malawimonas</i> Genus of micro-organisms

Malawimonas is genus of unicellular, heterotrophic flagellates with uncertain phylogenetic affinities. They have variably being assigned to Excavata and Loukozoa. Recent studies suggest they may be closely related to the Podiata.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jakobid</span>

Jakobids are an order of free-living, heterotrophic, flagellar eukaryotes in the supergroup Excavata. They are small, and can be found in aerobic and anaerobic environments. The order Jakobida, believed to be monophyletic, consists of only twenty species at present, and was classified as a group in 1993. There is ongoing research into the mitochondrial genomes of jakobids, which are unusually large and bacteria-like, evidence that jakobids may be important to the evolutionary history of eukaryotes.

<i>Rhodomonas</i> Genus of single-celled organisms

Rhodomonas is a genus of cryptomonads. It is characterized by its red colour, the square-shaped plates of its inner periplast, its short furrow ending in a gullet, and a distinctly shaped chloroplast closely associated with its nucleomorph. Historically, Rhodomonas was characterized by its red chloroplast alone, but this no longer occurs as its taxonomy has become increasingly based on molecular and cellular data. Currently, there is some debate about the taxonomic validity of Rhodomonas as a genus and further research is needed to verify its taxonomic status. Rhodomonas is typically found in marine environments, although freshwater reports exist. It is commonly used as a live feed for various aquaculture species.

Geminigera /ˌdʒɛmɪnɪˈdʒɛɹə/ is a genus of cryptophyte from the family Geminigeraceae. Named for its unique pyrenoids, Geminigera is a genus with a single mixotrophic species. It was discovered in 1968 and is known for living in very cold temperatures such as under the Antarctic ice. While originally considered to be part of the genus Cryptomonas, the genus Geminigera was officially described in 1991 by D. R. A. Hill.

<i>Guillardia</i> Genus of single-celled organisms

Guillardia is a genus of marine biflagellate cryptomonad algae with a plastid obtained through secondary endosymbiosis of a red alga.

<i>Hemiselmis</i> Genus of single-celled organisms

Hemiselmis is a genus of cryptomonads.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katablepharid</span> Group of algae

The kathablepharids are a group of heterotrophic flagellates (Protists) the first species of which was described by Skuja in 1939 as Kathablepharis phoenikoston. His spelling was challenged because of non-compliance with botanical nomenclatural conditions, hence the alternative spelling Katablepharis. As the organism was heterotrophic and usually regarded as 'protozoan', and to favour stability, Skuja's original spelling has largely prevailed. With an anterior pocket and ejectisomes, the kathablepharids were thought initially to be cryptomonads. There were a variety of differences with Cryptomonas and other typical cryptomonads = cryptophytes, such as the thickness, length, and beat pattern of the flagella, their phagotrophic habitat, differences in the ejectisomes, and various features of their ultrastructure. The distinctive characteristics of the group were established from electron microscopical studies by Clay and Kugrens and Vørs. More recently they have been tentatively grouped with the chromalveolates, or distantly with the cryptophytes.

<i>Dinophysis</i> Genus of single-celled organisms

Dinophysis is a genus of dinoflagellates common in tropical, temperate, coastal and oceanic waters. It was first described in 1839 by Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg.

<i>Thaumatomastix</i> Genus of single-celled organisms

Thaumatomastix is a protist genus of the order Thaumatomonadida, within the phylum Cercozoa and the class Imbricatea. Its species are aquatic, feeding on algae and appearing in waters of a wide range of temperatures and salinities, and are 15-50 micrometers long. They can interchange between flagellated and amoeboid forms, and are notable for being covered in both spiny and flattened siliceous scales.

Mesodinium chamaeleon is a ciliate of the genus Mesodinium. It is known for being able to consume and maintain algae endosymbiotically for days before digesting the algae. It has the ability to eat red and green algae, and afterwards using the chlorophyll granules from the algae to generate energy, turning itself from being a heterotroph into an autotroph. The species was discovered in January 2012 outside the coast of Nivå, Denmark by professor Øjvind Moestrup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diplonemidae</span> Family of protozoans

Diplonemidae is a family of biflagellated unicellular protists that may be among the more diverse and common groups of planktonic organisms in the ocean. Although this family is currently made up of three named genera; Diplonema, Rhynchopus, and Hemistasia, there likely exist thousands of still unnamed genera. Organisms are generally colourless and oblong in shape, with two flagella emerging from a subapical pocket. They possess a large mitochondrial genome composed of fragmented linear DNA. These non-coding sequences must be massively trans-spliced, making it one of the most complicated post-transcriptional editing process known to eukaryotes.

<i>Neobodo</i> Genus of protists

Neobodo are diverse protists belonging to the eukaryotic supergroup Excavata. They are Kinetoplastids in the subclass Bodonidae. They are small, free-living, heterotrophic flagellates with two flagella of unequal length used to create a propulsive current for feeding. As members of Kinetoplastids, they have an evident kinetoplast There was much confusion and debate within the class Kinetoplastid and subclass Bodonidae regarding the classification of the organism, but finally the new genera Neobodo was proposed by Keith Vickerman. Although they are one of the most common flagellates found in freshwater, they are also able to tolerate saltwater Their ability to alternate between both marine and freshwater environments in many parts of the world give them a “cosmopolitan” character. Due to their relatively microscopic size ranging between 4–12 microns, they are further distinguished as heterotrophic nanoflagellates. This small size ratio limits them as bacterivores that swim around feeding on bacteria attached to surfaces or in aggregates.

Heteronema is a genus of phagotrophic, flagellated euglenoids that are most widely distributed in fresh water environments. This genus consists of two very distinguishable morphogroups that are phylogenetically closely related. These morphogroups are deciphered based on shape, locomotion and other ultrastructural traits. However, this genus does impose taxonomic problems due to the varying historical descriptions of Heteronema species and its similarity to the genus Paranema. The species H. exaratum, was the first heteronemid with a skidding motion to be sequenced, which led to the discovery that it was not closely related to H. scaphrum, contrary to what was previously assumed, but instead to a sister group of primary osmotrophs. This suggests that skidding heteronemids can also be distinguished phylogenetically, being more closely related to Anisoma, Dinema and Aphageae, than to other species within Heteronema.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pyrenomonadaceae</span> Family of cryptomonads

Pyrenomonadaceae is a family of cryptomonads which includes three or four known genera. They are distinguished from other cryptomonads by their nucleomorphs being imbedded into the pyrenoid, and the presence of distinctive pigment phycoerythrin 545.

Cryptoglena(/ˌkɹɪptoʊˈgliːnə/) is a genus of photosynthetic euglenids that was first described in 1831 by Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg. Today, its circumscription is controversial: Bicudo and Menezes consider twenty-one species as Cryptoglena, of which, nine are uncertain. Cryptoglena species are water-based, living in both freshwater and marine environments. They are biflagellated, with one internal flagellum and one external flagellum, which allows movement through environments as demonstrated by Kim and Shin in the species C. pigra. The cells of Cryptoglena resemble a coffee bean, as they have a groove that runs the length of the cell on one side and makes them U-shaped in cross section. They are ovoid in shape and are small, with the larger cells being on average 25 x 15 μm. After being first described in 1831, little work was done on the genus until the late 1970s and early 1980s, after the scanning electron microscope completed development and was implemented into laboratories. Work then proceeded with the developments of molecular biology, which allows for classifications based on DNA sequences. For Cryptoglena the main DNA used for classification are small subunit (SSU) and large subunit (LSU) rDNA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cortical alveolum</span> Cellular organelle found in protists

The cortical alveolum is a cellular organelle consisting of a vesicle located under the cytoplasmic membrane, to which they give support. The term "corticate" comes from an evolutionary hypothesis about the common origin of kingdoms Plantae and Chromista, because both kingdoms have cortical alveoli in at least one phylum. At least three protist lineages exhibit these structures: Telonemia, Alveolata and Glaucophyta.

References

  1. Stein, F. von (1878). Der Organismus der Infusionsthiere nach eigenen Forschungen in systematischer Reihenfolge bearbeitet III. Abtheilung. Die Naturgeschicnte der Flagellaten oder Geisselinfusorien. Mit 24 Küpfertaflen. I. Halfte, den noch nicht abgeschlossenen allgemeinen Theil nebst Erklärung der Sämmtlichen Abbildungen enthaltend. pp. 1-154, pls I-XXIV. Leipzig: Verlag von Wilhelm Engelmann.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "Genus Detail :: Algaebase". www.algaebase.org. Retrieved 2017-04-22.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Heyden, Sophie von der; Chao, Ema; Cavalier-Smith, Thomas (2004-11-01). "Genetic diversity of goniomonads: an ancient divergence between marine and freshwater species". European Journal of Phycology. 39 (4): 343–350. doi:10.1080/09670260400005567. ISSN   0967-0262. S2CID   83767174.
  4. "Medical Definition of GONI-". www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 2017-04-22.
  5. "Medical Definition of MONAS". www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 2017-04-22.
  6. Martin-Cereceda, Mercedes; Roberts, Emily C.; Wootton, Emma C.; Bonaccorso, Elisa; Dyal, Patricia; Guinea, Almudena; Rogers, Dale; Wright, Chris J.; Novarino, Gianfranco (2010-03-01). "Morphology, Ultrastructure, and Small Subunit rDNA Phylogeny of the Marine Heterotrophic Flagellate Goniomonas aff. amphinema". Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology. 57 (2): 159–170. doi:10.1111/j.1550-7408.2009.00449.x. ISSN   1550-7408. PMID   20015186. S2CID   6944762.
  7. Shalchian-Tabrizi, Kamran; Bråte, Jon; Logares, Ramiro; Klaveness, Dag; Berney, Cédric; Jakobsen, Kjetill S. (2008-10-01). "Diversification of unicellular eukaryotes: cryptomonad colonizations of marine and fresh waters inferred from revised 18S rRNA phylogeny". Environmental Microbiology. 10 (10): 2635–2644. doi:10.1111/j.1462-2920.2008.01685.x. ISSN   1462-2920. PMID   18643928.
  8. Kim, Eunsoo; Archibald, John M. (2013-03-01). "Ultrastructure and Molecular Phylogeny of the Cryptomonad Goniomonas avonlea sp. nov". Protist. 164 (2): 160–182. doi:10.1016/j.protis.2012.10.002. PMID   23127606.