Zygnemataceae

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Zygnemataceae
Spirogyra cell.jpg
Spirogyra sp.
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
(unranked): Viridiplantae
(unranked): Charophyta
Class: Zygnematophyceae
Order: Zygnematales
Family: Zygnemataceae
Kützing, 1843
Subgroups
Synonyms [1]

ZygnemeaeKützing, 1843

The Zygnemataceae are a family [2] of filamentous or unicellular, uniseriate (unbranched) green algae. The filaments are septated and reproduction is by conjugation; Spirogyra is commonly used in schools to demonstrate this kind of reproduction. The family is notable for its diversely shaped chloroplasts, such as stellate in Zygnema , helical in Spirogyra , and flat in Mougeotia . The Zygnemataceae are cosmopolitan, but though all generally occur in the same types of habitats, Mougeotia, Spirogyra, and Zygnema are by far the most common; in one study across North America, [3] 95% of the Zygnemataceae collected were in these three genera. Classification and identification is primarily by the morphology of the conjugation, which is somewhat rare to find in natural populations of permanent water bodies; when in the vegetative state, the rarer genera resemble the three most common, and are often mistaken for them and catalogued as such. Conjugation can be induced in low-nitrogen culture. [4] While they occupy many habitats, in North America all are found solely in freshwater or subaerial habitats. Species typically exist as floating mats in stagnant water in ditches and ponds, but some also grow in moving water, attaching themselves to a substrate by rhizoid-like projections of the basal cells of the filament. The mat species rise to the surface in early spring, grow rapidly through the summer, disappearing by late summer. Members of the Zygnemataceae, such as Spirogyra, fall prey to parasites, especially chytrids. [4] Most genera (all except Mesotanium and Spirotaenia) previously assigned to Mesotaeniaceae as well as the Desmidiales actually emerged in the Zygnematacae. [5]

Related Research Articles

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

The Zygnematales, also called the Conjugatales, are an order of green algae, comprising several thousand different species in two families. The larger family Zygnemataceae, with well-known genera such as Zygnema and Spirogyra, includes members that grow as unbranched filaments, which grow longer through normal cell division. This group includes the desmids. Most members of both families live in freshwater, and form an important component of the algal scum that grows on or near plants and rocks.

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

Desmidiales, commonly called the desmids, are an order in the Charophyta, a division of green algae in which the land plants (Embryophyta) emerged. Desmids consist of single-celled microscopic green algae. Because desmids are highly symmetrical, attractive, and come in a diversity of forms, they are popular subjects for microscopists, both amateur and professional.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green algae</span> Paraphyletic group of autotrophic eukaryotes in the clade Archaeplastida

The green algae are a group of chlorophyll-containing autotrophic eukaryotes consisting of the phylum Prasinodermophyta and its unnamed sister group that contains the Chlorophyta and Charophyta/Streptophyta. The land plants (Embryophytes) have emerged deep in the Charophyte alga as a sister of the Zygnematophyceae. Since the realization that the Embryophytes emerged within the green algae, some authors are starting to include them. The completed clade that includes both green algae and embryophytes is monophyletic and is referred to as the clade Viridiplantae and as the kingdom Plantae. The green algae include unicellular and colonial flagellates, most with two flagella per cell, as well as various colonial, coccoid and filamentous forms, and macroscopic, multicellular seaweeds. There are about 22,000 species of green algae, many of which live most of their lives as single cells, while other species form coenobia (colonies), long filaments, or highly differentiated macroscopic seaweeds.

<i>Spirogyra</i> Genus of charophyte green algae

Spirogyra is a genus of filamentous charophyte green algae of the order Zygnematales, named for the helical or spiral arrangement of the chloroplasts that is characteristic of the genus. Spirogyra species, of which there are more than 400, are commonly found in freshwater habitats. Spirogyra measures approximately 10 to 100 μm in width and may grow to several centimetres in length. It is often observed as green slimy patches on the ground near ponds and other water bodies having stagnant water.

<i>Cladophora</i> Genus of filamentous green algae

Cladophora is a genus of reticulated filamentous Ulvophyceae.

<i>Carteria</i> Genus of algae

Carteria is a genus of green algae in the family Chlamydomonadaceae. Carteria are similar in morphology to the common genus Chlamydomonas and differ by having four, rather than two, flagella at the vegetative stage.

<i>Cylindrocapsa</i> Genus of algae

Cylindrocapsa is a genus of green algae, specifically of the Chlorophyceae. It is commonly found in freshwater habitats.

Palmellopsis is a genus of green algae, specifically of the Palmellopsidaceae. They are either planktonic or attached to substrates in fresh water, or in aeroterrestrial habitats.

Radiofilum is a genus of green algae in the class Chlorophyceae. It is a freshwater genus; they are often found in soft, boggy or acidic waters.

<i>Selenastrum</i> Genus of algae

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.

<i>Sphaeroplea</i> Genus of algae

Sphaeroplea is a genus of green algae in the family Sphaeropleaceae. It was first circumscribed by the Swedish botanist Carl Adolph Agardh in 1824.

<i>Stephanosphaera</i> Genus of algae

Stephanosphaera is a genus of green algae in the family Haematococcaceae, containing the single species Stephanosphaera pluvialis. It forms colonies of flagellated cells. Although it was once placed in the family Volvocaceae, it is not closely related to them; its sister is the unicellular genus Balticola.

<i>Closterium</i> Genus of algae

Closterium is a genus of desmid, a group of charophyte green algae. It is placed in the family Closteriaceae. Species of Closterium are a common component of freshwater microalgae flora worldwide.

<i>Cosmarium</i> Genus of algae

Cosmarium is a genus of freshwater organisms belonging to the Charophyta, a division of green algae from which the land plants (Embryophyta) emerged.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zygnematophyceae</span> Class of algae

Zygnematophyceae is a class of green algae in the paraphylum streptophyte algae, also referred to as Charophyta, consisting of more than 4000 described species. The Zygnematophyceae are the sister clade of the Embryophyta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Klebsormidiaceae</span> Family of algae

The Klebsormidiaceae are a family containing five genera of charophyte green alga forming multicellular, non-branching filaments. The genus Chlorokybus was previously included as well, but this problematic and poorly known genus is now placed in a separate class Chlorokybophyceae.

Bangia is an extant genus of division Rhodophyta that grows in marine or freshwater habitats. Bangia has small thalli with rapid growth and high reproductive output, and exhibits behavior characteristic of r-selected species. The plants are attached by down-growing rhizoids, usually in dense purple-black to rust-colored clumps. The chloroplasts of Bangia, like others in the division Rhodophyta, contain chlorophyll a and sometimes chlorophyll d, as well as accessory pigments such as phycobilin pigments and xanthophylls. Depending on the relative proportions of these pigments and the light conditions, the overall color of the plant can range from green to red to purple to grey; however, the red pigment, phycoerythrin, is usually dominant.

<i>Zygnema</i> Genus of algae

Zygnema is a genus of freshwater filamentous thalloid alga comprising about 100 species. A terrestrial species, Z. terrestre, is known from India. Zygnema grows as a free-floating mass of filaments, although young plants may be found anchored to streambeds with a holdfast. The filaments form a yellow-green to bright green colored tangled mat, and are composed of elongate barrel-shaped cells, each with two star-shaped (stellate) chloroplasts arrayed along the axis of the cell.

Spirogyra elegans is a species of green algae in the family Zygnemataceae.

<i>Mougeotia</i> Genus of algae

Mougeotia is a genus of filamentous charophyte green algae of the order Zygnematales. It is a common component of freshwater aquatic habitats around the world. Described in 1824 by Carl Adolph Agardh, its name honors the French botanist Jean-Baptiste Mougeot.

References

Spirogyra mats in a still pond. Spyrogyra-bgiu.jpg
Spirogyra mats in a still pond.
  1. ↑ Guiry, Michael D. (2013). "Taxonomy and nomenclature of the Conjugatophyceae (= Zygnematophyceae)". Algae. 28 (1): 1–29. doi:10.4490/algae.2013.28.1.001.
  2. ↑ Guiry MD, Guiry GM, eds. (2024). "Zygnemataceae Kützing, 1843". AlgaeBase. National University of Ireland, Galway . World Register of Marine Species . Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  3. ↑ McCourt et al., 1986, as reported in Wehr, 2003, pg. 363
  4. 1 2 Wehr, John D. and Sheath, Robert G. Freshwater Algae of North America, pg. 363.
  5. ↑ Gitzendanner, Matthew A.; Soltis, Pamela S.; Wong, Gane K.-S.; Ruhfel, Brad R.; Soltis, Douglas E. (2018). "Plastid phylogenomic analysis of green plants: A billion years of evolutionary history". American Journal of Botany. 105 (3): 291–301. doi: 10.1002/ajb2.1048 . ISSN   0002-9122. PMID   29603143.


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