- Cells of the yellow-green alga Ophiocytium
are elongate and may be straight, curved, or spirally coiled
with or without spines on the ends. The cells exist singly or
in dendroidal, colony-like clusters that sometimes form when
multiple zoospores attach and germinate at the distal end of
a parent cell. The cell wall is made up of two parts, with the
apical portion larger than the distal portion. The
cells can elongate by adding additional cell wall
pieces to the distal end. The cells attach to the substrate by
means of a small stalk. Each cell has multiple discoid plastids
without pyrenoids and at least two nuclei.
-
- Ophiocytium
is commonly found in freshwater ponds, pools, lakes, rivers,
creeks, and swamps in much of the continental United States and
Canada, as well as in the Arctic, Bermuda, Puerto Rico,
- and other parts of the world. The cells may
be planktonic or epiphytic, and are often found living on
- or among vascular plants and filamentous
algae. The tribophyte algae are usually found in cooler waters
of lower pH, although Ophiocytium has been found in habitats
with temperatures of 27° C and circumneatral pH values.
-
- During reproduction, the smaller apical cell
wall piece detaches to release autospores, zoospores,
- or aplanospores. The genus may sometimes
also form akinetes.
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