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- More than 100 described species
are distinguished by the number and arrangement of cells and
the ornamentation pattern on the cell wall.
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- Scenedesmus is a small, nonmotile colonial green
alga consisting of cells aligned in a flat plate. The colonies
most often have two or four cells, but may have 8, 16, or rarely
32 and are occasionally unicellular. The cells are usually cylindrical
but may be more lunate, ovoid, or fusiform. Typically the end
cells each have two long spines up to 200 µm in length
protruding from their outer corners, and other cells may have
additional spines or chitonous bristles. Each cell contains a
single parietal, plate-like chloroplast with a single pyrenoid.
The cell walls may be covered in bumps or reticulations that
are best viewed with scanning electron microscopy.
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