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- The filaments above have
developed the beginnings of a branch, while the filament below
has two long branches.
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- Vaucheria has siphonaceous, coenocytic filaments
that can form feltlike mats, earning it the nickname "water
felt". Cytokinesis does not usually follow mitosis, so the
cells retain multiple nuclei. The thallus has cross walls only
where gametes or zoospores were produced, and may be branched.
- The cytoplasm of Vaucheria
is pushed to the cell periphery by large vacuoles, and contains
many nuclei and discoid plastids. The plastids can change their
orientation in response to changes in light levels. The large
cells rely on cytoplasmic streaming to move materials around
as needed.
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- Researchers have found fossils
in one billion-
- year-old Siberian deposits
that are very similar to Vaucheria, indicating that the
genus has been evolving for quite some time. Over 70 species
are known to science.
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