MORPHOLOGY AND PAEDOGAMOUS SEXUAL REPRODUCTION IN CHLOROGONIUM CAPILLATUM SP. NOV. (VOLVOCALES, CHLOROPHYTA)1

Morphology and sexual reproduction in Chlorogonium capillatum Nozaki, Watanabe & Aizawa sp. nov. (Volvocales, Chlorophyta) originating from Miyatoko Mire, Japan, were studied under controlled laboratory conditions. Vegetative cells of this new species were fusiform with blunt anterior and posterior ends, and they had a massive parietal chloroplast and numerous contractile vacuoles distributed throughout the protoplast. Several to many pyrenoids were randomly distributed in the chloroplast, but they disappeared under the light microscope when grown photoheterotrophically. During asexual reproduction, the first division took place transversely without a preceding rotation of the parental protoplast. In sexual reproduction, the parental protoplast divided successively to form 32 or 64 small, biflagellate isogametes. After gametogenesis, the gametes did not escape from the parental cell (gametangial) wall, within which pairs of the adjoining gametes fused to form quadriflagellate zygotes. Such zygotes were then released from the parental cell wall and developed into hypnozygotes, which at maturity developed numerous thin spines or hairs on the zygote wall. On zygote germination, four biflagellate germ cells were released from the zygote wall separately. This type of gametic union, "paedogamy," has not previously been described in the green algae except for Chlorococcum echinozygotum Starr . Chlorogonium capillatum can be clearly distinguished from other described species of Chlorogonium by its numerous contractile vacuoles and blunt anterior and posterior ends in vegetative cells as well as by its unique sexual reproduction, in which paedogamous conjugation occurs, and numerous thin spines or hairs that develop on the hypnozygote walls .     

CELL WALL STRUCTURE AND COMPOSITION AS TAXONOMIC CHARACTERS IN THE COCCOID CHLOROPHYCEAE1,2

Cell wall structure and composition of fifty-one algae in the Volvocales, Tetrasporales, Chlorococcales, and Chlorosarcinales were investigated to determine the feasibility of using the presence of cellulose, wall fibers, and wall periodicity as taxonomic characters. Although members of the Volvocales consistently lack cellulose, the diversity of wall characters in the other orders discourages the use of these characters as taxonomic or phylogenetic criteria.     

TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE OF GROWTH AND PHOSPHORUS UPTAKE IN TWO SPECIES OF VOLVOX (VOLVOCALES,CHLOROPHYTA)1

The growth of Volvox globator L. and Volvox aureus Ehr. was measured at five temperatures and nine phosphorus concentrations. Growth rates were hyperbolically related to phosphorus concentrations for all temperatures using a Monod growth model. Optimal growth rates of 1.17 and 1.00 doublings d^?1 were obtained at 20°C for V. globator and V. aureus, respectively. Neither species grew at 5°C. The half-saturation constants for growth, K_s, were lower for V. aureus. Phosphorus uptake by both species was also dependent upon external phosphorus concentrations and temperature. At all temperatures, maximum phosphorus uptake (μmol P colony^?1 min^?1) was similar for both species; however, the half-saturation constants for uptake showed significant differences between the species. Comparisons of the kinetic constants for growth and phosphorus uptake suggest that V. aureus will outcompete V. globator under phosphorus limited, conditions.     

THE EFFECTS OF SELECTED HERBICIDES ON ZYGOSPORE GERMINATION AND GROWTH OF CHLAMYDOMONAS MOEWUSII (CHLOROPHYCEAE,VOLVOCALES)11

A laboratory study was conducted, to examine and compare the sensitivity of vegetative cells and zygospores of Chlamydomonas moewusii Gerloff to 20 different herbicides. Under the culture conditions employed, both vegetative growth and zygospore germination were affected by certain herbicides and not by others. Over a concentration range from 1.0–80.0 μM, growth was inhibited to various degrees by herbicides containing ametryne, paraquat, endothall, diquat, diuron, linuron, propanil, dinoseb, ioxynil, atrzine, prometon, and alachlor. Zygospore germination was inhibited significantly by herbicides containing dinoseb, endothall, parquet, diquat, propanil, linuron, ioxynil, ametryne, fenac and picloram at 80.0 μM concentrations. Comparisons of the results obtained indicate that concentrations of herbicides which affect growth may or may not effect zygospore germination and vice versa. Zygospores may be more resistant than vegetative cells to some but not all herbicides.