Microspora

Microspora is occurring in freshwater green algae from the genus - group of the Chlorophyceae. It includes about 20 species.

Features

The representatives form unbranched filaments of a cell number. The cells are cylindrical, have a nucleus and a parietal chloroplast. This is network- or irregular band-shaped and has no pyrenoid. The cell wall consists of two H-shaped halves which engage into each other like a box. Growth occurs by cell division within the thread. In the center of the parent cell, a new cell-wall H-shaped piece is formed. The formation of the H- shaped members is a parallel development to Xanthophyceae Tribonema.

Asexual reproduction occurs by the formation of a large zoospore which carries two or four equal-length flagella. The zoospores reach by moving apart the two cell halves into the open. Some species form thick immobile cells ( akinetes ). Sexual reproduction of the species is not fully understood, there are small, biflagellate swarmers known, resemble the gametes.

Occurrence

The members of the genus mostly live snugly in standing or flowing, predominantly nutrient-poor waters. More rarely, they occur freely floating. They occur mainly in the spring.

Documents

• K.-H. Linne von Berg, K. Hoef -Emden, B. Marin, M. Melkonian: The Cosmos algae leader. The main freshwater algae under the microscope. Kosmos, Stuttgart 2004, pp. 258, ISBN 3-440-09719-6