Pandorina

Pandorina colony

Pandorina is a genus of algae from the class of Chlorophyceae with about 15 species.

Description

Pandorina forms approximately spherical colonies of 8 or 16, rarely 32 in the center, and adhere closely to the front end enlarged single cells. The colonies are held together by a colorless jelly. The cells are zweigeißelig, have two contractile vacuoles and large, cup-shaped chloroplasts. The eye patch of the front cells in the colony are often larger than that of the rear. Colonies 20 to 40, often up to 250 microns in size, the cells reach a size of eight to 17 microns.

Reproduction

Asexual reproduction occurs which in the following way: Each cell forms a colony after three to five cell divisions within the jelly of the mother colony a daughter colony.

Sexual reproduction takes place by isogamy or Anisogamie. The gametes fuse to form a zygote with a thick, smooth cell wall, which is colored orange. The zygote dismisses after a reduction division one or two flagellated cells, each forming a new colony. In Pandorina is a haploid.

Dissemination

Pandorina lives in planktonic stationary and weakly flowing waters.

Types (selection)

• Pandorina bengalensis
• Pandorina elegans
• Pandorina morum
• Pandorina pirum
• Pandorina simplex

Swell

• Karl -Heinz Linne von Berg, Kerstin Hoef -Emden, Birger Marin, Michael Melkonian: The Cosmos algae leader. The main freshwater algae under the microscope. Franckh Cosmos, 2006, ISBN 3-440-09719-6.
• Heinz Streble, Dieter Krauter: The Life in the Water. Microflora and microfauna of fresh water. A field guide .. Franckh Cosmos, 2006, ISBN 3-440-10807-4.