Bolidomonas
Encyclopedia
Bolidomonas is a genus
of unicellular picoplanktonic
heterokont
s. It was recently (1999) discovered. Genetically it is close to diatoms, but differs morphologically
from them. Bolidomonas cells have two flagella
, chloroplast
s with girdle lamella, and no eyespot
. Photosynthetic pigments
present in bolydophyte choroplasts include chlorophyll
s a, c1, c2, c3, fucoxanthin
, diatoxanthin, diadinoxanthin.
It includes the species Bolidomonas mediterranea.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of unicellular picoplanktonic
Photosynthetic picoplankton
Photosynthetic picoplankton is the fraction of the plankton performing photosynthesis composed by cells between 0.2 and 2 µm . It is especially important in the central oligotrophic regions of the world oceans that have very low concentration of nutrients.- History :* 1952: Description of the...
heterokont
Heterokont
The heterokonts or stramenopiles are a major line of eukaryotes currently containing more than 100,000 known species. Most are algae, ranging from the giant multicellular kelp to the unicellular diatoms, which are a primary component of plankton...
s. It was recently (1999) discovered. Genetically it is close to diatoms, but differs morphologically
Morphology (biology)
In biology, morphology is a branch of bioscience dealing with the study of the form and structure of organisms and their specific structural features....
from them. Bolidomonas cells have two flagella
Flagellum
A flagellum is a tail-like projection that protrudes from the cell body of certain prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, and plays the dual role of locomotion and sense organ, being sensitive to chemicals and temperatures outside the cell. There are some notable differences between prokaryotic and...
, chloroplast
Chloroplast
Chloroplasts are organelles found in plant cells and other eukaryotic organisms that conduct photosynthesis. Chloroplasts capture light energy to conserve free energy in the form of ATP and reduce NADP to NADPH through a complex set of processes called photosynthesis.Chloroplasts are green...
s with girdle lamella, and no eyespot
Eyespot apparatus
The eyespot apparatus is a photoreceptive organelle found in the flagellate cells of green algae and other unicellular photosynthetic organisms such as euglenids. It allows the cells to sense light direction and intensity and respond to it by swimming either towards the light or away from the...
. Photosynthetic pigments
Photosynthesis
Photosynthesis is a chemical process that converts carbon dioxide into organic compounds, especially sugars, using the energy from sunlight. Photosynthesis occurs in plants, algae, and many species of bacteria, but not in archaea. Photosynthetic organisms are called photoautotrophs, since they can...
present in bolydophyte choroplasts include chlorophyll
Chlorophyll
Chlorophyll is a green pigment found in almost all plants, algae, and cyanobacteria. Its name is derived from the Greek words χλωρος, chloros and φύλλον, phyllon . Chlorophyll is an extremely important biomolecule, critical in photosynthesis, which allows plants to obtain energy from light...
s a, c1, c2, c3, fucoxanthin
Fucoxanthin
Fucoxanthin is a xanthophyll, with formula C42H58O6. It is found as an accessory pigment in the chloroplasts of brown algae and most other heterokonts, giving them a brown or olive-green color...
, diatoxanthin, diadinoxanthin.
It includes the species Bolidomonas mediterranea.