Coleochaete
Encyclopedia
Coleochaete is a genus of parenchymous
green algae
in the family Coleochaetaceae. They are haploid, reproduce asexually, they can be characterised by true multicellular organisation (with plasmodesmata
), creating planar sprawling discs on solid surfaces in freshwater streams worldwide, usually as epiphytes on aquatic plants or growing on the surface of stones. They are seen as one of two most probable ancestor groups to land plant species. (The second candidates being the Characeae, the issue - as of 2009 - is still not solved). As they show some of the earliest and simplest features of multicellular plant growth, that makes them ideal model organism
s in the field of synthetic biology
. They are easy to culture and techniques that have been used to study Arabidopsis thaliana
are now being applied to the Coleochaete.
Coleochaete also has a sterile jacket of cells that surround the gametangia, and zygotes that are protected by a layer of sterile cells after fertilization. However, unlike plants, the Charophyceae has zygotic meiosis and therefore could not have been the literal ancestor of plants
Parenchyma
Parenchyma is a term used to describe a bulk of a substance. It is used in different ways in animals and in plants.The term is New Latin, f. Greek παρέγχυμα - parenkhuma, "visceral flesh", f. παρεγχεῖν - parenkhein, "to pour in" f. para-, "beside" + en-, "in" + khein, "to pour"...
green algae
Algae
Algae are a large and diverse group of simple, typically autotrophic organisms, ranging from unicellular to multicellular forms, such as the giant kelps that grow to 65 meters in length. They are photosynthetic like plants, and "simple" because their tissues are not organized into the many...
in the family Coleochaetaceae. They are haploid, reproduce asexually, they can be characterised by true multicellular organisation (with plasmodesmata
Plasmodesmata
Plasmodesmata are microscopic channels which traverse the cell walls of plant cells and some algal cells, enabling transport and communication between them. Species that have plasmodesmata include members of the Charophyceae, Charales and Coleochaetales , as well as all embryophytes, better known...
), creating planar sprawling discs on solid surfaces in freshwater streams worldwide, usually as epiphytes on aquatic plants or growing on the surface of stones. They are seen as one of two most probable ancestor groups to land plant species. (The second candidates being the Characeae, the issue - as of 2009 - is still not solved). As they show some of the earliest and simplest features of multicellular plant growth, that makes them ideal model organism
Model organism
A model organism is a non-human species that is extensively studied to understand particular biological phenomena, with the expectation that discoveries made in the organism model will provide insight into the workings of other organisms. Model organisms are in vivo models and are widely used to...
s in the field of synthetic biology
Synthetic biology
Synthetic biology is a new area of biological research that combines science and engineering. It encompasses a variety of different approaches, methodologies, and disciplines with a variety of definitions...
. They are easy to culture and techniques that have been used to study Arabidopsis thaliana
Arabidopsis thaliana
Arabidopsis thaliana is a small flowering plant native to Europe, Asia, and northwestern Africa. A spring annual with a relatively short life cycle, arabidopsis is popular as a model organism in plant biology and genetics...
are now being applied to the Coleochaete.
Coleochaete also has a sterile jacket of cells that surround the gametangia, and zygotes that are protected by a layer of sterile cells after fertilization. However, unlike plants, the Charophyceae has zygotic meiosis and therefore could not have been the literal ancestor of plants
Species
- Coleochaete divergens
- Coleochaete irregularis
- Coleochaete nitellarum
- Coleochaete orbicularis
- Coleochaete pulvinata
- Coleochaete sampsonii
- Coleochaete scutata
- Coleochaete soluta