Oedocladium

Oedocladium
Oedocladium protonema
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Clade: Archaeplastida
Clade: Viridiplantae
Division: Chlorophyta
Class: Chlorophyceae
Order: Oedogoniales
Family: Oedogoniaceae
Genus: Oedocladium
Stahl ex Hirn
Type species
Oedocladium protonema
Stahl ex Hirn[1]
Species
  • Oedocladium carolinianum
  • Oedocladium prescottii

Oedocladium is an uncommon genus of green algae in the order Oedogoniales.[2] It is terrestrial, growing in soil or occasionally in fresh water.[1]

Description

Oedocladium consists of uniseriate, branched filaments. When growing on soil, filaments creep along the ground, with narrow hyaline rhizoidal branches growing into the soil. Apical cells of filaments are often conically pointed.[3] Vegetative cells are cylindrical, uninucleate, with a parietal, reticulate chloroplast with one to several pyrenoids. The vegetative cells divide in a similar fashion to those of Oedogonium.[1]

Life cycle

Oedocladium reproduces both sexually and asexually. Asexual reproduction typically occurs via multiflagellate zoospores, or less commonly akinetes or fragmentation of filaments.[1]

Sexual reproduction is oogamous. Oedocladium may be monoecious or dioecious. The oogonia is borne on a single supporting cell called the suffultory cell, and are borne singly or in series at the ends of filaments. Oogonia produce a single egg, which are fertilized by multiflagellate sperm cells. The resulting zygospore eventually turns red and develops a thick cell wall.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Guiry, M.D.; Guiry, G.M. "Oedocladium Stahl ex Hirn, 1900". AlgaeBase. University of Galway. Retrieved 2026-04-24.
  2. โ†‘ See the NCBI webpage on Oedocladium. Data extracted from the "NCBI taxonomy resources". National Center for Biotechnology Information. Retrieved 2007-03-19.
  3. โ†‘ John, David M.; Rindi, Fabio (2014). "Chapter 8. Filamentous (Nonconjugating) and Plantlike Green Algae". In Wehr, John D.; Sheath, Robert G.; Kociolek, J. Patrick (eds.). Freshwater Algae of North America: Ecology and Classification (2 ed.). Elsevier Inc. p. 375โ€“427. ISBN 978-0-12-385876-4.