Polytomella
This flagellated protozoa was observed from a perchlorate treating laboratory scale anaerobic bioreactor (ORP~ -200 mV) fed with acetate as substrate. It was characterized by a pair of anterior flagella, tailing body and intracellular starch granules. Krishnakumar B and Anupama V.N. of NIIST (CSIR) are involved in the bioreactor study. The phase contrast image shows cells with intracellular starch granules and the same released to the medium. This image was taken by Krishnakumar B. Copyright: Krishnakumar B., image used under license
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Polytomella
From the collection
Anaerobic and micro-aerophilic protozoa
| Description of Polytomella: Cells colourless, with leucoplasts; cell wall absent; cells ellipsoidal, inverted ovoid or pear-shaped, or nearly spherical; 4 equal flagella; leucoplast(s) highly reticulate and branched, starch grains usually many, located peripherally in the posterior two-thirds of the cell; pyrenoid absent; eyespot present or absent; nucleus centrally located or anteriorly displaced; contractile vacuoles 2 or 4, anteriorly located; Golgi bodies perinuclear; asexual reproduction by longitudinal division of vegetative flagellate cells; cysts spherical with four-layered, thick cell wall; upon excystment each cyst releases a single, flagellate vegetative cell; sexual reproduction isogamous to form a quadriflagellate planozygote that produces four progeny cells by two perpendicularly oriented cell divisions; nutrition heterotrophic, able to grow on acetate but not on glucose; relatively rare in freshwater, found among rotting vegetation. |
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