''Chlorococcum amblystomatis'',

synonym A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...

''Oophila amblystomatis'', commonly known as chlamydomonad algae or salamander algae, is a species of single-celled

green algae The green algae (singular: green alga) are a group consisting of the Prasinodermophyta and its unnamed sister which contains the Chlorophyta and Charophyta/Streptophyta. The land plants (Embryophytes) have emerged deep in the Charophyte alga as ...

. When placed in the genus ''Oophila'', it was the only species. The Latin specific name ''amblystomatis'' means "loves salamander eggs". It does not occur anywhere in nature other than in the eggs of the spotted salamander, '' Ambystoma maculatum''. The alga can invade and grow in the amphibian's

egg capsule An egg case or egg capsule, often colloquially called a mermaid's purse, is the casing that surrounds the eggs of oviparous sharks, skates and chimaeras. Egg cases typically contain one embryo, except for big skate and mottled skate egg cases, ...

. Once inside, it metabolizes the carbon dioxide produced by the embryo and provides it with oxygen and sugar as a result of photosynthesis. This is an example of

symbiosis Symbiosis (from Greek , , "living together", from , , "together", and , bíōsis, "living") is any type of a close and long-term biological interaction between two different biological organisms, be it mutualistic, commensalistic, or parasit ...

,Nature Trivia, Spotted Salamander
a
Henderson State University
Accessed 4 August 2008. and the only known example of an intracellular endosymbiont microbe in vertebrates. This symbiosis between ''Chlorococcum amblystomatis'' and the salamander may exist beyond the oocyte and early embryonic stage. Chlorophyll autofluorescence observation and ribosomal DNA analysis suggest that this algal species has invaded embryonic salamander tissues and cells during development and may even be transmitted to the next generation. ''Chlorococcum amblystomatis'' are only found in freshwater in woodland ponds. They grow best at a water depth of with the water temperature being and an air temperature of . Their optimal pH tolerance ranges from 6.26 to 6.46 and they require an environment where there is 12 hours of sunlight and 12 hours of darkness. Cells are motile are able to move the water by the use of a flagelluma. ''Oophila amblystomatis'' can also reproduce sexually and asexually. 16S rRNA has been partially sequenced as well as the 18S rRNA for the plasmid, however whole genome sequencing has not been done.

References

External links

Green Eggs and Jam: Adaptations That Help Spotted Salamanders Reproduce
a
Henderson State University

''Ambystoma maculatum''
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AmphibiaWeb

a
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
Symbiosis Flora of North America Chlorococcaceae {{Chlorophyceae-stub

See also

References

Further reading

External links