''Gloeocapsa'' (from the Greek ''gloia'' (gelatinous) and the Latin ''capsa'' (case)) is a genus of
cyanobacteria. The cells secrete individual gelatinous sheaths which can often be seen as sheaths around recently divided cells within outer sheaths. Recently divided cell pairs often appear to be only one cell since the new cells cohere temporarily. They are also known as glow caps, a term derived from the yellowish hue given off by the cap.
Occurrence
Some species of this genus are
halophile
The halophiles, named after the Greek word for "salt-loving", are extremophiles that thrive in high salt concentrations. While most halophiles are classified into the domain Archaea, there are also bacterial halophiles and some eukaryotic species, ...
s and hence found in
hypersaline lake
A hypersaline lake is a landlocked body of water that contains significant concentrations of sodium chloride, brines, and other salts, with saline levels surpassing that of ocean water (3.5%, i.e. ).
Specific microbial species can thrive in hi ...
s and other high salinity environments. An example of such occurrence of the genus is in the
Makgadikgadi Pans
The Makgadikgadi Pan (Tswana pronunciation ), a salt pan situated in the middle of the dry savanna of north-eastern Botswana, is one of the largest salt flats in the world. The pan is all that remains of the formerly enormous Lake Makgadikg ...
of
Botswana
Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label= Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kalaha ...
. ''
Gloeocapsa magma'' is noted for colonising roof shingles in the United States and Canada.
References
Gloeocapsa Bacteria plus more Bacteria: ''Gloeocapsa'' (2008)*C. Michael Hogan (2008
''Makgadikgadi'', The Megalithic Portal, ed. Andy Burnham
Line notes
Chroococcales
Cyanobacteria genera
{{cyanobacteria-stub