The Oedogoniales are an

order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...

of filamentous freshwater

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 ...

of the class

Chlorophyceae The Chlorophyceae are one of the classes of green algae, distinguished mainly on the basis of ultrastructural morphology. They are usually green due to the dominance of pigments chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b. The chloroplast may be discoid, p ...

. The order is well-defined and has several unique features, including asexual reproduction with

zoospore A zoospore is a motile asexual spore that uses a flagellum for locomotion. Also called a swarm spore, these spores are created by some protists, bacteria, and fungi to propagate themselves. Diversity Flagella types Zoospores may possess one or mo ...

s that possess stephanokont flagella: numerous short flagella arranged in a subapical whorl. The oedogoniales have a highly specialized type of oogamy, and an elaborate method of cell division which results in the accumulation of apical caps.

The order comprises one family, Oedogoniaceae, with three genera. Some common features among these genera may be obscure. The hairs of ''Bulbochaete'' and the heterotrichous system ''Oedocladium'' are similar to Chaetophorales, with which they may share a distant relationship. Of the genus
Oedogonium
' there are over 330 species, about 70 species of ''Bulbochaete'', and 10 species of ''Oedocladium''. More than half of these species are known to North America.Tiffany, L. H. (1955). ''Geographic Distribution of the North American Species of the Oedogoniaceae''. American Journal of Botany. pps. 293-4. Many of the species are used by

aquarium An aquarium (plural: ''aquariums'' or ''aquaria'') is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aq ...

owners. Members of the order usually inhabit still waters such as lakes and ponds, rather than rivers and streams. The oedogoniales include free-living and

epiphytic An epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphytes grow are called phoroph ...

members on other

algae Algae (; singular alga ) is an informal term for a large and diverse group of photosynthetic eukaryotic organisms. It is a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from unicellular mic ...

or freshwater

angiosperm Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

Notes

Chlorophyceae families Oedogoniales {{Chlorophyceae-stub