''Pelagomonas'' is a genus of
heterokont 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 ...
. It is a monotypic genus and includes a single species, ''Pelagomonas calceolata''
[ which is a unicellular ]flagellate
A flagellate is a cell or organism with one or more whip-like appendages called flagella. The word ''flagellate'' also describes a particular construction (or level of organization) characteristic of many prokaryotes and eukaryotes and their ...
organism, an ubiquitous constituent of marine picoplankton.
Description
''Pelagomonas calceolata'' is uniflagellate, about 1.5 × 3 μm
The micrometre ( international spelling as used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures; SI symbol: μm) or micrometer (American spelling), also commonly known as a micron, is a unit of length in the International System of Unit ...
in size. Microtubular roots, striated roots and a second basal body are absent. A thin organic theca surrounds most of the cell. There is a single chloroplast
A chloroplast () is a type of membrane-bound organelle known as a plastid that conducts photosynthesis mostly in plant and algal cells. The photosynthetic pigment chlorophyll captures the energy from sunlight, converts it, and stores it in ...
with a girdle lamella and a single, dense mitochondrion
A mitochondrion (; ) is an organelle found in the cells of most Eukaryotes, such as animals, plants and fungi. Mitochondria have a double membrane structure and use aerobic respiration to generate adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is used ...
with tubular cristae. A single Golgi body
The Golgi apparatus (), also known as the Golgi complex, Golgi body, or simply the Golgi, is an organelle found in most eukaryotic cells. Part of the endomembrane system in the cytoplasm, it packages proteins into membrane-bound vesicles insi ...
with swelled cisternae
A cisterna (plural cisternae) is a flattened membrane vesicle found in the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus. Cisternae are an integral part of the packaging and modification processes of proteins occurring in the Golgi.
Function
Protein ...
lies beneath the flagellum, and each cell has an ejectile organelle that putatively releases a cylindrical structure. A vacuole, or cluster of vacuoles, contains the putative carbohydrate storage product.
References
Further reading
*Heimann, Kirsten, Andersen, Robert A., and Wetherbee, Richard (1995) The flagellar development cycle of the uniflagellate Pelagomonas calceolata (Pelagophyceae). Journal of Phycology, 31 . pp. 577–583.
*
External links
*
WORMS entryalgae BASE entry
Ochrophyta
Protists described in 2004
Ochrophyte genera
Monotypic algae genera
{{Heterokont-stub