Novel Aggregating Growth Habit in Dunaliella Spp. (Chlorophyta, Dunaliellales)
Abstract
Species of Dunaliella are known to aggregate in a palmelloid stage, but they can also aggregate in a previously uninvestigated manner. This perpetual aggregation occurs in isolates from substrates such as the benthos, supralittoral zone, gypsum crusts, or salt flats, a subset of Dunaliella which has not been sufficiently examined. Two such isolates, GSL-3A4 and GSL-3C2 from Great Salt Lake, Utah, were compared morphologically to the more common single cell habit of isolates GSL-12A4 and GSL-6/1. A method for assessing aggregation efficiency was developed. This work sets the foundation for a new series of discoveries regarding Dunaliella growth habit and desiccation tolerance after 110 years of research with the genus.
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- OSU Theses [15752]