Home / Diatoms / Pennate / Unicells / Biraphes / Asymmetric / Keeled / Cylindrotheca

Click on images for larger format

Name derivation:

 

Classification:

Cylindrotheca  Rabenhorst  1859;  2 of 6 species descriptions are currently accepted taxonomically (Guiry and Guiry 2013).

Order Bacillariales;  Family Bacillariaceae

Morphology:

Asymmetric unicells, biraphe diatom although raphes are likely not visible in light microscopy.

Similar genera:

Ceratoneis

Industrial Applications:

The growth rate of this species is much higher than that of many other diatom species (Tanaka 1984).  A significant negative correlation existed between culture age and motility in both treatments. These findings have implications for growing C. closterium in industrial applications including use as a settlement agent and feed in abalone hatcheries, bioassay for the detection of heavy metals in surface sediments, and remediation tool to remove nutrients from aquaculture effluents (Kingston 2009).

Effect of high salinity:

Results suggest the importance of oligotrophic high salinity water intrusions from the central Adriatic for a selective accumulation of C. closterium cells. Coupling between the increased number and minimum growth state of C. closterium-accumulated cells might result in a hyperproduction of its own mucilage in these accumulation zones formed under the influence of high salinity water intrusions. In contrast, in the upper lower salinity water layers, under the influence of a freshwater input, the phytoplankton community of the freshly formed aggregates was similar to that of the surrounding water (Najdek 2005).

Habitat:

Marine plankton

 

References:

Guiry, M.D. and G.M. Guiry  2014.  AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. http://www.algaebase.org; searched on 2 May 2014.

Kington, M.B. 2009.  GROWTH AND MOTILITY OF THE DIATOM CYLINDROTHECA CLOSTERIUM: IMPLICATIONS FOR COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS.  Journal of the North Carolina Academy of Science, 125(4), 2009, pp. 138–142.

Najdek, M., M. Blazna, T. Djakovac and R. Kraus 2005.  The role of the diatom Cylindrotheca closterium in a mucilage event in the northern Adriatic Sea: coupling with high salinity water intrusions.  Plankton Research 27 (9): 851-862.

Tanaka, N. 1984. The cell division rates of 10 species of attaching diatoms in natural seawater. Nippon Suisan Gakkaishi. 50(6): 969–972.