Phycokey - Polytoma

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Name derivation:
Poly - many, -toma 'cuts', probably referring to appearance of multiple leucoplasts as compartments in cells.
Classification:
Polytoma Ehrenberg 1831; 17 of 20 species descriptions are currently accepted taxonomically (Guiry and Guiry 2013). Order Chlamydomonadales; Family Chlamydomonadaceae The genus is polyphyletic, dividing into two independent lineages (Nedelcu 2001, Nakada et al. 2008, Figueroa-Martinez et al. 2015).
Morphology:
Hetrotrophic unicellular to ellipsoidal to nearly cylindrical colorless biflagellate unicells similar in structure to Chlamydomonas but lacking chloroplasts. Osmotrophic. Contain several leucoplasts with their own DNA coding for protein synthesis (Vernon et al. 2001).
Similar genera:

Habitat:
Found in small pools with decaying vegetative material.

References:
Guiry, M.D. and G.M. Guiry 2013. AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. http://www.algaebase.org; searched on 09 May 2013. Ehrenberg, C.G. 1831. Animalia evertebrata. In:Symbolae physicae...Pars zoologica. (Hemprich, P.C. and C.G. Ehrenberg, Eds) Berolini [Berlin]: G. Reimeri. Figueroa-Martinez, F., A.M. Nedelcu, D.R. Smith and A. Reyes-Prieto 2015. when the lights go out: the evolutionary fate of free-living colorless green algae. New Phytologist – Early View 26 Jan 2015 online. Nakada T, K. Misawa, H. Nozaki 2008. Molecular systematics of Volvocales (Chlorophyceae, Chlorophyta) based on exhaustive 18S rRNA phylogenetic analyses. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 48: 281–291. Nedelcu, AM 2001. Complex patterns of plastid 16S rRNA gene evolution in nonphotosynthetic green algae. Journal of Molecular Evolution 53: 670–679 Vernon, D., R.R. Gutell, J.J. Cannone, R.W. Rumpf and C.W. Birky Jr. 2001. Accelerated evolution of functional plastid rRNA and elongation factor genes due to reduced protein synthetic load after the loss of phytosynthesis in the chlorophyte alga Polytoma. Mol. Biol. Evol. 18(9):1810-1822.

Name derivation:

Classification:

Polytoma Ehrenberg 1831; 17 of 20 species descriptions are currently accepted taxonomically (Guiry and Guiry 2013).

Order Chlamydomonadales; Family Chlamydomonadaceae

The genus is polyphyletic, dividing into two independent lineages (Nedelcu 2001, Nakada et al. 2008, Figueroa-Martinez et al. 2015).

Morphology:

Hetrotrophic unicellular to ellipsoidal to nearly cylindrical colorless biflagellate unicells similar in structure to Chlamydomonas but lacking chloroplasts. Osmotrophic. Contain several leucoplasts with their own DNA coding for protein synthesis (Vernon et al. 2001).

Similar genera:

Habitat:

Found in small pools with decaying vegetative material.

References: