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Name derivation: |
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"True Eyespot" -- True Eu- eyespot -stigmatos, the type genus for Class Eustigmatophyceae. |
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Classification: |
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Eustigmatos D.J. Hibberd 1981; all 3 of 3 species descriptions are currently accepted taxonomically (Guiry and Guiry 2014).Order Eustigmatales; Family Eustigmataceae. |
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Morphology: |
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Spherical cells usually with one chloroplast. Produces uniflagellate zoospores (Ott and Oldham-Ott 2003). |
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Similar genera: |
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E. vischeri is synonymous with Pleurochloris commutata; E. magnus is synonymous with P. polyphem and P. magna (Ott and Oldham-Ott 2003). |
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CO2-concentrating mechanisms |
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Eustigmatos lacks the external enzyme carbonic anhydrase. This was shown by the drastic changes in the concentration of CO2 in the growth medium. Eustigmatos is able to take up CO2 in the dark possibly due to the energy provided by mitochondria, similar to other eustigmatophytes (Huertas et al. 2005). |
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β-carotene production: |
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Eustigmatos produces and amasses a large amount of β-carotene through its natural processes. The production was highest a high light levels and deficient nitrate supply. Eustigmatos is recommended as a commercial supply of β-carotene (Li et al. 2012). |
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Habitat: |
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Soil mainly, also bogs. In North America Eustigmatos has been collected in Alaska, Arkansas, and Minnesota USA (Ott and Oldham-Ott 2003). Eustigmatos was found to be a potential colonizer of the Antartic. These organisms are not found on the Ross Sea region; however, Eustigmatos has unique morphological features that could be studied easier if more research was to be done. This invasive species would be able to live in the antarctic and be monitored easily (Broady and Smith 1994). |
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References: |
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Broady, P.A. and R.A. Smith 1994. A preliminary investigation of the diversity, survivability and dispersal of algae introduced into antartica by human activity. Proceedings of the NIPR Symposium on Polar Biology 7:185-197.Graham, L. and L. Wilcox 2000. Algae. Prentice-Hall Guiry, M.D. and G.M. Guiry 2013. AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. http://www.algaebase.org; searched on 07 May 2013. Hueartas, E., S. Bhatti and B. Colman 2005. Characterization of the CO2-concentrating mechanism in the unicellular alga Eustigmatos vischeri. European Journal of Phycology 40(4): 409-415.Li, Z., X. Ma, A. Li and C. Zhang 2012. A novel potential source of β-carotene: Eustigmatos cf. polyphem(Eustigmatophyceae) and pilot β-carotene production in bubble column and flat panel photobioreactors. Biosource Technology 117:257-263.Ott, D.W., and C.K. Oldham-Ott 2003. Eustigmatophyte, Raphidophyte, and Tribophyte algae. In: Freshwater Algae of North America, J.D. Wehr and R.G. Sheath (Eds). Chapter 11. |
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