What is this thing?
What is this thing?
I found this very strange -to me at least- organism in a water sample from a river shore.
Could I get some help to identify it?
TIA,
Javier.
Could I get some help to identify it?
TIA,
Javier.
Re: What is this thing?
.
I am going to suggest an Amoeba
Arrows pointing out possible pseudopodia ... See image 1.
An alternative ID would be a multicellular alga undergoing reproduction
.
I am going to suggest an Amoeba
Arrows pointing out possible pseudopodia ... See image 1.
An alternative ID would be a multicellular alga undergoing reproduction
.
- Attachments
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- pseudopodia.jpg (15.54 KiB) Viewed 3877 times
Zeiss Standard WL (somewhat fashion challenged) & Wild M8
Olympus E-P2 (Micro Four Thirds Camera)
Olympus E-P2 (Micro Four Thirds Camera)
Re: What is this thing?
Thanks.
I'm not an expert, but it doesn't strike me as an amoeba. I revisited the Suctorians episode from Journey to the Microcosmos, and those structures seem a lot like Suctorian's tentacles when properly focused.
On the other hand, there are some structures that connect the inner part of the cell with the exterior. I have never seen something like that before.
Some additional info: I failed to record it on video, but the pointy structure filled with what I first thought was chloroplasts, released its content to the outside of the cell, and many little organisms remained moving around for a while.
I know my writing is quite confusing, so I added some notes to the images.
Any additional thoughts? I'm quite intrigued...
I'm not an expert, but it doesn't strike me as an amoeba. I revisited the Suctorians episode from Journey to the Microcosmos, and those structures seem a lot like Suctorian's tentacles when properly focused.
On the other hand, there are some structures that connect the inner part of the cell with the exterior. I have never seen something like that before.
Some additional info: I failed to record it on video, but the pointy structure filled with what I first thought was chloroplasts, released its content to the outside of the cell, and many little organisms remained moving around for a while.
I know my writing is quite confusing, so I added some notes to the images.
Any additional thoughts? I'm quite intrigued...
- Attachments
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- Suctorian tentacles?
- 3.jpg (35.39 KiB) Viewed 3821 times
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- The green arrows point to the unknown structures. The red arrow point the structure I mentioned after releasing its content.
- Organismo desconocido.jpg (38.21 KiB) Viewed 3824 times
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- The pointy structure before releasing its content.
- 2.jpg (17.33 KiB) Viewed 3824 times
Re: What is this thing?
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Perhaps this will be of interest: https://algalramblings.wordpress.com/tag/pandorina/
Hope some of the more knowledgeable members can chip in here...
Perhaps this will be of interest: https://algalramblings.wordpress.com/tag/pandorina/
Hope some of the more knowledgeable members can chip in here...
Zeiss Standard WL (somewhat fashion challenged) & Wild M8
Olympus E-P2 (Micro Four Thirds Camera)
Olympus E-P2 (Micro Four Thirds Camera)
Re: What is this thing?
Thank you. That was interesting to read.75RR wrote: ↑Tue Aug 03, 2021 6:54 am.
Perhaps this will be of interest: https://algalramblings.wordpress.com/tag/pandorina/
Hope some of the more knowledgeable members can chip in here...
- lagoonatic
- Posts: 74
- Joined: Wed May 12, 2021 8:03 pm
- Location: Florida
Re: What is this thing?
possibly Apiocystis or Gloeocystis?
Re: What is this thing?
This is a very interesting video and a phenomenal capture, Javier! I think I have come to a conclusion of what this could be:
Volvocacean algae infected by chytrids.
See this paper for more info and pictures that look a lot like yours: https://www.researchgate.net/publicatio ... cean_Algae
The green circular structures are the algae, while the suctorian-like tentacles are actually the the chytrids themselves in their initial infection stage, where they are connected to the algae via a thin "germ tube," and it will soon turn into a sporangium. The mysterious pointy structure is a sporangium, and I would call it a mature sporangium given that it released contents. The things that came out of it are probably the zoospores of the chytrids. The weird structures surrounding the shriveled up algae within the cell are empty sporangium that have already released their contents. My guess is that the algae that was next to the sporangium that you observed will soon become shriveled as well.
See page 874 of the research paper, the images are strikingly similar.
It is very cool that you captured this interaction, I wonder how rare it is to find something like this?
Volvocacean algae infected by chytrids.
See this paper for more info and pictures that look a lot like yours: https://www.researchgate.net/publicatio ... cean_Algae
The green circular structures are the algae, while the suctorian-like tentacles are actually the the chytrids themselves in their initial infection stage, where they are connected to the algae via a thin "germ tube," and it will soon turn into a sporangium. The mysterious pointy structure is a sporangium, and I would call it a mature sporangium given that it released contents. The things that came out of it are probably the zoospores of the chytrids. The weird structures surrounding the shriveled up algae within the cell are empty sporangium that have already released their contents. My guess is that the algae that was next to the sporangium that you observed will soon become shriveled as well.
See page 874 of the research paper, the images are strikingly similar.
It is very cool that you captured this interaction, I wonder how rare it is to find something like this?
Re: What is this thing?
Wow, that is outstanding information, thank you so much!
It seems to me that you are absolutely right. After writing the Sucturian's tentacle idea, I kept thinking that that thing still looked a lot like algae. I was also intrigued about those shivered things.
May I ask how did you arrive to that paper? Are you a microbiologist?
Too bad I stopped recording just seconds before the sporangium released its content. For what it is worth, here there is another video where the zoospores can be seen.
It seems to me that you are absolutely right. After writing the Sucturian's tentacle idea, I kept thinking that that thing still looked a lot like algae. I was also intrigued about those shivered things.
May I ask how did you arrive to that paper? Are you a microbiologist?
Too bad I stopped recording just seconds before the sporangium released its content. For what it is worth, here there is another video where the zoospores can be seen.
- lagoonatic
- Posts: 74
- Joined: Wed May 12, 2021 8:03 pm
- Location: Florida
Re: What is this thing?
Interesting paper and good call. I think mazo4033 is correct. And great capture by Javier!mazo4033 wrote: ↑Thu Aug 05, 2021 11:33 pmVolvocacean algae infected by chytrids.
See this paper for more info and pictures that look a lot like yours: https://www.researchgate.net/publicatio ... cean_Algae
Re: What is this thing?
Thank you!