What is this thing?

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Javier
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What is this thing?

#1 Post by Javier » Sat Jul 31, 2021 11:22 pm

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.


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75RR
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Re: What is this thing?

#2 Post by 75RR » Mon Aug 02, 2021 7:58 am

.
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
.
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pseudopodia.jpg
pseudopodia.jpg (15.54 KiB) Viewed 3756 times
Zeiss Standard WL (somewhat fashion challenged) & Wild M8
Olympus E-P2 (Micro Four Thirds Camera)

Javier
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Joined: Tue May 09, 2017 11:19 am
Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Re: What is this thing?

#3 Post by Javier » Mon Aug 02, 2021 8:39 pm

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...
Attachments
Suctorian tentacles?
Suctorian tentacles?
3.jpg (35.39 KiB) Viewed 3700 times
The green arrows point to the unknown structures. The red arrow point the structure I mentioned after releasing its content.
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 3703 times
The pointy structure before releasing its content.
The pointy structure before releasing its content.
2.jpg (17.33 KiB) Viewed 3703 times

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75RR
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Re: What is this thing?

#4 Post by 75RR » 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...
Zeiss Standard WL (somewhat fashion challenged) & Wild M8
Olympus E-P2 (Micro Four Thirds Camera)

Javier
Posts: 806
Joined: Tue May 09, 2017 11:19 am
Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Re: What is this thing?

#5 Post by Javier » Thu Aug 05, 2021 8:42 pm

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...
Thank you. That was interesting to read.

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lagoonatic
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Re: What is this thing?

#6 Post by lagoonatic » Thu Aug 05, 2021 11:30 pm

possibly Apiocystis or Gloeocystis?

mazo4033
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Re: What is this thing?

#7 Post by mazo4033 » Thu Aug 05, 2021 11:33 pm

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?

Javier
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Joined: Tue May 09, 2017 11:19 am
Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Re: What is this thing?

#8 Post by Javier » Fri Aug 06, 2021 12:35 am

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.


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lagoonatic
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Re: What is this thing?

#9 Post by lagoonatic » Fri Aug 06, 2021 2:32 pm

mazo4033 wrote:
Thu Aug 05, 2021 11:33 pm
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
Interesting paper and good call. I think mazo4033 is correct. And great capture by Javier!

Javier
Posts: 806
Joined: Tue May 09, 2017 11:19 am
Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Re: What is this thing?

#10 Post by Javier » Mon Aug 09, 2021 9:11 pm

Thank you!

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