Algal Spores

Christine A Maggs, Queen’s University Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
Maureen E Callow, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK

Published online: May 2003

DOI: 10.1038/npg.els.0000311

Algal spores are cells that can reproduce independently (i.e. asexually) an individual of that species. In their turbulent hydrodynamic environment, dispersal, adhesion and recruitment are moderated by a range of environmental cues and signals.

Keywords: dispersal; recruitment; adhesion; cues; signals

Figure 1. Section through red algal cystocarp (of Radicilingua thysanorhizans) showing mass of carposporangia enclosed in mucilage within outer cystocarp wall. The cystocarp opening is a Venturi tube through which released carpospores are expelled with force, and drift off in a skein of mucilage. Inset, carpospores suspended in Indian ink (shaded) which reveals their mucilage sheaths. (Derived partly from D. Boney (1981) Mucilage: the ubiquitous algal attribute. British Phycological Journal 16: 115–132.)
Figure 2. Carpospores of red alga (Spyridia filamentosa): superimposed montage of six images, each 4 seconds apart, showing spores moving at variable speeds, or stationary. (Reproduced from Pickett-Heaps et al., 2001)
Figure 3. Summary of features involved in the settlement and adhesion of zoospores of Enteromorpha and other green algae. The swimming spore (a) appears to ‘sense’ the surface via an apical papilla (b) on which it rotates and may become temporarily attached to the surface by a small deposit of elastic material (c). Permanent adhesion (d) is characterized by the discharge of the contents of Golgi-derived, adhesive-containing cytoplasmic vesicles as the cell contracts against the substratum and retraction of the microfibrils of the flagella inside the cell. The newly settled spore is surrounded by secreted ‘adhesive’ material and has lost the intracellular adhesive vesicles of the swimming spores.
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 References
    Amsler CD, Shelton KL, Britton CJ, Spencer NY and Green SP (1999) Nutrients do not influence swimming behavior or settlement rates of Ectocarpus siliculosus (Phaeophyceae) spores. Journal of Phycology 35: 239–244.
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    Callow ME, Callow JA, Pickett-Heaps JD and Wetherbee R (1997) Primary adhesion of Enteromorpha (Chlorophyta, Ulvales) propagules: quantitative settlement studies and video microscopy. Journal of Phycology 33: 938–947.
    Callow ME, Callow JA, Ista LK, Coleman SE, Nolasco AC and Lopez GP (2000) Use of self-assembled monolayers of different wettabilities to study surface selection and primary adhesion processes of green algal (Enteromorpha) zoospores. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 66: 3249–3254.
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    Pickett-Heaps JD, West JA, Wilson SM and McBride DL (2001) Time-lapse videomicroscopy of cell (spore) movement in red algae. European Journal of Phycology 36: 9–22.
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 Further Reading
    Amsler CD, Reed DC and Neushul M (1992) The microclimate inhabited by macroalgal propagules. British Phycological Journal 27: 253–270.
    Clayton MN (1992) Propagules of marine macroalgae: structure and development. British Phycological Journal 27: 219–232.
    Fletcher RL and Callow ME (1992) The settlement, attachment and establishment of marine algal spores. British Phycological Journal 27: 303–329.
    book Guiry MD (1990) "Sporangia and spores". In: Cole KM and Sheath RG (eds) Biology of the Red Algae, pp 347–376. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
    book Lobban CS and Harrison PJ (1994) Seaweed Ecology and Physiology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
    book Lüning K (1990) Seaweeds: their Environment, Biogeography and Ecophysiology. New York: Wiley-Interscience.
    Murray SN and Dixon PS (1992) Rhodophyta: some aspects of their biology III. Oceanography and Marine Biology An Annual Review 30: 1–148.
    Santelices B (1990) Patterns of reproduction, dispersal and recruitment in seaweeds. Oceanography and Marine Biology An Annual Review 28: 177–276.
    Vadas RL, Johnson S and Norton TA (1992) Recruitment and mortality of early post-settlement stages of benthic algae. British Phycological Journal 27: 331–351.
    book van den Hoek C, Mann DG and Jahns HM (1995) Algae An Introduction to Phycology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Related Sub-Topics:

Composition and Structure of Microbial Cells | Algae
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Article Title: Algal Spores
 
How to Cite close
Maggs, Christine A, and Callow, Maureen E(May 2003) Algal Spores. In: eLS. John Wiley & Sons Ltd, Chichester. http://www.els.net [doi: 10.1038/npg.els.0000311]