Aquatic ecology BIO 4400
Phytoplankton and primary
production-3
Photo: Jahn Throndsen
Bente Edvardsen 2009
Content
• Algal phylogeny and evolution
• Marine phytoplankton groups
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Diatoms (Kiselalger)
Dinoflagellates (Fureflagellater)
Haptophytes (Svepeflagellater)
Cyanobacteria (Cyanobakterier)
Other groups
Eukaryotic tree of life
Baldauf 2003. Science 300: 1703-6
From Baldauf 2003. Science 300: 1703-6. Modified by N. Simon
Origin of
plastids in
algae:
The endosymbiosis
theory
PROKARYOTA
Division CYANOPHYTA (cyanobakterier eller blågrønnalger) 2000 species
class Cyanophyceae
EUKARYOTA
Division GLAUCOPHYTA 14 species
Division RHODOPHYTA (rødalger) 5000 species
class Cyanidiophyceae
class Bangiophyceae
class Florideophyceae
Division HETEROKONTOPHYTA (heterokonte alger)
class Chrysophyceae (Gullalger) ca 1000 species
class Chrysomerophyceae
class Bolidophyceae
class Pelagophyceae
class Pinguiophyceae
class Xanthophyceae
class Phaeothamniophyceae
class Eustigmatophyceae
class Bacillariophyceae (kiselalger eller diatomeer) 12 000 - ? species
class Raphidophyceae (nålflagellater) 25 species
class Dictyochophyceae (kiselflagellater) 40 species
class Phaeophyceae (brunalger) 1800 species
Algal
taxonomy
Algae can be divided
into 10 divisions
Division HAPTOPHYTA (svepeflagellater) 300 species
class Prymnesiophyceae
class Pavlovophyceae
Division CRYPTOPHYTA (svelgflagellater) 126 species
Important classes in marine
plankton are in green
class Cryptophyceae
Division DINOPHYTA (fureflagellater eller dinoflagellater) ca 2000 species
class Dinophyceae
Division EUGLENOPHYTA (øyealger) 800 species
class Euglenophyceae
Division CHLORARACHNIOPHYTA 6 species
Division CHLOROPHYTA (grønnalger sensu lato)
class Prasinophyceae (olivengrønnalger) 200 species
class Chlorophyceae 1000 species
class Ulvophyceae 950 species
class Trebouxiophyceae ca. 15 genera
class Charophyceae ca 5000 species
From Throndsen, Rueness and
Fredriksen, BIO 1200
Division Heterokontophyta
Class Bacillariophyceae
Diatoms (Kiselalger)
Characteristics (kjennetegn)
• silicate cell wall (kiselskall)
• autotrophic
• dominate the vernal bloom
(våroppblomstringen)
• Planktonic froms are often chain-forming
• diplonts
Diatoms Kiselalger
Morphology
• Cell wall (frustule)
of silicate (as glass)
(SiO2)n - (H2O)n
• In two parts: box
(hypotheca) + lid
(epitheca)
pennate
symmetry along
a line
centric
symmetry
around a point
Centric diatoms
Thalassiosira
Chaetoceros
Guinardia
Rhizosolenia
Odontella
Fra N. Simon, SBR
Pennate diatoms
Thalassionema
Navicula
Nitzschia
Fra N. Simon, SBR
Cell wall (cellevegg)
valva
Girdle (Bånd)
JT04
Cross section (tverrsnitt) of cell wall
skallside
skallkappe
beltebånd
Cell wall = frustule
from valve face (fra skallsiden)
from girdle face
(fra båndsiden)
Thalassiosira eccentrica
Axe pervalvaire
Fra N. Simon, SBR
SEM
Areols :
openings in
the frustule
MO
SEM
Processes:
tube formed
structures of
silicate
Raphe (rafe): a canal in some
pennate diatoms
JT
Colony
formation
In Skeletonema
the silicate
processes are
fused
Labiate
processes
JT
Photo by G.R. Hasle
colonies
Chaetoceros
JT
raphe
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•
•
•
simple raphe
canal raphe
central nodule
pseudoraphe
Round & Crawford 1990
Diploneis sp.
raphe
Central node
(sentralknute)
SEM-graph from
”Norsk
kystplanktonflora”
JT
Diatoms – cell division
Division Dinophyta
Class Dinophyceae
Dinoflagellates (Fureflagellater)
Characteristics (Kjennetegn)
• Transvers and longitudinal flagella
• Large nucleus – dinokaryon
• Cell wall of cellulose (plates) in some
• Auto- and heterotrophy
• Haplonts
Dinoflagellates (Fureflagellater)
Ventral side
right
left
JT
cell wall
Amphiesma is a vacuole system just beneath the cell
membrane that form cellulose plates in thecate, but
not athecate
Peridinium cinctum
Dorsal side
Ventral side
flagella and groves (furer)
TVERRFURE
CINGULUM
LENGDEFURE
SULCUS
JT
two flagella in two groves
Transverse flagellum
(tverrflagell)
Karenia brevis
streng
longitudinal
flagellum
(lengdeflagell)
Winged transverse flagellum
(Vinget tverrflagell)
dinokaryon
dinokaryon
Large nucleus
with condensed
chromosomes
Pentapharsodinium dalei
Main morphotypes of dinoflagellates
prorocentroid
Prorocentrum
dinophysoid
Dinophysis
peridinoid
Protoperidinium
gymnodinoid
Karenia
JT
Ceratium morphology
Ceratium tripos
SEM-graph
JT
Ceratium
furca
dinoflagellates - nutrition
Phagotrophy with pallium in Protoperidinium
spinulosum
dinoflagellates - nutrition
Phagotrophy with peduncle in Stylodinium
Oedogonium
dinoflagellates - nutrition
Protoperidinium depressum
Oil droplets
JT
dinoflagellates - nutrition
Dinophysis acuta
eats M. rubra
Myrionecta rubra is a ciliate that eats
cryptophytes
dinoflagellates – life cycle
Seasonal cycle with cyst formation
Lingulodinium polyedrum
dinoflagellates – life cycle
Resting stage in dinoflagellates - cysts
Lingulodinium polyedrum
(cyste eller
hvilespore)
Bioluminescence (morild)
Noctiluca scintillans
Division
Haptophyta (Svepeflagellater)
Flagellates, most nanoplanktonic
(usually 4-20 µm)
Prymnesiophyceae (Pleurochrysis )
Pavlovophyceae
(Pavlova )
JT04
Haptophyta
General features
haptonema
• Two smooth flagella
• Haptonema
• Cells covered by organic
scales
flagella
chloroplast
• Calcified scales (coccoliths)
may be present
• Heteromorphic haplontdiplont life cycle
Throndsen
scales
Flagella and haptonema
Haptonema that can coil or bend
haptonema
flagellum
JT04
Class Prymnesiophyceae
Class
Pavlovophyceae
JT04
Nutrition in haptophytes
mixotrophy
Particle handling
JT04
Division Haptophyta (Svepeflagellater )
Including coccolithophores (kalkflagellater)
Chrysochromulina
Coccolithus
Emiliania huxleyi
Discosphaera tubifera
Hymenomonas
300 species,
Almost all are marine
Haptophytes have species specific scales
seen in the electron microscope
5 µm
Coccolithophores
have calcified
coccoliths
5 µm
1 µm
1 µm
Organic scales
Blooms of
coccolithophores
can be observed
from space by
satellites when
light is reflected
by the coccoliths
Colony
formation
Phaeocystis spp.
P. pouchetii
P. globosa
Some haptophyte blooms may be toxic
to fish
Chrysochromulina
polylepis
“Algekatastrofen”, Skagerrak
May 1988
Prymnesium parvum in Texas
Cyanobacteria (Division Cyanophyta)
important picoplankton
Prochlorococcus
DIVISION Heterokontophyta = Ochrophyta =
Stramenopila
Chrysolepidomonas (Chrysophyceae)
Chattonella (Raphidophyceae)
13 classes
Laminaria (Phaeophyceae)
Thalassiosira (Bacillariophyceae)
Aureoumbra (Pelagophyceae)
Mallomonas (Synurophyceae)
From N. Simon, Roscoff
Class Dictyochophyceae
(kiselflagellater)
Dictyocha
speculum
Photo: Jahn Throndsen
The dictyochophyte Pseudochattonella
farcimen - an introduced species?
• Pseudochattonella had not been reported from
European waters before 1993.
• Pseudochattonella verruculosa has produced
fish-killing blooms in Japan