Is Spirogyra is branched or unbranched?

Is Spirogyra is branched or unbranched?

The genus Spirogyra is a member of the Zygnemataceae (Zygnematophyceae, Streptophyta). It comprises unbranched, filamentous green algae that are characterized by spirally coiled chloroplasts and sexual reproduction by means of conjugation.

What is Spirogyra filament?

Spirogyra (common names include water silk, mermaid’s tresses, and blanket weed) is a filamentous charophyte green alga of the order Zygnematales, named for the helical or spiral arrangement of the chloroplasts that is characteristic of the genus.

Is Spirogyra motile or nonmotile?

In Spirogyra, gametes are non-motile and sexual reproduction takes place by conjugation.

What is the unique shape of the chloroplast in Spirogyra?

Spirogyra has thin and flat ribbon-shaped chloroplasts. These chloroplasts are spirally coiled in the structure.

Is algae a plant or animal?

Algae are sometimes considered plants and sometimes considered “protists” (a grab-bag category of generally distantly related organisms that are grouped on the basis of not being animals, plants, fungi, bacteria, or archaeans).

Is Spirogyra a plant or an animal?

A spirogyra is plant-like because of the presence of chlorophyll which allows it to make its own food.

Why is filament of Spirogyra slippery?

Spirogyra is a genus of filamentous green algae. Its filament is slimy to touch because the pectin present in the outer layer of cell wall dissolves in surrounding water and forms slippery mucilage.

Is Volvox motile or nonmotile?

Volvox is a spherical multicellular green alga, which contains many small biflagellate somatic cells and a few large, non-motile reproductive cells called gonidia, and swims with a characteristic rolling motion.

Is Spirogyra a plant or protist?

An example is a protist called Spirogyra, a type of algae, shown Figure below. It usually exists as haploid cells that reproduce by binary fission.

Why spirogyra is called pond silk?

Spirogyra is called pond silk because (1) Filaments are made up of silk (2) Filaments are slippery to touch (3) It looks like thread (4) All of the above. Spirogyra is free-floating green algae present in freshwater habitats such as ponds, lakes, etc. Spirogyra is commonly known as water silk or pond silk.

Is spirogyra a plant or protist?

Is algae a plant or protist?

algae, singular alga, members of a group of predominantly aquatic photosynthetic organisms of the kingdom Protista. Algae have many types of life cycles, and they range in size from microscopic Micromonas species to giant kelps that reach 60 metres (200 feet) in length.

How big is the plant body of Spirogyra?

The plant body of Spirogyra is an un-branched filamentous thallus (Fig. 5.5), measuring about 1 mt. in length. The Spirogyra filament is very slimy due to the presence of mucilage sheath that lines the whole filament.

What makes the un branched filaments of Spirogyra slimy?

The Spirogyra filament is very slimy due to the presence of mucilage sheath that lines the whole filament. The mucilage often holds the filaments together in a matted blanket. Each un-branched filament of Spirogyra consists of a number of elongated cylindrical cells of similar type joined end to end.

How does vegetative reproduction take place in a Spirogyra?

Vegetative reproduction in Spirogyra takes place by means of fragmentation. This is performed by softening of the cross wall between the two adjacent cells, as a result of which each part or piece of the broken filament grows out into a filament by repeated cell divisions, or by the accidental breaking of the filament by external mechanical injury.

Which is part of the germ tube forms the Spirogyra?

The germ tube undergoes transverse division to form 2 celled spirogyral filaments, which by repeated division gives rise to the cylindrical multi-cellular spirogyral filament. The functional haploid nucleus constitutes the nucleus of the haploid zygospore.

What kind of structure does a Spirogyra have?

Spirogyra are free-floating green algae present in freshwater habitats such as ponds, lakes, etc. Spirogyra are commonly known as “water silk or pond silk”. They have a filamentous and unbranched vegetative structure. There are around 400 species of Spirogyra found.

How many common names are there for Spirogyra?

Over 400; see text. Spirogyra (common names include water silk, mermaid’s tresses, and blanket weed) is a filamentous charophyte green algae of the order Zygnematales, named for the helical or spiral arrangement of the chloroplasts that is characteristic of the genus.

What causes a Spirogyra filament to break into smaller pieces?

When a Spirogyra filament attains considerable length, it breaks into smaller pieces that can grow into a mature organism. Fragmentation is also found to occur due to a mechanical injury or a change in their aquatic medium’s salinity and temperature.

Can a Spirogyra reproduce both sexually and asexually?

Spirogyra can reproduce both sexually and asexually. In vegetative reproduction, fragmentation takes place, and Spirogyra simply undergoes intercalary cell division to extend the length of the new filaments.