| Cross Index | Arthrospira |
| SuperSet | Prokaryote, Eubacteria Oxygenic Phototrophic Bacteria |
| Compare | Cyanobacteria
Prochlorales Procloron didemni, Prochlorothrix hollandica |
| Contrast | Anoxygenic
Phototrophic Bacteria Archaea |
| Subset |
| Morphology | Arthrospira |
| CELLULAR |
| Staining | |
| Morphology | filamentous |
| Motility | Gliding motility is evident in most strains |
| Specialized structures | Filamentous organisms
that divide exclusively by binary fission and in one
plane. The entire trichome is arranged as an open helix
in which transverse walls may be seen via light
microscopy (Fig. 19.58). Cells are generally shorter than
broad to quadrate but are occasionally elongate.
Constrictions at cross-walls may be present or absent. A
single circle of junctional pores occurs, and fimbriae
are closely appressed along the trichome. Persistent
sheaths are not produced.. Trichome widths vary from
about 3 to 12 um in a variety of forms. The helix is an
open spiral with diameters ranging from about 35 to 60 um
(Ciferri 1983; Ciferri and Tiboni 1985). On solid medium,
the helix undergoes a transition to a "flat
spiral". Considerable variation occurs in degree of
helix pitch within some strains, and culture variants
occur that are nearly straight (Jeeji-Bai 1985).). The "life cycle" of Arthrospira in laboratory culture involves the breaking up a trichomes at the sites of a necridium (lysing cell) at intervals of every 4-6 cells (Ciferri 1983). The resulting short and uncoiled hormogonia form a migratory phase. Each hormogonium then undergoes cell division, growing into a new helical trichome. This group with spirally formed trichomes and visible cross- walls, known interchangeably as Spirulina or Arthrospira Arthrospira (Spirulina) maxima is a gas-vacuolate marine organism with 16 um wide trichomes (Rippka et al. 1979). |
| Division |
| COLONIAL |
| Solid surface |
| Liquid |
| Growth Parameters | Arthrospira |
| PHYSIOLOGICAL |
| Tropism | obligate photoautotroph |
| Oxygen | |
| pH | |
| Temperature | |
| Requirements | |
| Products | It contains c-phycocyanin, allophycocyanin, and c-phycoerythrin (C- PE). Many strains, however, also lack C-PE (Ciferri 1983 |
| Enzymes | it is unable to synthesize nitrogenase anaerobically |
| Unique features | . Much attention has been paid to t Arthrospira (Spirulina) maxima and, A. (Spirulina) platensis (Nordst.) Gomont, as sources of human protein (Ciferri 1983 |
| ENVIRONMENTAL |
| Habitat | marine, brackish water, and saline lake environments of tropical and semitropical regions. Many culture isolates have been made for use in aquaculture Some forms are planktonic and gas-vacuolate, others are benthic and without gas vacuoles.. They often dominate the plankton of warm lakes high in carbonate and/or bicarbonate with pH levels as high as 11. |
| Lifestyle | |
| Pathogenicity |
| Distribution |
| Genome | Arthrospira |
| G+C Mol % | 44.3 |
| reference strain (PCC 7345) (Herdman et al. 1979a) |
| Reference | Arthrospira |
| First citation | Stizenberger 1852 cited by Castenholz no specific reference |
| The Prokaryotes | p 2073 |
| Bergey's Systematatic | p 1774 R.W. Castenholz |
| Bergey's Determinative | p 393 |
| References | The physiology of some strains has been studied extensively (see Ciferri 1983 |