Family: Cladophoraceae
Collection Date: November 6th, 2011
Location: Presque Isle, Pennsylvania
Collector: Willa Schrlau
Collection Date: November 6th, 2011
Location: Presque Isle, Pennsylvania
Collector: Willa Schrlau
Key Used:
Bellinger, E. G., & Sigee, D. C. (2010). Freshwater Algae: Identification and Use as Bioindicators . West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell.
1b. Plants microscopic or if visible to the naked eye it is normally because they are present as a mass – but still requiring microscopic observation to determine the more detailed morphology … 3
3a. Cells grouped together to form a filament, strand or ribbon. Sometimes filaments can grow in such profusion to be visible en masse, or are visible as multiseriate rows encrusting stones … 4
4a. Cell pigments localized in chloroplasts. Colour when fresh may be grass green, pale green, golden to brown, olive green or (rarely) bluish or reddish … 5
5a. Filaments branches, sometimes rarely. False or true branching. Filaments may branch only occassionaly so it is important to examine a reasonable length to determine whether they branch or not … 6
6b. Branches of filament do not rejoin to form a net … 7
7b. Cells not in a flask-shaped loricas … 8
8b. Filaments with normal cross walls, not siphonaceous …
9b. Filaments not multiseriate … 13
13b. No hairs or setae present … 18
18b. Branched filaments not embedded in mucilage ... 21
21b. Plants larger. Cells greater than 7µm in diameter. The first cross walls of each branch occurs at the origin of the branch. Pyrenoids are present … 22
22b. Filaments tapering abruptly, not gradually, with a rounded blunt end cell … 23
23b. Branched often longer and more robust. Repeated branching may occur … Cladophora
Figure 1: Cladophora
Figure 2: One view of a preserved specimen of Cladophora
Figure 3: Another view of a preserved specimen of Cladophora
Description:
“Cladophora is typically well branched but in gently flowing waters branching may be intermittent and difficult to find. In contrast, on a lake shoreline habitat subject to choppy wave action, the form may be tufted or bushlike with many branched. Cladophora may be free living or attached to a substrate by means of a small holdfast. The branches may be alternate or opposite, dichotomous or even trichotomous. Cell walls are robust and the chloroplast net-like (reticulate) and parietal with numerous pyrenoids. Cells 50-150µ broad and up to 10x long as broad. Commonly known as “blanket weed” it can form extensive, coarse to touch mats. Frequent in hard or semi-hard waters especially those enriched with sewage. May also be found in marine habitats especially those enriched with sewage. Cladophora can also produce large growths in water treatment filtration systems such as slow sand filters where severe problems of filter clogging may result” (Bellinger & Sigee, 2010).
Links:
http://www.algaebase.org/search/genus/detail/?genus_id=37&-session=abv4:6B10FCF91b2070D30FjIr2DB6008
References:
Bellinger, E. G., & Sigee, D. C. (2010). Freshwater Algae: Identification and Use as Bioindicators . West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell.
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