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PHYCOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA
- Cladophora Main Page Life History Ecology Culture References
- Quadriflagellate zoospores (1N) form in ordinary vegetative cells of the sporophyte individual (2N), break through the sides of the cells and enter the water
- Spores settle on substrate and germinate into diecious gametophytes (1N)
- Gametophytes form biflagellate isogamous gametes (1N), which burst from lateral apertures in branches of gametangia
- Gametes fuse externally forming quadriflagellate zygote (2N)
- Zygote settles and germinates directly into Sporophyte (2N)
- This madness was put together in 1996 by Angie Nakano, who gives anyone permission to use anything on this page,
- as long as you write me a thank-you note.
Life History
The Birds and the Bees and the Algae
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Most marine Cladophora can reproduce both sexually and asexually, and demonstrate a diplohaplontic life history. As with most of the Cladophoraceae, an alternation of generations between isomorphic diploid sporophyte and haploid gametophyte forms occurs, and may be seasonally segregated, at least in some regions studied. Environmental factors like temperature, vitamin limitations, and light fluctuations have been linked to promoting zoosporogenesis in freshwater species, but the ecological reproductive cues for marine Cladophora have thus far not been adequately studied.
In addition, parthenogenesis has been noted in some species, and most Cladophora seem to be perennial, though admittedly not much research has been completed on the reproduction and propagation of the genus in general.
Steps in the Life Cycle
