Nitzschia
| Nitzschia | |
|---|---|
| File:Nitzschia sp.jpeg | |
| Nitzschia sp. | |
| File:Nitzschia-kerguelensis hg.jpg | |
| A microfossil of Nitzschia kerguelensis in marine sediment | |
| Scientific classification Edit this classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Clade: | Sar |
| Clade: | Stramenopiles |
| Division: | Ochrophyta |
| Clade: | Diatomeae |
| Class: | Bacillariophyceae |
| Order: | Bacillariales |
| Family: | Bacillariaceae |
| Genus: | Nitzschia Hassall, 1845 |
| Species | |
|
See text | |
Nitzschia is a common pennate marine and freshwater[1] diatom. In the scientific literature, this genus, named after Christian Ludwig Nitzsch, is sometimes referred to incorrectly as Nitzchia, and it has many species described, which all have a similar morphology. In its current circumscription, Nitzschia is paraphyletic.[2]
Occurrence
[edit | edit source]Nitzschia is found mostly in colder waters, and is associated with both Arctic and Antarctic polar sea ice, where it is often found to be the dominant diatom. Nitzschia includes several species of diatoms known to produce the neurotoxin known as domoic acid, a toxin responsible for the human illness called amnesic shellfish poisoning. The species N. frigida is found to grow exponentially even at temperatures between −4 and −6 °C.[3] Some Nitzschia species are also extremophiles by dint of tolerance to high salinity; for example, some halophilic species of Nitzschia are found in the Makgadikgadi Pans in Botswana.[4]
Species
[edit | edit source]The genus Nitzschia includes more than 1280 species and variants — for more information, see: Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value). Some of these are:
- Nitzschia acicularis
- Nitzschia amphibia
- Nitzschia angustata
- Nitzschia brevissima
- Nitzschia clausii
- Nitzschia communis
- Nitzschia denticula
- Nitzschia disputata
- Nitzschia dissipata
- Nitzschia filiformis
- Nitzschia fonticola
- Nitzschia frigida
- Nitzschia gracilis
- Nitzschia heuflerania
- Nitzschia invisitata
- Nitzschia lacuum
- Nitzschia latens
- Nitzschia palea
- Nitzschia perminuta
- Nitzschia pusilla
- Nitzschia recta
- Nitzschia sigma
- Nitzschia sigmoidea
- Nitzschia sinuata
- Nitzschia tubicola
References
[edit | edit source]- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ L. Aletsee and J.Jahnke, 'Growth and productivity of the psychrophilic marine diatoms Thalassiosira antarctica Comber and Nitzschia frigida Grunow in batch cultures at temperatures below the freezing point of sea water. Polar biol(1992) 11:643-647>
- ^ C. Michael Hogan (2008) Makgadikgadi, The Megalithic Portal, ed. A. Burnham
External links
[edit | edit source]- Error creating thumbnail: File missing Media related to Lua error in Module:Commons_link at line 62: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). at Wikimedia Commons
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