Pandorina
From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.
Pandorina is a green alga composed of 8, 16, or sometimes 32 cells, held together at their bases to form a globular colony surrounded by mucilage. The cells are ovoid or slightly narrowed at one end to appear keystone- or pear-shaped. Each cell has two flagella with two contractile vacuoles at their base, an eyespot, and a large cup-shaped chloroplast with at least one pyrenoid.
The colonies coordinate their flagellar movement to create a rolling, swimming motion. Pandorina shows the beginnings of the colony polarity and differentiation seen in Volvox since the anterior cells have larger eyespots. Molecular sequencing has shown that pandorina is monophyletic.
External Links
Pandorina (http://silicasecchidisk.conncoll.edu/LucidKeys/Carolina_Key/html/Pandorina_Main.html) - description with pictures
