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Crocosphaera

Generic name: CROCOSPHAERA
Synonyms:
ERYTHROSPHAERA Waterbury, Watson et Valois 1988. Eos 69: 1089.
SYNECHOCYSTIS SP. strain WH8501
Diagnosis:
Waterbury et al. (1988: 1089)[diagnosis of Erythrosphaera]: Erythrosphaera marina gen. nov., sp. nov. is a unicellular cyanobacterium that has been observed in and cultured from surface water of the tropical Atlantic from 15°N to 30°S (off the coast of Brazil) when the water temperature exceeded 26°C. It has coccoid cells, 2-5 μm in diameter, that divide in two successive planes at right angles to one another. This cyanobacterium contains phycoerythrin, very rich in phycourobilin, as its major light harvesting pigment; is an obligate photoautotroph and will only grow in a restricted range between 26°-34°C. In continuous illumination E. marina grew in a simple mineral medium with nitrate or ammonia as sources of combined nitrogen, but did not fix dinitrogen under these conditions when combined nitrogen was absent. However, when incubated in a diel light/dark cycle (14 hr L/10 hr D, in 25 μEin m-2sec-1 at 27°C in a mineral medium devoid of combined nitrogen, E. marina fixed dinitrogen and grew with a 35 hr doubling time. Experiments have shown that E. marina photosynthesizes and accumulates glycogen during the light period and then uses the stored glycogen reserves to drive nitrogen fixation at night. The details of this diel separation of photosynthesis and dinitrogen fixation will be discussed and compared with the strategies used by other nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria. [invalid diagnosis]
Type species: Crocosphaera watsonii
Descriptions:
From JGI Microbes : Marine unicellular diazotrophic cyanobacterium (2,5 - 6 μm diam)

Genotype differences, molecular data:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Crocosphaera tree - Zehr et al. 2001 Zehr et al. (2001)

Reproduction strategies, life cycles, cell division:
Ultrastructure:
Crocosphaera - Zehr, Waterbury et al. Zehr J. P., Waterbury J. B., Turner P. J., Montoya J. P., Omoregie E., Steward G. F., Hansen A. & Karl D. M. (2001) sub Synecocystis sp.
Taxonomic position, higher hierarchy:
Ecology, ecophysiology, ecological significance:
From JGI
Microbes: It occurs in ocean waters warmer than 24°C. It has been isolated from offshore open ocean oligotrophic waters in the western tropical Atlantic and from the tropical Pacific oceans where it may achieve cell densities exceeding 1,000 cells per milliliter within the euphotic zone. The size, abundance and rapid growth rate (i.e., 35 hour doubling time at 30°C) of Crocosphaera WH8501 indicate that this diazotrophic cyanobacterium is capable of contributing significantly to oceanic carbon and nitrogen budgets in the tropical regions of the world's oceans.
Physiology and biochemistry:
Distribution, endemism, problematic citations:
Reference strain:
Infrageneric scheme,
species concept:
List of species:
Crocosphaera watsonii in Zehr et al. 2001, nomen invalid. [syn. Erythrosphaera marina Waterbury, Watson et Valois 1988]
Keys:
List of stains:
Crocosphaera watsonii strain WH8501 (type strain)
Drawings:
Application technology:
Literature:

  2.1 taxonomy: Waterbury et al. 1988
  2.2 cytomorphology:
  2.3 16S rRNA sequencing: Zehr et al. 2001, Copeland et al. 2006 (cited according to NCBI squence viewer v2.0), Dyhrman & Haley 2006
  2.4 biology and life cycles:
  2.5 ecology: