Biology 💣
Nostoc
Systemic Classification
Division -- Cyanobacteria
Class -- Cyanophyceae
Order -- Nostocales
Family -- Nostocaceae
Genus -- Nostoc
Occurrence –
• It is filamentous form of both terrestrial and aquatic habitats.
• It doesn’t occur in single filaments but grow in large
colonies of closely packed trichomes embedded in a firm matrix
of gelatinous material .
• In size the thalli may be pea size, walnut size , or large as plum.
• The colour may be olive-green or blue-green.
• Terrestrial species , Nostoc commune grows on damp soil and
forms leathery sheaths. It is common in Arctic & Alpine meadows.
• Aquatic species occurs either as free floating thalli in ponds and
lakes or lying at bottom to submerged vegetation.
• Nostoc also occur in symbiotic association with fungi to form
lichens.
• Some species of Nostoc have been reported to fix atmospheric
nitrogen and tend to maintain fertility of paddy fields.
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Morphology of Nostoc
Structure of the colony
• Innumerable chains of bead like cells (trichomes) are intricately
tangled in gelatinous matrix to form a colony.
• Each trichome is usually enclosed by its own
mucilaginous sheath and is called a
filament.
• The numerous filaments in the colony are
held together by a soft mucilaginous
envelope formed by the fusion of individual
trichome sheaths and also secreted by large
amounts by the component cells.
• The mucilage lump is bounded externally by a tough pellicle like
bounding membrane to form a definite colony.
• Each colony appears like a bluish green or
yellowish mass of jelly
Structure of the Trichome
• The trichomes are looking much contorted ,
moniliform and interwined.
• They are more crowded towards the
periphery of the colony to form a dense
limiting layer.
• Each trichome { chain of vegetative cells }
is composed of numerous rounded or oval
cells.
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• At frequent intervals along with trichome are found colourless ,
empty looking , spherical or barrel shaped cells called the
hetrocyst.
• They are slightly large and have thicker walls than the vegetative
cells and are intercalary , sometime terminal. They occur singly ,
sometimes in series.
• Each intercalary heterocyst , when first formed has two polar
poles. Through these pores cytoplasmic connections are maintained
with the adjacent vegetative cells.
• Under certain conditions vegetative cells in the trichome may
become greatly enlarge , stored with food materials and greatly
thickened to become resting bodies called the akinetes.
• Each trichome with its individual sheath is called filament. The
sheath may be hyaline {glassy and translucent in appearance} or
coloured. Sometimes it is very indistinct or even absent.
Reproduction / Life cycle of Nostoc
• Vegetative – colony fragmentation and Hormogonia
• Asexual – Akinites , Heterocyst , Endospore formation
No sexual rep. occurs.
Colony fragmentation
The colony breaks up into many pieces and each forms a new
colony or old trichomes breaks up into fragments and each forming new
filaments.
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Hormogonia
Are short, small motile filaments with rounded ends. These small filaments
are without heterocyst and come out of the mucilage sheath, undergo
division and form new colonies.
Akinetes
Large sized, unicellular, thick walled, resting spores with plenty of
reserve food in the cytoplasm
Highly resistant to high temperature and extreme environments
It can tide over unfavourable conditions. On return of favourable
condition, it germinate to form new filaments.
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Heterocyst germination
In species like N.commune, heterocysts serves as resting spores and
directly germinate to form new filaments.
The protoplasm undergoes continuous division and forms a
germling
On favourable condition, wall of heterocyst rupture and germling
comes out and forms a new trichome.
Endospores:
Non flagellated, thin walled, naked spores formed within cells by the
division of protoplast.
Protoplast of the cell divides into small bits and each bit forms an
endospore.
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Summary
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