''Pocheina rosea'' is a species of
amoeboid
An amoeba (; less commonly spelled ameba or amœba; : amoebas (less commonly, amebas) or amoebae (amebae) ), often called an amoeboid, is a type of cell or unicellular organism with the ability to alter its shape, primarily by extending and r ...
protist in the genus ''
Pocheina'', belonging to the order
Acrasida.
[ Originally described as ''Guttulina rosea'' by Cienkowski in 1873, the organism was reassigned to the genus ''Pocheina'' due to a preexisting use of the name ''Guttulina'' for a foraminiferan genus.][
]
Morphology
The characteristics of ''Pocheina rosea'' are pinkish to reddish. This is where the species name, ''rosea'', originates. The color appears due to the presence of intracellular pigments, but it was not specifically attributed to carotenoid
Carotenoids () are yellow, orange, and red organic pigments that are produced by plants and algae, as well as several bacteria, archaea, and fungi. Carotenoids give the characteristic color to pumpkins, carrots, parsnips, corn, tomatoes, cana ...
s in the reviewed studies.[ The fruiting body, sorocarp, of ''P. rosea'' consists of short stalk formed by a row of wedge-shaped cells, topped with a globose spore mass.][ The structure is distinct from that of ''Acrasis'' species, which typically form linear chains of spores.][ The amoebae move via eruptive pseudopodia and do not form flagellated cells, distinguishing ''P. rosea'' from ''P. flagellata'', which does produce flagellates upon ]germination
Germination is the process by which an organism grows from a seed or spore. The term is applied to the sprouting of a seedling from a seed of an angiosperm or gymnosperm, the growth of a sporeling from a spore, such as the spores of fungi, ...
.[
]
Behavior
''Pocheina rosea'' exhibits typical amoeboid behavior, including the ability to move by extending and retracting pseudopodia. Upon spore germination ''P. rosea'' releases non-flagellated, limax-shaped amoebae that exhibit eruptive locomotion.[ It feeds primarily by ]phagocytosis
Phagocytosis () is the process by which a cell (biology), cell uses its plasma membrane to engulf a large particle (≥ 0.5 μm), giving rise to an internal compartment called the phagosome. It is one type of endocytosis. A cell that performs ph ...
, engulfing bacteria
Bacteria (; : bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one Cell (biology), biological cell. They constitute a large domain (biology), domain of Prokaryote, prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micr ...
, small fungi
A fungus (: fungi , , , or ; or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and mold (fungus), molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as one ...
, and organic particles form the surrounding substrate. ''Pocheina'' attempts to establish cultures from germinated spores have generally failed, and excystment under laboratory conditions has not been observed.[ The amoebae do not appear to divide post-germination and typically enter a dormant cyst stage after a few days.][
]
Ecology
''Pocheina rosea'' a thrives in moist, terrestrial environments where it is commonly found in decaying organic matter, particularly leaf litter and soil.[ This species is typically located in temperate forest ecosystems, where it contributes to the breakdown of plant material. Its presence is notably recorded in Western Australia, specifically within the bark of ''Santalum acuminatum''.]
Taxonomic history
The species ''Pocheina rosea'' was first described as ''Guttulina rosea'' by the Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent
* Polish chicken
* Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...
botanist
Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...
Cienkowski in 1873. This was based on specimens found on dead lichenized wood in Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
.[ Originally classified under a different genus before being reclassified by Löblich and Tappan in 1961 due to morphological differences of nomenclature conflict.][ While previous molecular analyses questioned the validity of ''Pocheinana'' as a separate genus due to a possibility of misidentification with ''Acrasis rosea'' due to contamination,][ subsequent research using SSU and ITS rRNA gene sequences from verified isolates has established ''Pocheina'' as a distinct, monophyletic genus separate from ''Acrasisis''.][
]
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q105065184
Percolozoa
Amoeboids
Protists described in 1873