Chlamydomonadaceae is a

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

algae Algae ( , ; : alga ) is an informal term for any organisms of a large and diverse group of photosynthesis, photosynthetic organisms that are not plants, and includes species from multiple distinct clades. Such organisms range from unicellular ...

within the order Chlamydomonadales. Traditionally, it has been defined as containing single-celled flagellates with a cell wall. Cells of the Chlamydomonadaceae are motile and have one, two, or four

flagella A flagellum (; : flagella) (Latin for 'whip' or 'scourge') is a hair-like appendage that protrudes from certain plant and animal sperm cells, from fungal spores ( zoospores), and from a wide range of microorganisms to provide motility. Many pr ...

. The cell body is covered in a cell wall, with the

protoplast Protoplast (), is a biology, biological term coined by Johannes von Hanstein, Hanstein in 1880 to refer to the entire cell, excluding the cell wall. Protoplasts can be generated by stripping the cell wall from plant, bacterium, bacterial, or f ...

entirely or partially lined up next to the wall. Cells are uninucleate (i.e. with one nucleus). There is generally a single chloroplast, which is often cup-shaped or sometimes stellate or discoid;

pyrenoid Pyrenoids are sub-cellular phase-separated micro-compartments found in chloroplasts of many algae,Giordano, M., Beardall, J., & Raven, J. A. (2005). CO2 concentrating mechanisms in algae: mechanisms, environmental modulation, and evolution. ''An ...

s may be present or absent. Some species lack chlorophyll entirely and are saprotrophic.

Contractile vacuole A contractile vacuole (CV) is a sub-cellular structure (organelle) involved in osmoregulation. It is found predominantly in protists, including unicellular algae. It was previously known as pulsatile or pulsating vacuole. Overview The contrac ...

s may or may not be present. There is usually a single eyespot. Asexual reproduction occurs when the cell protoplast divides to form two, four, or eight daughter cells, with cell walls forming while still in the parent cell wall. Before cell division, the flagella usually disappear. Daughter cells are typically liberated when the parent cell wall gelatinizes, or through a rupture in the parent cell wall. In some cases, cells may produce several generations before eventually developing flagella and escaping the parent cell wall. This stage, known as the ''palmella stage'', have been reported in a number of genera. Sexual reproduction occurs in this family, and ranges from

isogamy Isogamy is a form of sexual reproduction that involves Gamete, gametes of the same Morphology (biology), morphology (indistinguishable in shape and size), and is found in most Unicellular organism, unicellular eukaryotes. Because both gametes lo ...

anisogamy Different forms of anisogamy: A) anisogamy of motile cells, B) 283x283px Anisogamy is a form of sexual reproduction">egg cell">oogamy (egg cell and sperm cell), C) anisogamy of non-motile cells (egg cell and spermatia).">283x283px Anisogamy is ...

oogamy Oogamy is a form of anisogamy where the gametes differ in both size and form. In oogamy the large female gamete (also known as ovum) is immotile, while the small male gamete (also known as spermatozoon) is mobile. Oogamy is a common form of an ...

. Some species are homothallic, while others are heterothallic. Zygotes have thick walls, and they typically are inactive before germination. Usually four or more zoospores germinate from each zygote.

Genera

As accepted by

WoRMS The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) is a taxonomic database that aims to provide an authoritative and comprehensive catalogue and list of names of marine organisms. Content The content of the registry is edited and maintained by scien ...

; * '' Agloë'' * '' Brachiomonas'' * '' Carteria'' * '' Chlainomonas'' * '' Chlamydomonas'' * '' Chlamydonephris'' * '' Chlorobrachis'' * '' Chloroceras'' * '' Chlorominima'' * ''

Chloromonas ''Chloromonas'' is a genus of green algae in the family Chlamydomonadaceae. It is closely related to the model green algae, ''Chlamydomonas'', and traditionally has been distinguished mainly through the absence of a pyrenoid. Species of ''Chloro ...

'' * '' Chlorotriangulum'' * '' Corbierea'' * '' Costachloris'' * '' Cylindromonas'' * '' Diplostauron'' * '' Furcilla'' * '' Gigantochloris'' * '' Gloeomonas'' * '' Heterochlamydomonas'' * '' Hirtusochloris'' * '' Hyalobrachion'' * '' Isococcus'' * '' Ixipapillifera'' * '' Lobochlamys'' * '' Lobomonas'' * '' Microglena'' * '' Oltmannsiella'' * '' Oogamochlamys'' * '' Parapolytoma'' * '' Peterfiella'' * '' Phyllariochloris'' * '' Polytoma'' * '' Pithiscus'' * '' Provasoliella'' * '' Pseudocarteria'' * '' Pseudofurcilla'' * '' Pyramichlamys'' * '' Rhysamphichloris'' * '' Sanguina'' * '' Selenochloris'' * '' Smithsonimonas'' * '' Sphaerella'' * '' Sphenochloris'' * '' Spirogonium'' * '' Tetrablepharis'' * '' Tetratoma'' * '' Tussetia'' * '' Vitreochlamys'' Former genera: * ''Platychloris'' accepted as ''Chloromonas'' * ''Prasinochlamydomonas'' accepted as ''Chlamydonephris'' * ''Protococcus'' accepted as ''Chlamydomonas'' (synonym) * ''Sphaerellopsis'' accepted as ''Vitreochlamys'' (synonym) The family is known to be non-monophyletic, with clades not aligning to traditionally defined morphological groupings.

References

External links

Chlorophyceae families {{Chlorophyceae-stub