''Choricystis'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

green algae The green algae (: green alga) are a group of chlorophyll-containing autotrophic eukaryotes consisting of the phylum Prasinodermophyta and its unnamed sister group that contains the Chlorophyta and Charophyta/ Streptophyta. The land plants ...

in the class

Trebouxiophyceae The Trebouxiophyceae, also known as trebouxiophytes, are a class of green algae, in the division Chlorophyta. Members of this class are single-celled, colonial, or multicellular and are found in freshwater, terrestrial or marine habitats worldwid ...

, considered a characteristic picophytoplankton in

freshwater ecosystem Freshwater ecosystems are a subset of Earth's aquatic ecosystems that include the biological communities inhabiting freshwater waterbodies such as lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, springs, bogs, and wetlands. They can be contrasted with marine ec ...

s. ''Choricystis'', especially the type species ', has been proposed as an effective source of

fatty acids In chemistry, in particular in biochemistry, a fatty acid is a carboxylic acid with an aliphatic chain, which is either saturated or unsaturated. Most naturally occurring fatty acids have an unbranched chain of an even number of carbon atoms, ...

for

biofuels Biofuel is a fuel that is produced over a short time span from biomass, rather than by the very slow natural processes involved in the formation of fossil fuels such as oil. Biofuel can be produced from plants or from agricultural, domestic ...

. ''Choricystis''

algaculture Algaculture is a form of aquaculture involving the farming of species of algae. The majority of algae that are intentionally cultivated fall into the category of microalgae (also referred to as phytoplankton, microphytes, or planktonic algae ...

s have been shown to survive on

wastewater Wastewater (or waste water) is water generated after the use of freshwater, raw water, drinking water or saline water in a variety of deliberate applications or processes. Another definition of wastewater is "Used water from any combination of do ...

. In particular, ''Choricystis'' has been proposed as a biological water treatment system for

industrial waste Industrial waste is the waste produced by industrial activity which includes any material that is rendered useless during a manufacturing process such as that of factories, mills, and mining operations. Types of industrial waste include dirt and ...

produced by the processing of

dairy A dairy is a place where milk is stored and where butter, cheese, and other dairy products are made, or a place where those products are sold. It may be a room, a building, or a larger establishment. In the United States, the word may also des ...

goods. ''Choricystis'' have been found in natural bodies of water in South America, North America, Europe, Asia, and Antarctica. They have been observed as an

endosymbiont An endosymbiont or endobiont is an organism that lives within the body or cells of another organism. Typically the two organisms are in a mutualism (biology), mutualistic relationship. Examples are nitrogen-fixing bacteria (called rhizobia), whi ...

of freshwater sponges as well as

ciliates The ciliates are a group of alveolates characterized by the presence of hair-like organelles called cilia, which are identical in structure to eukaryotic flagella, but are in general shorter and present in much larger numbers, with a different ...

like '' Paramecium bursaria''.

Description

''Choricystis'' consists of solitary cells without a mucilage sheath surrounding them. Cells are uninucleate with a single parietal

chloroplast A chloroplast () is a type of membrane-bound organelle, organelle known as a plastid that conducts photosynthesis mostly in plant cell, plant and algae, algal cells. Chloroplasts have a high concentration of chlorophyll pigments which captur ...

. Chloroplasts lack pyrenoids. Reproduction occurs asexually by the formation of

autospore Autospores are a type of spores that are produced by algae to enable asexual reproduction and spread. They are non-motile and non-Flagellated cell, flagellated Aplanospore, aplanospores that are generated within a parent cell and have the same sha ...

s; in field conditions, usually two are produced per cell, but in culture four per cell may be present as well. Zoospores or sexual reproduction have not been observed in this genus. Identification of species within this genus is difficult because of few distinguishing morphological characters; species are now distinguished from each other using

DNA barcode DNA barcoding is a method of species identification using a short section of DNA from a specific gene or genes. The premise of DNA barcoding is that by comparison with a reference library of such DNA sections (also called "sequences"), an indivi ...

Use as a biofuel

Triglyceride A triglyceride (from '' tri-'' and '' glyceride''; also TG, triacylglycerol, TAG, or triacylglyceride) is an ester derived from glycerol and three fatty acids. Triglycerides are the main constituents of body fat in humans and other vertebrates ...

s and other

lipid Lipids are a broad group of organic compounds which include fats, waxes, sterols, fat-soluble vitamins (such as vitamins A, D, E and K), monoglycerides, diglycerides, phospholipids, and others. The functions of lipids include storing ...

s can be transesterified to produce

fatty acid methyl ester Fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) are a type of fatty acid ester that are derived by transesterification of fats with methanol. The molecules in biodiesel are primarily FAME, usually obtained from vegetable oils by transesterification. They are u ...

s, the primary component of

biodiesel Biodiesel is a renewable biofuel, a form of diesel fuel, derived from biological sources like vegetable oils, animal fats, or recycled greases, and consisting of long-chain fatty acid esters. It is typically made from fats. The roots of bi ...

fuels. Because of their high lipid content and rate of lipid production, ''Choricystis'' algae have been suggested as effective microalgae for industrial biofuel production. Molecular profiles of ''C. minor'' have noted its high proportion of neutral (as opposed to

polar Polar may refer to: Geography * Geographical pole, either of the two points on Earth where its axis of rotation intersects its surface ** Polar climate, the climate common in polar regions ** Polar regions of Earth, locations within the polar circ ...

) lipids, considered preferable in

biodiesel production Biodiesel production is the process of producing the biofuel, biodiesel, through the chemical reactions of transesterification and esterification. This process renders a product (chemistry) and by-products. The fats and oils react with short-ch ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5105054 Trebouxiophyceae genera Trebouxiophyceae Enigmatic algae taxa

Description

Use as a biofuel

See also

References