''Elliptochloris'' 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 order

Prasiolales Prasiolales is an order (biology), order of green algae in the Class (biology), class Trebouxiophyceae. Members of this order are ecologically widespread and are found in freshwater, marine, and terrestrial habitats from the Arctic to the Antarct ...

. Species of this genus are common and found in a variety of terrestrial habitats such as soils. Some species in the genus are partners in

lichen A lichen ( , ) is a hybrid colony (biology), colony of algae or cyanobacteria living symbiotically among hypha, filaments of multiple fungus species, along with yeasts and bacteria embedded in the cortex or "skin", in a mutualism (biology), m ...

s. One species, '' E. marina'', is a

symbiont Symbiosis (Ancient Greek : living with, companionship < : together; and ''bíōsis'': living) is any type of a close and long-term biological interaction, between two organisms of different species. The two organisms, termed symbionts, can fo ...

within two species of

sea anemone Sea anemones ( ) are a group of predation, predatory marine invertebrates constituting the order (biology), order Actiniaria. Because of their colourful appearance, they are named after the ''Anemone'', a terrestrial flowering plant. Sea anemone ...

, ''

Anthopleura elegantissima The aggregating anemone (''Anthopleura elegantissima''), or clonal anemone, is the most abundant species of sea anemone found on rocky, tide swept shores along the Pacific coast of North America. This cnidarian hosts endosymbiotic algae called z ...

'' and '' A. xanthogrammica''. It seems to have a worldwide distribution.

Description

''Elliptochloris'' consists of solitary cells which are spherical to ellipsoidal, or cylindrical or slightly curved. Cells contain 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 ...

which may be band-shaped, trough-shaped, hollow and spherical; the chloroplasts may be lobed or not, and with or without a

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 ...

. Cells contain a single

nucleus Nucleus (: nuclei) is a Latin word for the seed inside a fruit. It most often refers to: *Atomic nucleus, the very dense central region of an atom *Cell nucleus, a central organelle of a eukaryotic cell, containing most of the cell's DNA Nucleu ...

. Reproduction occurs 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, which come in two different morphologies: S-type, which are larger, ellipsoidal and formed in groups of 2–4 per sporangium, and E-type, which are smaller, rod-shaped, and formed in groups of 16-32 per sporangium. The formation of two different autospore morphologies is characteristic for ''Elliptochloris''. However, some strains (for example SAG 2200) only produce one type of autospores, and when found as photobionts in lichens, the algae tend to only produce S-type autospores.

Phylogenetics

''Elliptochloris'' forms a

monophyletic In biological cladistics for the classification of organisms, monophyly is the condition of a taxonomic grouping being a clade – that is, a grouping of organisms which meets these criteria: # the grouping contains its own most recent co ...

clade that is sister to ''

Coccomyxa ''Coccomyxa'' is a genus of green algae in the family Coccomyxaceae. This genus is defined by their small, elliptical to spherical shape, and the presence of a simple parietal chloroplast. These features, along with their occurrence in various l ...

''.

References

Trebouxiophyceae genera Enigmatic algae taxa Taxa named by Elisabeth Tschermak-Woess Taxa described in 1980 {{green algae-stub