''Nostoc verrucosum'' is a species of

cyanobacteria Cyanobacteria ( ) are a group of autotrophic gram-negative bacteria that can obtain biological energy via oxygenic photosynthesis. The name "cyanobacteria" () refers to their bluish green (cyan) color, which forms the basis of cyanobacteri ...

usually found in colonies and in globose racks. It has a greenish to blackish color. It grows in creek beds, shallow streams, waterfalls, and moist understory in rain forests, in alkaline soil and water habitat. Colonies are velvety to the touch. Like other ''

Nostoc ''Nostoc'', also known as star jelly, troll's butter, spit of moon, fallen star, witch's butter (not to be confused with the fungi commonly known as witches' butter), and witch's jelly, is the most common genus of cyanobacteria found in a variety ...

'' species, this organism fixes nitrogen and provides important nutrients for plants, forming a

symbiotic Symbiosis (Ancient Greek : living with, companionship < : together; and ''bíōsis'': living) is any type of a close and long-term biolo ...

interaction with them. It can withstand freezing and thawing cycles and can survive extreme conditions in places such as the

Arctic The Arctic (; . ) is the polar regions of Earth, polar region of Earth that surrounds the North Pole, lying within the Arctic Circle. The Arctic region, from the IERS Reference Meridian travelling east, consists of parts of northern Norway ( ...

and

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean), it contains the geographic South Pole. ...

. It can stay dormant for long periods of time and abruptly recover metabolic activity when rehydrated. Like all other

prokaryotic A prokaryote (; less commonly spelled procaryote) is a single-celled organism whose cell lacks a nucleus and other membrane-bound organelles. The word ''prokaryote'' comes from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'before', and (), meaning 'nut' ...

organisms, it is without organized

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 ...

and 70%-85% of its

cytoplasm The cytoplasm describes all the material within a eukaryotic or prokaryotic cell, enclosed by the cell membrane, including the organelles and excluding the nucleus in eukaryotic cells. The material inside the nucleus of a eukaryotic cell a ...

is water.

References

*Dodds, Walter K. The Ecology of Nostoc. ''Journal of Phycology'' vol 33(1) February 1995. 2–18. *Ehling-Schultz, Monika et al. UV-B-induced synthesis of photoprotective pigments and extracellular polysaccharides in the terrestrial cyanobacterium ''Nostoc'' commune. ''Journal of Bacteriology'' vol 179(6) March 1997. 1940–1945. *James, Paul. ''Nostoc''. Microscopy-UK. *(Cyanobacteria). Nikon Microscopy. *Scherer, S. et al. A new UV-A/B protecting pigment in the terrestrial cyanobacterium ''Nostoc'' commune. ''Plant Physiology'' vol 88 1988. 1055–1057. *Webb, David T. Cycad Root Nodules. Botany Department, University of Hawai'i at Manoa.
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Nostocaceae {{cyanobacteria-stub