Schizothrix Bosniaca (Hansgirg) Geitler From Roof of an Old Building, Allahabad, U. P

Transcription

1 ABSTRACT: Schizothrix Bosniaca (Hansgirg) Geitler From Roof of an Old Building, Allahabad, U. P Dr. Lakhan Lal Kushwaha Department of Botany, Sitaram Samarpan Mahavidhyalaya Naraini (U.P.), Banda Present paper deals with the description of genus Schizothrix bosniaca Geitler (1932) collected from the roof of an old building, district Allahabad, U. P. this taxa being recorded for the first time from this region. Filaments or trichomes of Schizothrix immotile and parallely arranged within a thick sheath. Sheath are conically narrowed towards end and closed, apparently pointed. Single trichome straight or flexuous with fine, firm envelope, Cells longer than wide. Reproduction rarely occurs by fragmentation and usually by crosswise cell divisions. Key word: Oscillatoriales, Schizothrix, roof of an old building INTRODUCTION Blue-green algae are interesting organisms as they have affinities with both the prokaryotic bacteria as eukaryotic algae. They can grow wherever little light and moisture are available. They grow in arctic and Antarctic regions, in deserts, in thermal spring, in sea, in sub aerial habitat and symbiotically with large number of plants and lower animals. Their interesting associations with fungi result into an independent group of plant called lichen which are known to have more than 1800 species. Majority of cyanobacteria prefer high temperature and alkaline ph. They are more common in tropical part of the world and especially in rice fields. For a long time only heterocystous forms of cyanobacteria were considered to be capable of fixing nitrogen Fogg, (1942, 1949), Fay, et al., (1968). Now, it is well known that many forms of non-heterocystous unicellular and filamentous blue-green algae are also capable of fixing nitrogen under anaerobic or microaerobic conditions. Certain species of Phormidium, Oscillatoria, Lyngbya, Plectonema and Trichodesmium are known to show nitrogenase activity. The magnitude of efficiency is less in non-heterocystous filamentous blue-green algae as compared to heterocystous forms, but looking at the occurrence and biomass of nonheterocystous forms in majority of the habitats their overall contribution may be significant and economically important. Over 125 strains of blue-green algae have been reported to be capable of nitrogen fixation as reported by Stanier and Cohen-Bazire (1977), Stewart (1973, 1980), Haselkorn (1978), Gallon (1980), Bothe (1982) and Duerr et al. (1982). In India non-heterocystous filamentous Oscillatoriales have been studied by many workers. Some recent publications include Santra, Anand, Adhikary, Tiwari (1975), Grover and Pandhol (1975), Hazarika et al. (2002), Kamat ( ), Kumawat and Jawale (2001, Page : 93

2 2006) and Mishra and Srivastava (2005). Most of these studies are based on single collection or record from enrichment cultures. Except Yadav and Pandey (1982), no efforts were made to study them critically under culture condition. Most of the Indian authors were interested in study of heterocystous blue-green algae because of their ability and use in biofertilizer technology. Therefore it was suggested to work on morphology of genus Schizothrix to belong family Schizotrichaceae and order oscillatorials under culture conditions. MATERIAL AND METHODS Non-heterocystous filamentous blue-green algal samples were collected from different geographical localities in different seasons from various habitats, during August, 2003 to December, 2007 from district Allahabad of U.P. After a thorough scrutiny sample only 01 selected for further study. Macro observation like growth pattern on solid dish has been taken with the help of Nikon Coolpix 8400 digital camera and Micro observations like photomicrographs were made with the help of Leica DMLB microscope and DC 300 camera with Quin imaging system. All the growth stages were recorded upto drying of culture and it took more than a year. First of all spots of blue-green algal growth in nature were selected and then samples were collected with the help of knife and kept in polythene bags. The collected field samples were examined under the microscope immediately on arrival in the Phycology Lab, Department of Botany, University of Allahabad to evaluate the composition of Cyanobacterial strains. The isolation of non-heterocystous filamentous form was carried out by dilution and pour plate method (Kaushik, 1987). Cyanobacterial strains were streaked in BG-11 solid media. After appearance of growth, colonies were picked up and examined with the help of microscope. The axenic cultures were maintained in liquid as well as in solid BG-11 medium (Hughes et al., 1958, Stanier et al., 1971, Rippka et al., 1979) and Spirulina medium (Zarrouk, 1966) for further studies. RESULT AND DISCUSSION Order- Oscillatoriales Family: Schizotrichaceae- Elenkin 1934 Schizothrix bosniaca (Hansgirg) Geitler 1932 Komarek and Anagnostidis, Cyanoprokaryota, 2005, P. 302, Figs. a b (Pl. A, Figs.1-22) Thallus dot like, attached to stony substrate with other unicellular blue-green algae. Growth pattern in liquid medium shows dotted scattered growth attached to the wall of flask and floats containing air bubbles. Filaments pale blue-green in colour, erect, usually parallel arranged, rarely entangled with one another, pseudobranched at ends and terminal ends attenuated. Trichomes blue-green or yellow-green in colour, 3-4µm broad, usually constricted, rarely unconstricted at cross-walls. Cells pale blue-green in colour, 3-4µm broad and 5-6µm long, usually longer than width, rarely isodiametric. Apical cells conical or rounded, content homogeneous. Sheath brownish-black to dirty green, thick to thin, mostly attenuated or Page : 94

3 pointed at free ends, conical in shape close to the apices containing one or few trichomes. Reproduction occurs by fragmentation of trichomes into immotile hormogonia and transverse cell divisions. Collection Number & date- ALL- 165 ( ), Habitat & Locality- Epilithic roof of an old building, Allahabad, Culture number- S.B ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author is thankful to Prof. G. L. Tiwari Head, Department of Botany, University of Allahabad for guidance. He is also thanks to Dr. H. M. Shukla Microbiologist IFFCO Phoolpur, Dr. O. N. Tiwari, Dr. R. K. Ojha for help in collection and isolation of cyanobacteria PLATE-A Page : 95

4 REFERENCES: i. Bothe, H., Hydrogen production by algae. Experientia 38 : ii. iii. iv. Duerr, E.O., Kumazawa, S. and Mitsui, Nitrogen fixation in free living algae. In : CRC Hand book of biosolar resources vol. I. Basic principle. Eds. Mitsui, A. and C.C. Black CRC press, Inc. Boca Raton, Florida. Elenkin A. A., Ob osnovnych principach sistemy Cyanophyceae. (About the main principles of the system of Cyanophyceae). - Sov. Bot., 5: Fay, P., Stewart, W. D. P., Cralsby, A.E. and Fogg, G. E., Is the heterocytes the site of Nitrogen fixation in blue-green algae Nature Lond, 220: v. Fogg, G.E., Studies on nitrogen fixation by blue-green algae., I. Nitrogen fixation by Anabaena cylindrica Lemm. J. Expt. Biol., 19 : vi. vii. Fogg, G.E., Grwoth and heterocyte production in Anabaena cylindrica Lemm. II. In relation to carbon and nitrogen metabolism. Ann. Bot., 13 : Gallon, J. R., Nitrogen fixation by Photoautotrophs, In: Nitrogen fixation Ed. Stewart, W.D.P. and Gallon, J.R. Academic, Press London: viii. Geitler L., Cyanophyceae. In: Rabenhorst s Kryptogamenflora, 14: , Akad. Verlagsges., Leipzig. ix. Grover, I. S. and Pandhol, R.K., Algal flora of paddy fields of Ludhiana and its adjacent areas. Phykos, 14: x. Haselkorn, R., Heterocyst. Ann. Rev. Microbiol, 34: Page : 96

5 xi. xii. Hazarika, B. P., Devi and C. L. Boissya, Genus Oscillatoria Voucher from Ranga Nadi and its adjoining areas of Lakhimpur district, Assam. Phykos, 41 (1&2): Hughes, F.O., Gorham, P.R. and Zehnder, A., Toxicity of unialgal cultures of Microcystis aeruginosa. Can. J. Microbiol. 4: xiii. Kamat, N.D., The Oscillatoriaceae of Ahamedabad, India. J. univ. Bombay 30: xiv. xv. xvi. Kamat, N.D., 1963a. The structure and life-history of Fortiea bossei (Fremy) Desikachary var. Indica var. nov. J. Biol. Sci. 5: Kaushik, B. D., Laboratory methods for blue-green algae. Associated Publ., Co., New Delhi: 171. Kaushik, B. D., Laboratory methods for blue-green algae. Associated Publ., Co., New Delhi: 171. Mishra, P. K. and Srivastava, A. K., Fresh water Cyanophycean algae from north eastern Uttar Pradesh, India. J. Indian. Bot. Soc., 84: xvii. Rippka, R., Deruelles, J., Waterburry, J.B., Herdman, M. and Stanier, R.Y., 1979, Genetic assignments, strains histories and properties of Pure cultures of Cyanobacteria. J. General Microbiol. 111: xviii. xix. xx. xxi. xxii. Stanier, R.Y. and Cohen-Bazire, B., Phototrophic prokaryotes the cyanobacteria A.Rev. Genet. 16: Stewart, W.D.P., Nitrogen fixation. In "The Biology of bluegreen Algae". Ed. Carr N. and Whitton, B.A. : Stanier, RY., Kunisawa, R., Mandel, M. and Cohen-Bazire, G., 1971, Purification and properties of unicellular blue-green algae. (order Chroococcales) Bacterial. Rev. 35: Stewart, W.D.P., Some aspects of structure and function in nitrogen fixing cyanobacteria. Ann. Rev. Microbiol., 34: Yadava, R. N. and Pandey D.C., Observations of Schizothrix mexicana (Cyanophyta) under culture conditions. -Hydrobiologia, 93: Zarrouk, C Contribution of A 1 Etude d Une cyanophyceae influence de Divers facteure Physioues et Chemiques sur la croissance et la Photosynthese de Spirulina maxima Setch et Gardner Geitler. Thesis, Paris (provided by Ripley Fox). Page : 97