Haematococcus

Haematococcus
Two individuals of an unidentified Haematococcus species
Scientific classification
Clade:	Viridiplantae
Division:	Chlorophyta
Class:	Chlorophyceae
Order:	Chlamydomonadales
Family:	Haematococcaceae
Genus:	Haematococcus Wille in Warming, 1884
Species
Haematococcus capensis Haematococcus carocellus Haematococcus droebakensis Haematococcus lacustris Haematococcus murorum Haematococcus pluvialis Haematococcus thermalis Haematococcus zimbabwiensis

Haematococcus is a genus of algae in the family Haematococcaceae. Members of this group are a common cause of the pink color found in birdbaths.[1] One of the most notable species of Haematococcus is H. pluvialis, which is used in cosmetic products due to its production of astaxanthin, a powerful antioxidant carotenoid, under stress conditions.

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  Drawing of Haematococcus pluvialis[2]
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  Flagellate stage
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  When stressed, this green microalgae, Haematococcus pluvialis, degrades chlorophylls and accumulates a strong red antioxidant, the carotenoid astaxanthin

References

1. See the NCBI webpage on Haematococcus. Data extracted from the "NCBI taxonomy resources". National Center for Biotechnology Information. Retrieved 2007-03-19.
2. Frank Shipley Collins. The Green Algae of North America, Volume II of Tufts College Studies, Published by Tufts College, 1909, pp 79-480. From Plate II.

Further reading

• Nozaki H, Onishi K, Morita E (2002). "Differences in pyrenoid morphology are correlated with differences in the rbcL genes of members of the Chloromonas lineage (Volvocales, Chlorophyceae)". J Mol Evol. 55 (4): 414–430. doi:10.1007/s00239-002-2338-9. PMID 12355262.
• Gutman, J., Zarka, A and Boussiba, S. 2009. The host-range of Paraphysoderma sedebokerensis, a chytrid that infects Haematococcus pluvialis. Eur. J. Phycol. 44: 509 - 514.