Nitzschia

Nitzschia
Nitzschia sp.
A microfossil of Nitzschia kerguelensis in marine sediment
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Clade: Diaphoretickes
Clade: SAR
Clade: Stramenopiles
Phylum: Gyrista
Subphylum: Ochrophytina
Class: Bacillariophyceae
Order: Bacillariales
Family: Bacillariaceae
Genus: Nitzschia
Hassall, 1845
Species

See text

Nitzschia is a common pennate marine diatom. In the scientific literature, this genus, named after Christian Ludwig Nitzsch, is sometimes referred to incorrectly as Nitzchia, and it has many species described, which all have a similar morphology. In its current circumscription, Nitzschia is paraphyletic.[1]

Occurrence

Nitzschia is found mostly in colder waters, and is associated with both Arctic and Antarctic polar sea ice, where it is often found to be the dominant diatom. Nitzschia includes several species of diatoms known to produce the neurotoxin known as domoic acid, a toxin responsible for the human illness called amnesic shellfish poisoning. The species N. frigida is found to grow exponentially even at temperatures between −4 and −6 °C.[2] Some Nitzschia species are also extremophiles by dint of tolerance to high salinity; for example, some halophilic species of Nitzschia are found in the Makgadikgadi Pans in Botswana.[3]

Species

The genus Nitzschia includes more than 1280 species and variants — for more information, see: "Genus: Nizschia". algaebase.org. Some of these are:

References

  1. ^ Mann, David G.; Trobajo, Rosa; Sato, Shinya; Li, Chunlian; Witkowski, Andrzej; Rimet, Frédéric; Ashworth, Matt P.; Hollands, Ruth M.; Theriot, Edward C. (2021). "Ripe for reassessment: A synthesis of available molecular data for the speciose diatom family Bacillariaceae". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 158: 106985. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2020.106985. hdl:20.500.12327/976. S2CID 222833402.
  2. ^ L. Aletsee and J.Jahnke, 'Growth and productivity of the psychrophilic marine diatoms Thalassiosira antarctica Comber and Nitzschia frigida Grunow in batch cultures at temperatures below the freezing point of sea water. Polar biol(1992) 11:643-647>
  3. ^ C. Michael Hogan (2008) Makgadikgadi, The Megalithic Portal, ed. A. Burnham
  • Media related to Nitzschia at Wikimedia Commons


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