Lyngbya is a genus of cyanobacteria, unicellular autotrophs that form the basis of the oceanic food chain.

Lyngbya
Lyngbya sp.
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Bacteria
Phylum: Cyanobacteria
Class: Cyanophyceae
Order: Oscillatoriales
Family: Oscillatoriaceae
Genus: Lyngbya
Agardh Ex Gomont, 1892[1]
Species

As a result of recent genetic analyses, several new genera were erected from this genus: e.g., Moorea,[2] Limnoraphis,[3] Okeania,[4] Microseira,[5] and Dapis.[6]

Lyngbya species form long, unbranching filaments inside a rigid mucilaginous sheath. Sheaths may form tangles or mats, intermixed with other phytoplankton species. They reproduce asexually. Their filaments break apart and each cell forms a new filament.[7] The mats grow around atolls, salt marshes, or fresh water.[8]

Some Lyngbya species cause the human skin irritation called seaweed dermatitis.[9]

Some Lyngbya species can also temporarily monopolize aquatic ecosystems when they form dense, floating mats in the water.

Ingestion of Lyngbya is potentially lethal.[8] Most commonly, poisoning is caused by eating fish which have fed on Lyngbya or which have fed on other fish which have consumed Lyngbya.[8] This is called "ciguatera-like" poisoning.[8]

References

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  1. ^ Lyngbya Agardh Ex Gomont, 1892 ITIS. Retrieved 2011-09-24.
  2. ^ Engene, N.; Rottacker, E. C.; Kastovsky, J.; Byrum, T.; Choi, H.; Ellisman, M. H.; Komarek, J.; Gerwick, W. H. (2011). "Moorea producens gen. nov., sp. nov. and Moorea bouillonii comb. nov., tropical marine cyanobacteria rich in bioactive secondary metabolites". Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol. 62 (Pt 5): 1171–1178. doi:10.1099/ijs.0.033761-0. PMC 3542135. PMID 21724952.
  3. ^ Komarek, Jiri; Zapomelova, Eliska; Smarda, Jan; Kopecky, Jiri; Rejmankova, Eliska; Woodhouse, Jason; Neilan, Brett A.; Komarkova, Jaroslava (2013). "Polyphasic evaluation of Limnoraphis robusta, a water-bloom forming cyanobacterium from Lake Atitlan, Guatemala, with a description of Limnoraphis gen. nov". Fottea. 13 (1): 39–52. doi:10.5507/fot.2013.004.
  4. ^ Engene, Niclas; Paul, Valerie J.; Byrum, Tara; Gerwick, William H.; Thor, Andrea; Ellisman, Mark H.; De Clerck, O. (2013). "Five chemically rich species of tropical marine cyanobacteria of the genus Okeania gen. nov. (Oscillatoriales, Cyanoprokaryota)". J. Phycol. 49 (6): 1095–1106. doi:10.1111/jpy.12115. PMID 27007630. S2CID 35379310.
  5. ^ McGregor, Glenn B.; Sendall, Barbara C.; Lindell, D. (2015). "Phylogeny and toxicology of Lyngbya wollei(Cyanobacteria, Oscillatoriales) from north-eastern Australia, with a description of Microseira gen. nov". J. Phycol. 51 (1): 109–119. doi:10.1111/jpy.12256. PMID 26986262. S2CID 206147172.
  6. ^ Engene, Niclas; Tronholm, Ana; Paul, Valerie J.; De Clerck, O. (2018). "Uncovering cryptic diversity of Lyngbya: the new tropical marine cyanobacterial genus Dapis (Oscillatoriales)". J. Phycol. 54 (4): 435–446. doi:10.1111/jpy.12752. PMID 29791035.
  7. ^ Lyngbya, Cyanobacteria, ALGAL-ED, Freshwater Ecology Laboratory, Connecticut College Archived 2013-12-30 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ a b c d Turner, Nancy J.; von Aderkas, Patrick (2009). "3: Poisonous Plants of Wild Areas". The North American Guide to Common Poisonous Plants and Mushrooms. Portland, OR: Timber Press. pp. 115–6. ISBN 9780881929294. OCLC 747112294.
  9. ^ "Seaweed dermatitis". New Zealand Dermatological Society. 2007-02-24.
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