euglena

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Euglena
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota Kingdom: Excavata Phylum: Euglenophyta Class: Euglenoidea Order: Euglenales Family: Euglenaceae Genus: Euglena Ehrenberg, 1830

Euglena is a genus of unicellular protists, of the class Euglenoidea of the phylum Euglenophyta. They are single-celled organisms. Currently, over 1000 species of Euglena have been described. Marin et al. (2003) revised the genus to include several species without chloroplasts, formerly classified as Astasia and Khawkinea. Euglena sometimes can be considered to have both plant and animal features.

A euglena is a protist that can eat food like animals do (partly heterotrophic) and can photosynthesize like plants do (partly autotrophic). Euglena can surround a particle of food and eat it (phagocytosis). Many Euglena use a light-sensitive ocular receptor to detect and hunt other protists. Many Euglena also contain chloroplasts and chlorophyll a and b. Euglena live in fresh water, salt water and in marine-like environments. Many Euglena are able to move by using a flagellum, a long whip-like structure. When the water dries up, a euglena forms a protective wall around itself and lies dormant in the form of a spore until the environment improves. It reproduces by mitosis, splitting into parts, like amoeba.

References

"Phylogeny and taxonomic revision of plasmid-containing neophytes based on USU DNA sequence comparisons and signatures in the USU RNA secondary structure."

External links

Wikispecies has information related to: Euglena

Look up euglena in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Tree of Life: Euglenida
• Biology Corner
• Protist Images: Euglena
• Euglena at Droplet - Microscopy of the Protozoa
• Images and taxonomy
• Effect of Light Intensity on the Lipid Composition of Euglena gracilis
• Mitochondrial trans-2-Enoyl-CoA Reductase of Wax Ester Fermentation from Euglena gracilis Defines a New Family of Enzymes Involved in Lipid Synthesis
• Aliphatic Chains of Esterified Lipids in Isolated eyesptos of Euglena gracilis var. bacillaris1 (pdf)
• Nature, intracellular distribution and formation of terpenoid quinones in Euglena gracilis. (pdf)
• Tryptophan Synthetase in Euglena gracilis Strain G (pdf)
• Lipid Metabolism of Manganese-deficient Algae: I. Effect of Manganese Deficiency on the Greening and the Lipid Composition of Euglena Gracilis Z. (pdf)
• A hydroxy fatty acid dehydrogenase in Euglena gracilis (pdf)
• Comparative studies of biosynthesis of galactolipids in Euglena gracilis strain Z (pdf)
• The Euglena Project