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nostoc

 
Dictionary: nos·toc   (nŏs'tŏk') pronunciation
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n.
A freshwater blue-green alga of the genus Nostoc, forming spherical colonies of filaments embedded in a gelatinous substance.

[New Latin, coined by Paracelsus.]


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Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: nostoc
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Any of the cyanobacteria that make up the genus Nostoc. The cells are arranged in beadlike chains grouped together in a gelatinous mass. Ranging from microscopic to walnut-sized, nostoc masses may be found on soil and floating in still water. A special thick-walled cell has the ability to withstand drying for long periods of time. After 70 years of dry storage, cells of one species can germinate into filaments when moistened. Like most other cyanobacteria, nostocs contain two pigments and are capable of nitrogen fixation.

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WordNet: nostoc
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Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: found in moist places as rounded jellylike colonies

Wikipedia: Nostoc
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Nostoc

Photo of N. azollae
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Bacteria
Division: Cyanobacteria
Class: see taxonomic note
Order: Nostocales
Family: Nostocaceae
Genus: Nostoc
Species

N. azollae N. caeruleum N. carneum N. comminutum N. commune N. ellipsosporum N. flagelliforme N. linckia N. longstaffi N. microscopicum N. muscorum N. paludosum N. pruniforme N. punctiforme N. sphaericum N. sphaeroides N. spongiaeforme N. verrucosum

Nostoc is a genus of fresh water cyanobacteria that forms spherical colonies composed of filaments of moniliform cells in a gelatinous sheath. When on the ground, a Nostoc colony is ordinarily not seen; but after a rain it swells up into a conspicuous jellylike mass, which was once thought to have fallen from the sky, hence the popular names, fallen star and star jelly. It is also called witches' butter (not to be confused with the fungus Tremella mesenterica). Michael Quinion of the World Wide Words newsletter says that it is known in Welsh as pwdre sêr, or rot of the stars.[1]

Nostoc can be found on moist rocks, at the bottom of lakes and springs, and rarely in marine habitats. It may also grow symbiotically within the tissues of plants, such as the evolutionarily ancient (Gunnera) or hornworts, providing nitrogen to its host. These bacteria contain photosynthetic pigments in their cytoplasm to perform photosynthesis.

Contents

Species

Nostoc pruniforme

Nostoc is a member of the family Nostocaceae of the order Hormogonales. Species include:

  • N. azollae
  • N. caeruleum
  • N. carneum
  • N. comminutum
  • N. commune, Koxianmi (Chinese)[2]
  • N. ellipsosporum
  • N. flagelliforme
  • N. linckia
  • N. longstaffi
  • N. microscopicum
  • N. muscorum
  • N. paludosum
  • N. pruniforme
  • N. punctiforme
  • N. sphaericum
  • N. sphaeroides
  • N. spongiaeforme
  • N. verrucosum

Culinary use

Containing protein and vitamin C,[citation needed] Nostoc species are cultivated and consumed as a foodstuff, primarily in Asia. The N. flagelliforme and N. commune varieties are consumed in China, Japan and Java, N. commune is also consumed in the Andes. The preferred variety in Central Asia is N. ellipsosporum.

A research team from the biochemistry department of the Chinese University of Hong Kong said that international research has shown that fat choy (Nostoc flagelliforme), besides having no nutritional value, has also been found to contain Beta-methylamino L-alanine (BMAA), a toxic amino acid that could affect the normal functions of nerve cells. Professor Chan King-ming of the team told the media that eating fat choy could lead to degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and dementia.[3]

References

  1. ^ Weird Words: Nostoc on World Wide Words
  2. ^ Abbott, Isabella A (1989). Lembi, Carole A.; Waaland, J. Robert. eds. Algae and human affairs. Cambridge University Press, Phycological Society of America. pp. 141. ISBN 9780521321150. 
  3. ^ The standard.com.hk

External links

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Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
WordNet. WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Nostoc".  Read more