Elphidium Explained

Elphidium is an abundant genus of foraminifera. Species can be found from coastal regions out to the continental slope, and in all temperature ranges. Like other forams, fossils from different species are used to date rocks. The taxonomy of the species within this genus is disputed due to the high variability of some species.[1]

Description

Elphidium is generally around 1 mm in size. The test is spiral-shaped, and can be red, orange, or brown. This shell is made up of calcium carbonate. Species of this genus have seven to twenty chambers in the final whorl, and may have an umbilical plug on each side. In some species the rim is sharp, while in others it is more rounded. Another distinctive feature is the retral processes (small backward extensions of the chamber walls) that cross the sutures, giving some the appearance of tiny rolled up glass baskets. Elphidium crawls using a type of pseudopod called reticulopodia.

Life cycle

Elphidium shows dimorphism with alternating generations. The complete cycle for Elphidium crispum takes two years in the shallower marine regions, although it may be delayed at deeper stations. Asexual reproduction reaches a peak in spring of the first year. Sexual reproduction begins early in the second spring as temperatures begin to rise. The gametes conjugate outside in open sea to produce zygotes and the B form then develops and matures during the second summer.Lister (1895) observed Elphidium in two different forms as megalospheric form (sexual form) and microsperic form (asexual form). The megalosperic form was developed from the microsperic form. The gametes which gives rise to microspheric form by syngamy. Elphidium exhibits an alternation of generation in its life cycle. The megalosperic forms alternates with microspheric forms. The microspheric forms are developed by the conjugation or syngamy. It means there is always an alternations of asexual (microspheric) and sexual (megalospheric) generation in Elphidium.The microspheric form reproduces asexually by fission to produce a number of amoebulae. The inner cytoplasm mass containing several nuclei creeps out of the shell and remains as a lump around it. A small amount of cytoplasm collects around each nucleus. As a result, a large number of amoeboid cells are formed. Each amoebula secretes the proloculum, formsrhizopodia, then it grows and forms other chambers of the shell to become a megalospheric forms.The megalospheric form reproduces sexually by syngamy or conjugation. During sexual reproduction in megalospheric forms, nucleus first breaks up into many small nuclei and the cytoplasm collects around each of these nuclei. The nuclei divide twice giving rise to a large haploid and known as isogametes. Isogametes of two different individuals fuse in pairs to form zygotes. These are then develops into microspheric form.The life cycle of Elphidium may be summarized as follows: the microspheric forms produce amoebulae by asexual fission which develops into megalospheric forms. The megalospheric forms produce flagellated isogametes which after syngamy produce zygotes that develop into microspheric forms. Thus, its life cycle clearly exhibits the phenomenon of alternations of asexual microspheric generations with sexual megalospheric generations.

Subdivisions

References

For illustrations see: Elphidium, World Modern Foraminifera Database

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Schweizer. Magali. Polovodova. Irina. Nikulina. Anna. Schonfeld. Joachim. March 2011. Molecular identification of Ammonia and Elphidium species (Foraminifera, Rotaliida) from the Kiel Fjord (SW Baltic Sea) with rDNA sequences. Helgoland Marine Research. 65. 1. 1–10. 10.1007/s10152-010-0194-3. 2011HMR....65....1S. free.

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