Polytomella Explained

Polytomella is a genus of green algae in the family Dunaliellaceae. Polytomella is a free-living, flagellated, nonphotosynthetic green alga with a highly reduced, linear fragmented mitochondrial genome.^{[1] [2]} Polytomella, as it exists today, bears evidence of once having a functional photosynthetic plastid which has over evolutionary time changed such that it would appear now to have no genome or gene expressing mechanisms remaining to it.^[3] Having transitioned completely to heterotrophy, Polytomella uses organic acids, alcohols and monosaccharides as its carbon source.^{[2] [4] [5]} Despite being an evolutionary descendant of the green algae, Polytomella is a colourless organism because it has lost its photosynthetic ability.

Notes and References

1. Smith. DR. Lee. RW. Nucleotide diversity of the colorless green alga Polytomella parva (Chlorophyceae, Chlorophyta): high for the mitochondrial telomeres, surprisingly low everywhere else.. The Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology. 2011. 58. 5. 471–3. 21762422. 10.1111/j.1550-7408.2011.00569.x.
2. Inwood. W. Yoshihara. C. Zalpuri. R. Kim. KS. Kustu. S. The ultrastructure of a Chlamydomonas reinhardtii mutant strain lacking phytoene synthase resembles that of a colorless alga.. Molecular Plant. November 2008. 1. 6. 925–37. 19825593. 10.1093/mp/ssn046. 2902904.
3. Web site: Plant Phys. m.plantphysiol.org. 2015-09-28.
4. Links. J.. Verloop. A.. Havinga. E.. Some growth experiments withPolytoma uvella on synthetic media. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek. December 1961. 27. 1. 76–80. 10.1007/BF02538425.
5. Cruz. Vidal. Gittleson. Stephen. The genus Polytomella: A review of classification, morphology, life cycle, metabolism, and motility. Archiv für Protistenkunde. 124. 1–2. 1–28. 25 September 2015. 10.1016/s0003-9365(81)80001-2. 1981.