Navicula

Navicula is a genus of boat-shaped diatom algae, comprising over 1,200 species.[1] Navicula is Latin for "small ship", and also a term in English for a boat-shaped incense-holder.[2]

For other uses, see Navicula (disambiguation).

Navicula
Navicula bullata
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Chromista
Phylum: Ochrophyta
Class: Bacillariophyceae
Order: Naviculales
Family: Naviculaceae
Genus: Navicula
Bory de Saint-Vincent, 1822
Type species
Navicula tripunctata
Species
Navicula oblonga

Diatoms — eukaryotic, primarily aquatic, single-celled photosynthetic organisms — play an important role in global ecology, producing about a quarter of all the oxygen within Earth's biosphere, often serving as foundational organisms, or keystone species in the food chain of many environments where they provide a staple for the diets of many aquatic species.

Mobility

Navicula diatoms are known for their ability to creep about on each other and on hard surfaces such as microscope slides.[3][4][5][6] It is thought that around the outside of the navicula's shell is a girdle of protoplasm that can flow and thus act as a tank track.

References
  1. M.D. Guiry (2015). Guiry, M.D.; Guiry, G.M. (eds.). "AlgaeBase". World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. Retrieved 2015-08-15.
  2. Oxford English Dictionary, "Navicula. 3"
  3. Navicula Diatom: Youtube video
  4. Gupta, S; Agrawal, SC (2007). "Survival and motility of diatoms Navicula grimmei and Nitzschia palea affected by some physical and chemical factors". Folia Microbiol (Praha). 52 (2): 127–34. doi:10.1007/BF02932151. PMID 17575911.
  5. J Microbiol Methods. 2013 Mar;92(3):349-54. doi: 10.1016/j.mimet.2013.01.006. Epub 2013 Jan 18. Semi-circular microgrooves to observe active movements of individual Navicula pavillardii cells. Umemura K1, Haneda T, Tanabe M, Suzuki A, Kumashiro Y, Itoga K, Okano T, Mayama S.
  6. M.A. Harper & J.F. Harper (1967). "Measurements of diatom adhesion and their relationship with movement". British Phycological Bulletin. 3 (2): 195–207. doi:10.1080/00071616700650051. ISSN 0374-6534.


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