Euglena

Euglena are a common group of unicellular protists, of the class Euglenoidea of the phylum Euglenophyta. Currently, over 1000 species of Euglena have been described. Marin et al. (2003) revised the genus so and including 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 make food like plants do (partly autotrophic). Euglena can surround a particle of food and eat it (phagocytosis). Many Euglena contain chloroplasts and chlorophyll a and b. Euglena live in fresh water, salt water and in the soil. Many Euglena are able to move by using a flagellum, a long whip-like structure. When the water dries up, a euglena forms a thick protective wall around itself and lies dormant in the form of a spore until the environment improves. It reproduces by fission,splitting into parts, like amoeba.

References

"Phylogeny and taxonomic revision of plastid-containing euglenophytes based on SSU rDNA sequence comparisons and synapomorphic signatures in the SSU rRNA secondary structure."

Protist 154(1):99–145. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Retrieve&list_uids=12812373

External links

• 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