Micromonas pusilla

Taxonomy: Eukaryota; Viridiplantae; Chlorophyta; Prasinophyceae; Mamiellales; Micromonas

Introduction

The genus Micromonas is comprised of small single-celled micro-algae. Recent studies have shown that Micromonas pusilla is a major component of the pico-phytoplankton and is even capable to dominate the local pico-phytoplankton population. The photosynthetic picoeukaryote Micromonas thrives from tropical to polar marine ecosystems and belongs to an anciently diverged sister clade to land plants. The cells are 1-3 µm long, with a single posterior flagellum divided into a very short basal part and a longer hairpoint which contains only the central pair of flagellar axoneme microtubules. The cell contains a single chloroplast with a pyrenoid, while an eyespot is lacking. Cell wall absent, both the flagellum and the cell wall are naked. Its unknown whether sexual reproduction can occur or not.

In collaboration with:

• DOE Joint Genome Institute
• Alexandra Worden Lab