Nitzschia

Nitzschia is a common pennate marine diatom. In the scientific literature, this genus, named after Christian Ludwig Nitzsch, is sometimes termed Nitzchia, and it has many species described, which all have a similar morphology.

Nitzschia
Nitzschia sp.
A microfossil of Nitzschia kerguelensis in marine sediment
Scientific classification
Clade: SAR
Phylum: Ochrophyta
Class: Bacillariophyceae
Order: Bacillariales
Family: Bacillariaceae
Genus: Nitzschia
Hassall, 1845
Species

See text

Occurrence

Nitzschia is found mostly in colder waters, and is associated with both Arctic and Antarctic polar sea ice, where it is often found to be the dominant diatom. Nitzschia includes several species of diatoms known to produce the neurotoxin known as domoic acid, a toxin responsible for the human illness called amnesic shellfish poisoning. The species N. frigida is found to grow exponentially even at temperatures between −4 and −6 °C.[1] Some Nitzchia species are also extremophiles by dent of tolerance to high salinity; for example, some halophilic species of Nitzchia are found in the Makgadikgadi Pans in Botswana.[2]

Species
  • Nitzschia acicularis
  • Nitzschia amphibia
  • Nitzschia angustata
  • Nitzschia brevissima
  • Nitzschia clausii
  • Nitzschia denticula
  • Nitzschia disputata
  • Nitzschia dissipata
  • Nitzschia filiformis
  • Nitzschia fonticula
  • Nitzschia frigida
  • Nitzschia gracilis
  • Nitzschia frigida
  • Nitzschia heuflerania
  • Nitzschia frigida
  • Nitzschia lacuum
  • Nitzschia palea
  • Nitzschia perminuta
  • Nitzschia pusill
  • Nitzschia recta
  • Nitzschia sigma
  • Nitzschia sigmoidea
  • Nitzschia sinuata
  • Nitzschia tubicola

For more information: http://www.algaebase.org/search/genus/detail/?genus_id=43680

References
  1. L. Aletsee and J.Jahnke, 'Growth and productivity of the psychrophilic marine diatoms Thalassiosira antarctica Comber and Nitzschia frigida Grunow in batch cultures at temperatures below the freezing point of sea water. Polar biol(1992) 11:643-647>
  2. C. Michael Hogan (2008) Makgadikgadi, The Megalithic Portal, ed. A. Burnham


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