Study of the morphology and life stages of Symbiodinium

• Main Authors: Zih-Yu Jiang, 江子瑜
• Other Authors: Kwee-Siong Tew
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2010
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/72098260058036698236

碩士 === 國立東華大學 === 海洋生物多樣性及演化研究所 === 98 === The cell walls of zooxanthellae are surrounded by several layers of membrane and cannot be directly observed. The external morphology of all life stages and the abundance of different stages during culture is not clear for Symbiodinium. In this study, we tried to strip off the membranes using different concentrations of the detergent Triton X-100 to determine the surface ultrastructure. We also determined the percentage of difference life stages at different time. First, we compared the effect of different concentrations (0, 1, 10, 20%) of Triton X-100 at different time length (0.5, 1, 2, 24h) on freshly isolated zooxanthellae from sea anemone (Aiptasia pulchella). Furthermore, we used the optimal concentration and time length to strip off the membranes of zooxanthellae in culture in order to observe the external portion of the algae. The results showed that using 10% concentrations of Triton X-100 and shaking for 30 minutes could strip more membrane layers without damaging the cell walls. Using 1% concentrations at a short time could strip off only a few membranes, while in other concentrations and with increased treatment time, cavity, fissure and crease were observed on the surface of the algae. The life stages of zooxanthellae in culture can be divided into vegetative phase, 2- and 4-division, zoosporangia and zoospore stages. No identifiable characteristics on the surface can be observed when each stage was treated with 10% Triton for 30 minutes. The proportion of each stage in the culture were significantly different among different stages, with the vegetative stage significantly higher than other stages. No pattern of change among stages was observed, however the proportion of zoospore stage was significantly higher at the beginning of the culture period.