coleochaete

Division: Chlorophyta
Class: Chlorophyceae
Order: Chaetophorales
Family: Coleochaetaceae
Genus: Coleochaete
Species: scutata
 Occurrence
• The genus Coleochaete (Gr. Keleon, sheath; chaetos, hair) is
represented by about 10 species, out of which 3 species are found in
India.
• They grow in fresh water either as epiphytes on different angiosperms
(Trapa, Hydrilla, Ipomea, Sagittaria, Typha etc.) and algae
(Oedogonium, Vaucheria) or as endophytes (C. nitellarum) within the
cells of Chara and Nitella (Chlorophyceae).
 Plant Body of Coleochaete

• multicellular and heterotrichous in habit

• Both erect and prostrate systems are well represented in C. pulvinate
• But others may show either well-developed erect system than
prostrate system (C. divergens, C. nitel­larum)
• prostrate system is well-developed than the erect one (C. scutata, C.
orbicularis)
• Due to well-developed prostrate system, it forms discoid thallus and
looks like pseudo- parenchyma of one cell in thickness
• The dis­coid thalli may be a circular in C. orbicularis or irregular in C.
scutata
 Cell structure of coleochaete
• The cells are generally hexagonal or
polygonal but may be quadrangu­lar in some
region of the thallus.
• The cells are uninucleate with single large
laminate chloroplast generally with one or
rarely with two pyrenoids.
 Reproduction in Coleochaete
• Coleochaete reproduces both asexually and sexually
Asexual Reproduction
• It takes place by zoos­pore and aplanospore formation
Zoospore:
• During spring or early summer, asexual reproduction takes place by
the formation of zoospores
• Any cell of the plant body may function as zoosporangium
• Each zoosporangium produces single zoospore
• Zoospores are ovoid, unicellular, uninucle­ate and biflagellate
structure with a large parietal chloroplast
• Eye-spot is absent
• The zoospores are liberated from the zoosporangium through a pore on the
sporangial wall
• It loses flagella within a short time and secretes a wall on the periphery.
Germination
• During germination the zoospore divides either transversely or vertically and
with subsequent divisions it forms new plant body
• In C. scutata, the first division is transverse and forms two cells
• The upper cell forms seta and the lower one divides repeatedly to form
discoid thallus
• But in species like C. pulvinata, the first division is vertical and both the cells
undergo repeated divi­sion to form a prostrate system. The erect system
develops later from the prostrate system
 APLANOSPORE
•Aplanospores are formed during
unfavourable condition. At that condition, the
zoosporangium, instead of forming zoospore,
forms aplanospore
•The aplanospores are non- flagellate, thick-
walled and round structure. During
favourable condition the aplanospores
germinate and form new thalli.
 Sexual Reproduction
• The sexual reproduc­tion is highly specialised and oogamous type
• The plant body may be homothallic i.e., mono­ecious (C. pulvinata) or
heterothallic i.e., dioecious (C. scutata)
• The male sex organ is called antheridium and female as oogonium or
carpogonium
 Antheridium
Antheridium
• In well-developed heterotric­hous form like C. pulvinata, the antheridia are
borne in groups at the apex of erect bran­ches
• But in discoid form like C. scutata the antheridia are developed in the half way
between the centre and periphery of the thallus
• The antheridium develops as a conical outgrowth of apical cell of the erect
system which is cut off from the mother cell by wall. A number of antheridia
may develop at the apex of a lateral branch
• Antheridia may form on the same filament bearing oogonia in homothallic
species
• . Each antheridium pro­duces single colourless, unicellular, uni­nucleate,
biflagellate antherozoid
• They are liberated by breaking the apical side of the antheridial wall
 Oogonium
• The oogonium develops at the apex of an erect branch
• Due to further growth of the lower cell, the oogonium
becomes lateral in position
• The oogonium is a flask-shaped structure with an elongated,
colourless receptive trichogyne
• In discoid species instead of trichogyne, the neck is
represented by small papilla
• The basal enlarged portion contains a single oosphere or egg
 Fertilisation
• Before fertilisation the apex of the trichogyne breaks down
and some colourless cytoplasm is exuded out which attracts
the antherozoids
• Although many antherozoids get entangled in the exuded
cyto­plasm, but only one enters into oogonium and reaches to
the egg through broken trichogyne
• Initially the nucleus of antherozoid is smaller in size than egg
and after attaining equal size to the egg, fertilisation takes
place resulting in the formation of zygote or oospore
 Post-Fertilisation Changes
• After fertilization a septum is laid down which separates the
basal region from the tricho­gyne
• Gradually the zygote becomes enlarged and secretes a thick
wall around itself
• The neighbouring cells of the oogonium get stimu­lated and
form pseudoparenchymatous covering around it
• The oogonium with pseu­doparenchymatous sheath is called
spermocarp
• The spermocarp is red or reddish-brown in colour. It remains
dormant throughout the winter
• During favourable condition the spermo­carp becomes active
• The colour of spermocarp changes to green and then it germinates
• During germination its nucleus undergoes meiotic divi­sion
• First it divides by a transverse division into two cells
• This is followed by sub­sequent division at right angle to each other and
forms octant stage
• Further divisions make 16-32 celled stage
• Each cell with its protoplast metamorphoses into single biflage­llate zoospore
• The zoospores are liberated by breaking the zygote wall and sheath into two
halves
• After liberation the zoospores swim freely for some time
• Later on, they germi­nate and form new haploid plant body of Coleochaete
 Important Features of Coleochaete
1. Plant body is thalloid, multicellular and heterotrichous in habit
2. Cells are uninucleate with single large lamellate chloroplast generally with
one or rarely two pyrenoids
3. Asexual reproduction takes place by biflage­llate ovoid zoospores and
aplanospores formation.
4. Sexual reproduction is oogamous.
5. The antheridia may be terminal or inter­calary. Each antheridium produces
single colourless, unicellular, uninucleate, biflagel­late antherozoids.
6. The oogonium is a flask-shaped structure with an elongated neck, the
trichogyne
 7. Each oospore is converted into
spermocarp during elaborate
post-fertilisation stages.

Important 8. Oospore undergoes a period of

Features of rest and then produces zoospores
(16-32) after meiosis.
Coleochaete

9. The zoospores on germination

gives rise to new individuals