surface view

Description:

Volvox (vol-vox) is the iconic colonial volvocid - motile green alga. In this case hundred of cells are embedded in a sphere of common mucus. Each individual cell is tiny, linked to others by fine threads of cytoplasm, has two flagella, and a cup-shaped chloroplast - a bit like a Chlamydomonas cell. There are a number of related genera which form colonies using mucus as a common matrix, but they differ in the numbers of cells involved, how tightly packed they are, and the shape of the colony. This picture is a detail of the surface showing the chloroplasts within individual cells and showing the links among cells. Differential interference contrast.