Oophila amblystomatis

Chlamydomonad alga
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Chlorophyta
Class:	Chlorophyceae
Order:	Chlorococcales
Family:	Chlorococcaceae
Genus:	Oophila
Species:	O. amblystomatis
Binomial name
Oophila amblystomatis Printz, 1927[1]

Oophila amblystomatis, commonly known as chlamydomonad algae or salamander algae, is a species of single-celled alga. The Latin specific name means "loves salamander eggs". It does not occur anywhere in nature other than in the eggs of a few amphibians, such as those of the spotted salamander, Ambystoma maculatum. The alga can invade and grow within an egg's jelly. Once inside, it metabolizes the carbon dioxide produced by the embryo and provides it with oxygen as a result of photosynthesis. This is an example of symbiosis.^[2]

This symbiosis between Oophila and salamander may exist beyond the oocyte and early embryonic stage. Chlorophyll autofluorescence observation and ribosomal DNA analysis suggest that this algal species has invaded embryonic salamander tissues and cells during development and may be even transmitted to the next generation. ^[3]

See also

• Spotted salamander
• Chlorogonium

References

1. ^ "Oophila amblystomatis". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=5749. Retrieved 4 August 2008. 
2. ^ Nature Trivia, Spotted Salamander at Henderson State University. Accessed 4 August 2008.
3. ^ Intracellular invasion of green algae in a salamander host. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA Published online April 4, 2011, doi: 10.1073/pnas.1018259108

Further reading

• Gilbert PW. 1942. Observations on the eggs of Ambystoma maculatum with especial reference to the green algae found within the egg envelopes. Ecology 23:215-227.
• Valls JH, Mills NE. 2007. Intermittent hypoxia in eggs of Ambystoma maculatum: embryonic development and egg capsule conductance. J. Exp. Biol., 210(14): 2430 - 2435.

External links

• Oophila amblystomatis at the Encyclopedia of Life
• Green Eggs and Jam: Adaptations That Help Spotted Salamanders Reproduce at Henderson State University.
• Ambystoma maculatum at AmphibiaWeb.
• Image of salamander egg with algae at North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences.