SYNOPTIC DESCRIPTION OF THE PHYLUM CARPEDIEMONADA (CAVALIER-SMITH 2003)
| EUKARYA> EXCAVATA> EUEXCAVATA> CARPEDIEMONADA |
CARPEDIEMONADA LINKS
| The following description comes from Patterson (1999), Simpson and Patterson (2001) and Cavalier-Smith (2003b). |
I. SYNONYMS: carpediemonads.
II. NUMBER: 1 or 2 species known.
III. PHYLUM CHARACTERISTICS:
- A. Structure and Physiology
- Cell Form: Unicellular.
- Flagella: Two apical flagella, one anteriorly-directed (text with tooltip) An anteriorly-directed flagellum extends in the direction of the motion of the motile cell. The interpretation is that the flagellum functions by pulling the cell. and the other posteriorly-directed. The recurrent flagellum has 3 vanes and lies in the excavate feeding groove.
- Basal Bodies: Three basal bodies (text with tooltip) Basal bodies (also called kinetosomes) are organelles that are not membrane-bound. All eukaryotic flagella (also called undulipodia) are underlain or attached to the cell by the basal body. The basal body is a microtubular structure with the general formula 9(3)+0. They are indistinguishable from centrioles. , one of which is barren (text with tooltip) Basal body with no associated flagellum. . All three elaborate roots (text with tooltip) Flagellar roots are microtubular structures that arise from the basal bodies and elaborate to the inside of the cell. They may connect to the nucleus (as part of a karyomastigont) or course their way into the cell such that they form other structures like axostyles. , two support the sides of the feeding groove.
- Cell Covering: Naked; with excavate feeding groove.
- Chloroplasts: Not present.
- Food Reserves: Not reported.
- Mitochondria: Not present.
- Golgi (text with tooltip) Golgi apparatus (also called dictyosome) is an internal membrane system of stacked flattened sacs. They occur in nearly all eukaryotes and are involved in storing and secreting cellular products. : Present.
- Nucleus: Uninucleate.
- Centrioles: Not reported.
- Inclusions and Ejectile Organelles: Food vacuoles.
- B. Mitosis, Meiosis and Life History
- Mitosis: Unknown.
- Meiosis: Unknown.
- Sexual Reproduction and Life History:
- Unknown.
- C. Ecology: Free-living in anoxic, organically-rich mud; marine.
| LITERATURE CITED Cavalier-Smith, T. 2003b. The excavate protozoan phyla Metamonada Grasse emend. (Anaeromonadea, Parabasalia, Carpediemonas, Eopharyngia) and Loukozoa emend. (Jakobea, Malawimonas): their evolutionary affinities and new higher taxa. International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. 53:1741-1758. Ekebom, J., D. J. Patterson, and N. Vors. 1996. Heterotrophic flagellates from coral reef sediments (Great Barrier Reef, Australia). Archiv fur Protisenkunde. 146: 251-272. Patterson, D. J. 1999. The diversity of eukaryotes. American Naturalist. 154 (Suppl.): S96–S124. Simpson, A. G. B., and D. J. Patterson. 2001. On core jakobids and excavate taxa: the ultrastructure of: Jakoba incarcerata. Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology. 48: 480–492. Simpson, A. G. B., A. J. Roger, J. D. Silberman, D. D. Leipe, V. P. Edgcomb, L. S. Jermiin, D. J. Patterson, and M. L. Sogin. 2002. Evolutionary history of ‘early diverging’ eukaryotes: The excavate taxon Carpediemonas is close relative of Giardia. Mol. Biol. Evol. 19: 1782–1791. |
| By Jack R. Holt. Last revised: 02/12/2012 |
