July 26, 2016
“The ocean is one of
those places that is the
archetype of that
combination of power and
fragility.”
SEA CREATURE
FACT OF THE WEEK
-Dr. Kathryn Sullivan
BUBBLE ALGAE
This salt-water algae, found throughout virtually every ocean in the world, can grow a single cell up
to 5 cm (2 inches) in diameter!
Throughout the tropics and subtropics of
the world’s oceans one can find a singlecelled, photosynthetic organism of
particular scientific interest. Light to dark
green and spherical or egg-shaped, this
species of algae distinguishes itself from
the rest. Valonia Ventricosa, commonly
referred to as a Sea Pearl due to its globelike thallus (vegetative tissue), contends to
be one of the largest single-celled
organisms in the sea. The algae uses
asexual reproduction, duplicating itself by
splitting its cells in two. This “bubble algae”
has proved increasingly useful in providing
researchers information on cellulose from
studying its cell walls. The algae anchors
SAILORS’ EYEBALLS
Also known as Sailors’ Eyeballs, Valonia
can grow up to 1.5 inches in length. Now
that’s a big eyeball!
itself with minute hair-like appendages
known as rhizoids, which give it a firm grasp
to the bed of crevices and depressions in
tidal zones. The deepest they have been
found is at 80 m (262 ft). Like all algae,
Valonia needs sunlight as well as CO2 and
water to photosynthesize.
NOT EXACTLY SINGLE-CELLED
While technically classified as single-celled,
this algae actually has multiple nuclei. The
entire cell contains several “domains,” with
each domain possessing a nucleus and a few
chloroplasts.