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Allogromia laticollaris : A Foraminiferan with an Unusual Apogamic Metagenic Life Cycle *
Author(s) -
ENERY MARIE E.,
LEE JOHN J.
Publication year - 1976
Publication title -
the journal of protozoology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.067
H-Index - 77
eISSN - 1550-7408
pISSN - 0022-3921
DOI - 10.1111/j.1550-7408.1976.tb05251.x
Subject(s) - multinucleate , ploidy , mitosis , strain (injury) , budding , biology , cell cycle , meiosis , cytoplasm , nucleus , biophysics , botany , microbiology and biotechnology , genetics , cell , anatomy , gene
SYNOPSIS. The life cycles of 3 strains of Allogromia laticollaris , a monothalamous foraminiferan, have been studied. Each of the strains had a different, nonclassical, and basically apogamic, life cycle. The Cold Spring Harbor (CSH) strain regularly alternated between 2 agamontic forms: agamont I (uninucleate and diploid) and agamont II (multinucleate and diploid). The complete life cycle took 26 days. Sexual reproduction was rare (0.01%) and autogamous. Small numbers of organisms also underwent budding, binary fission, and cytotomy. The life cycles of the Towd Point (TPA) and Sippewissett (SIP) strains were comparatively abbreviated. Agamont II dominated their typical life cycles, which were completed in 16‐18 days. The life cycle of SIP was basically a continuous cycling of the agamont II phase. Approximately 75% of the schizozoites of the TPA strain developed into agamont II. The other 25% alternated between agamont II and agamont I phase. In the CSH strain schizozoites with ∼ 8 (range 5‐15) nuclei characterized newly formed agamonts II. More nuclei (∼ 25) were found in the other 2 strains. The nuclei in young agamonts II underwent rapid morphologic changes leading to a “mushroom‐like” chromosome appearance and extensive RNA synthesis. Nucleolar material accumulated at the nuclear periphery and eventually was discharged to the cytoplasm. Karyokinesis took place without the breakdown of the nuclear membrane. The single nucleus of young agamont I forms was proportionally quite large. The S 1 phase occurred quite early (2‐5 days) in this part of the life cycle. RNA in the CSH strain formed a compact, subcortical, coarsely granular ring, while in the TPA it was cortical and differentiated into finely granular matrix with randomly distributed coarse granules. During the G 2 phase the nucleus became further enlarged and eventually amoeba‐form. Intermediate stages in nuclear breakdown were not found.