GROWTH PATTERN, STRUCTURE, REPRODUCTION AND PERENNATION IN GLOEOCAPSA DECORTICANS (A.BR.) RICHTER, CYANOPROCARYOTE

The presence of saccate, coloured and lamellated envelopes around individual cells and colonies is the characteristic feature of the genus Gloeocapsa. One strain of Gloeocapsa ACC # 10802, identified as G. decorticans collected from Roxburgh garden, department of Botany, University of Allahabad, was studied in detail. The strain has been grown in various nutrient culture media and it was found that in nitrogen and phosphate deficient medium, growth was slow and more mucilage is produced with hyaline concentric layers around individual cells and in nitrogen rich medium thallus size is much reduced due to less formation of mucilage, however cells are comparatively larger and dark blue-green in colour. It appears that species produce mucilage in the form of concentric layers hyaline or coloured, depending on nutrient and light conditions. The same is true for cells, which may be spherical or oblong depending on conditions. Binary fission 3 or more planes are the main method of reproduction and daughter cells grow in to original size and shape before next division takes place. As the nutrients get exhausted many cells start dying, but if it grows in enough liquid medium, there are certain cells which increase in size and surrounded by thick mucilage with dark green content and behave as perennating cells in nature. The perennating cells are large and under favourable conditions divide repeatedly to form young colonies.