Cyanobacteria?

[EricS]

Hi there,


I hope you can help me out with this pellucid mucus found on a rotten log of hardwood. At first sight it resembles a Tremella spec. (Fungi, Heterobasidiomycetes) like T. fuciformis or an unpigmented form of T. mesenterica.

However under the microscope there were no fungal structures such as hyphae, basidia etc. Instead we found spherical (coenobia) and filamentous colonies, some of them obviously containing chlorophylls. I've already read that some cyanobacteria secrete mucus as can be seen in Nostoc.

What do you think? Are these organisms shown on the photographs cyanobacteria as well?


Thank you in advance an best wishes from Germany*,
Eric

*might be an explanation of my crude English

[Ken Ramos]

Your images are quite interesting Eric. I am not expert on fungi but have viewed a few through the microscope and your second image seems to be a fungal filament of some sort. As for the third or last one there seems to be a couple of microspora, above left in the photo. As for the spherical objects they could quite possibly be an algae. I would have to research them on another site to be sure and then it may not have them either. I have taken algae scrapings from decaying wood and usually the specimens are spherical cells and not linked in any particular way as to form filaments or chains but that is not to say you would not find such. It is just that I have not seen any. Cyanos on the other hand sometimes will, Nostoc as you mentioned are round and do form chains. Cyanos get their green and blue green appearance from pigments mostly, some may even have red pigments scattered about the cells. There is a site that deals primarily with Cyanobacteria and has an extensive gallery of them. I just can't think of it right now. Cyanosite or something like that, I am not sure. But give it a search!

[Ken Ramos]

You may want to take a look at this link: http://www.keweenawalgae.mtu.edu/ALGAL_PAGES/trebouxiophyceae.htm The first several images may interest you.

And I was corret on the the other site being "Cyanosite." You may want to look at it too.

[EricS]

You may want to take a look at this link: http://www.keweenawalgae.mtu.edu/ALGAL_PAGES/trebouxiophyceae.htm The first several images may interest you.

And I was corret on the the other site being "Cyanosite." You may want to look at it too.

Yeah, thank you very much, Ken. I've already browsed cyanosite some days ago to find at least some pictures to compare with. Not being familiar with these organisms (I like fungi much better), I just wonder where the mucus comes from. The jelly fungi (Tremellales) or any other fungus with a gelatinous basidio-/ascocarp I've viewed through the microscope yet looked completely different. Well, we'll see...

Eric

[damien james]

You could try a selective or differential media to culture the bacteria to see what it is. Some cyanobacteria are not good to use with agar though so you can try a different medium.

[lara]

hi Eric
well i'm not sure of the identity but i would like to share somethin
cyanos secrete mucus if they are Nitrogen fixers so that they may protect the nitrogenase enzyme.i dunno if this helps u in anyway.
BYE

[EricS]

I thank you for your replies, Lara and Damien. I guess this problem has to be solved in the future by a more detailed study (instead of just taking pictures), maybe with an attempt of cultivation.

I think this case is closed for now and want to thank you all for your help.

Best wishes,
Eric