 |
|
|
||||
| NAS - Nonindigenous Aquatic Species |
Translate this page with 
Common Name: diatom
Taxonomy: available through 
Identification: This centric diatom exhibits very stiff, thin, crystalline, and chitinous fibril appendages that attach to the pores of its valves (Herth and Zugenmaier 1977). In Lake Michigan, valves are almost flat to slightly concentrically undulate. In the region around the valve’s edge there are wide striae with chambers. In between there are costae arranged radially and terminating with a small spine near the edge of the valve. The openings in the costae merge into the central area of the valve, which displays 1–5 off-centre puncta (Stoermer and Yang 1969). C. cryptica can exhibit different morphologies depending on salinity. It can appear similar to C. meneghiniana. C. meneghiniana generally has thicker walls than the typical form of C. cryptica, and a region of costae and intercostae that is delimited from the central region (Reimann et al. 1963; Schultz 1971). The diameter of C. cryptica can range from 5–25 µm depending on environmental conditions. In Lake Michigan diameter ranges from 8–16 µm (Stoermer and Yang 1969; Reimann et al. 1963; Neumuller et al. 2002).
Size: 5-25 microns
Native Range:
Unknown. The distribution of C. cryptica is widespread (Mills et al. 1993).
| ||
 Alaska |
Hawaii |
Caribbean |
Interactive maps: Continental US, Alaska, Hawaii, Caribbean
Nonindigenous Occurrences: C. cryptica was recorded for the first time in Lake Michigan in 1964 and now also occurs in Lake Ontario, Lake Huron, Lake Erie, and the Sandusky River, which flows into Lake Erie (Lowe and Kline 1976; Mills et al. 1993).
Ecology: C. cryptica is a planktonic species first isolated from brackish water. It is also known to tolerate saltwater. It is typical of harbors in some parts of the Great Lakes where abnormally high chloride concentrations occur. It has been known to account for up to 18.5% of diatom abundance in the Oswego Harbor of Lake Ontario. It occurs at maximum abundance around 20°C (Stoermer and Yang 1969; Liu and Hellebust 1976; Stoermer and Ladewski 1976; Herth and Zugenmaier 1977; Makarewicz 1987; Mills et al. 1993).
In marine and brackish environments, C. cryptica requires NO3- as its source of nitrogen. It also requires Ni ions in order to grow autotrophically. It is capable of heterotrophic growth in the dark on glucose. This suggests it can survive in bottom waters or muds with high glucose content for extended periods of time. It probably recommences photoautotrophic growth higher in the water column when environmental conditions improve. It is known to grow mesotrophically as well (Reimann et al. 1963; White 1974; Oliveira and Antia 1984; Saros and Fritz 2000).
C. cryptica produces an exudate that has the ability to suppress growth responses of other species such as Skeletonema costatum in environments enriched by vitamin B-12 (Messina and Baker 1982).
C. cryptica can produce auxospores from vegetative cells. It can produce posteriorly flagellated male gamete stages (Schultz 1971; Hust et al. 1999).
Means of Introduction: C. cryptica was very likely introduced in ballast water (Mills et al. 1993).
Status: Established where recorded.
Impact of Introduction: Unknown.
Remarks:
References
Herth, W. and P. Zugenmaier. 1977. Ultrastructure of the chitin fibrils of the centric diatom Cyclotella cryptica. Journal of Ultrastructure Research 61(2):230-239.
Hust, M., W. E. Krumbein, and E. Rhiel. 1999. An immunochemical in situ approach to detect adaptation processes in the photosynthetic apparatus of diatoms of the Wadden Sea sediment surface layers. Journal of Microbiological Methods 38(1-2):69-80.
Liu, M. S. and J. A. Hellebust. 1976. Effects of salinity changes on growth and metabolism of the marine centric diatom Cyclotella cryptica. Canadian Journal of Botany 54(9):930-937.
Lowe, R. L. and P. A. Kline. 1976. Planktonic centric diatoms from the Sandusky River, Ohio, USA. Pp. 143-152 in D. B. Baker, W. B. Jackson, and B. L. Prater (eds.) International Reference Group on Great Lakes Pollution from Land Use Activities. Sandusky River Basin Symposium, Tiffin, Ohio, USA, May 2-3, 1975. US Government Printing Office: Washington, D.C. 475 pp.
Makarewicz, J. C. 1987. Phytoplankton composition, abundance, and distribution: nearshore Lake Ontario and Oswego River and Harbor. Journal of Great Lakes Research 13(1):56-64.
Messina, D. S. and A. L. Baker. 1982. Interspecific growth regulation in species succession through vitamin B-12 competitive inhibition. Journal of Plankton Research 4(1):41-46.
Mills, E. L., J. H. Leach, J. T. Carlton, and C. L. Secor. 1993. Exotic species in the Great Lakes: a history of biotic crises and anthropogenic introductions. Journal of Great Lakes Research 19(1):1-54.
Neumuller, M., A. Cunningham, and D. Mckee. 2002. Assessment of a microscopic photobleaching technique for measuring the spectral absorption efficiency of individual phytoplankton cells. Journal of Plankton Research 24(8):741-746.
Oliveira, L. and N. J. Antia. 1984. Evidence of nickel ion requirement for autotrophic growth of a marine diatom Cyclotella cryptica with urea serving as nitrogen source. British Phycological Journal 19(2):125-134.
Reimann, B. E. F., J. M. Lewin, and R. R. I. Guillard. 1963. Cyclotella cryptica, a new brackish water diatom species. Phycologia 3:76-84.
Saros, J. E. and S. C. Fritz. 2000. Nutrients as a link between ionic concentration/composition and diatom distributions in saline lakes. Journal of Paleolimnology 23:449-453.
Schultz, M. E. 1971. Salinity-related polymorphism in the brackish-water diatom Cyclotella cryptica. Canadian Journal of Botany 49:1285-1289.
Stoermer, E. F. and J. J. Yang. 1969. Plankton diatom assemblages in Lake Michigan. Great Lakes Research Division, University of Michigan, Special Report No. 47.
Stoermer, E. F. and T. B. Ladewski. 1976. Apparent optimal temperatures for the occurrence of some common phytoplankton species in southern Lake Michigan. Great Lakes Research Division, University of Michigan, Publication No. 18.
White, A. W. 1974. Growth of two facultatively heterotrophic marine centric diatoms. Journal of Phycology 10:292-300.
Author: Rebekah M. Kipp
Contributing Agencies: 
NOAA - GLERL
Revision Date: 6/28/2007 Citation for this information:
Rebekah M. Kipp. 2009. Cyclotella cryptica. USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database, Gainesville, FL.
<http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/FactSheet.asp?speciesID=1671> Revision Date: 6/28/2007
| AccessibilityFOIAPrivacyPolicies and Notices | |
  |
|