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Concept
Desmidiales
Summary
Desmidiales, commonly called the desmids (Gr. desmos, bond or chain), are an order in the Charophyta, a division of green algae in which the land plants (Embryophyta) emerged. Desmids consist of single-celled (sometimes filamentous or colonial) microscopic green algae. Because desmids are highly symmetrical, attractive, and come in a diversity of forms, they are popular subjects for microscopists, both amateur and professional.
The desmids belong to the class Zygnematophyceae. Although they are sometimes grouped together as a single family Desmidiaceae, most classifications recognize three to five families, usually within their own order, Desmidiales.
The Desmidiales comprise around 40 genera and 5,000 to 6,000 species, found mostly but not exclusively in fresh water. In general, desmids prefer acidic waters (pH between 4.8 and 7.0), so many species may be found in the fissures between patches of sphagnum moss in marshes. As desmids are sensitive to changes in their environments, they are useful as bioindicators for water and habitat quality.
The term "desmid" typically refers to a group of microscopic, mostly single-celled algae in the class Zygnematophyceae. Within the desmids, a distinction is typically made between "saccoderm" and "placoderm" desmids. Saccoderm desmids, corresponding to the family Mesotaeniaceae in the order Zygnematales, consist of cells that are unconstricted at the middle, lack median suture lines, and do not have mucilage-secreting pores in the cell wall. Meanwhile, placoderm desmids, corresponding to the order Desmidiales, consist of cells with two symmetrical halves, and mucilage-secreting pores in the cell wall. Here, the term "desmids" and "placoderm desmids" will be used interchangeably to refer to the Desmidiales.
The structure of these algae is unicellular, and lacks flagella. Although most desmid species are unicellular, some genera form chains of cells, called filaments. A few genera form non-filamentous colonies, with individual cells connected by threads or remnants of parent cell walls.
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