Flagellum stuck to a particle

A round green flagellate cannot move because one of its two flagella is stuck to a particle. Soon it breaks free and swim away.

Commentary by Prof. Yuji Tsukii, Hosei University
This organism belongs to genus Chlamydomonas.

http://protist.i.hosei.ac.jp/PDB/Im.....

Based on the large pyrenoid in the rear end of the cytoplasm, the organism should be classified into the group of Euchlamydomonas in genus Chlamydomonas.

http://protist.i.hosei.ac.jp/PDB/Im.....

Judging from its round cell and the straight lines regularly arranged in the chloroplast, there are three likely possibilities. If the papilla (the bulge at the root of the flagella) is absent, the organism is likely to be Chlamydomonas fottii King 1972（syn.: Chlamydomonas contexa Nygaard 1977）;　whereas if the papilla is present, the organism may be Chlamydomonas pseudomicrosphaera King 1972, or Chlamydomonas subanguliformis Ettl 1979. However, the presence or absence of papilla cannot be confirmed in this video, and therefore it is difficult to say which of the above three species this organism belongs to.

Sampling Date : 09 August 2009

Sampling Site : Hirose River B  Google Map