A worldwide community photographing and learning about wildlife
Project Noah Nature School
Spirogyra
Spirogyra is a genus of filamentous green algae of the order Zygnematales, named for the helical or spiral arrangement of the chloroplasts that is diagnostic of the genus. It is commonly found in freshwater areas, and there are more than 400 species of Spirogyra in the world. Spirogyra measures approximately 10 to 100μm in width and may stretch centimeters long.
Spirogyra is very common in relatively clean eutrophic water, developing slimy filamentous green masses. In spring Spirogyra grows under water, but when there is enough sunlight and warmth they produce large amounts of oxygen, adhering as bubbles between the tangled filaments.
Spotted on Mar 3, 2013
Submitted on Apr 4, 2014
4 Comments
That is awesome!
Magnificent. What a beautiful world at this scale. I suppose the mathematics behind these spirals would be fascinating. Thanks!
Updated :)
Beautiful. Can you tell us something about it? Is is a land-based thing or from a stream or pond or lake? What size are we looking at here?