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Nostoc, also known as star jelly, troll's butter, spit of moon, fallen star, witch's butter (not to be confused with the fungi commonly known as witches' butter), and witch's jelly, is the most common genus of cyanobacteria found in a variety of both aquatic and terrestrial environments that may form colonies composed of filaments of moniliform cells in a gelatinous sheath of polysaccharides. [1]
The Nostocaceae are a family of cyanobacteria that forms filament-shaped colonies enclosed in mucus or a gelatinous sheath. Some genera in this family are found primarily in fresh water (such as Nostoc), while others are found primarily in salt water (such as Nodularia).
The Nostocales are an order of cyanobacteria containing most of its species. It includes filamentous forms, both simple or branched, and both those occurring as single strands or multiple strands within a sheath.
Heterocysts or heterocytes are specialized nitrogen-fixing cells formed during nitrogen starvation by some filamentous cyanobacteria, such as Nostoc, Cylindrospermum, and Anabaena. [1] They fix nitrogen from dinitrogen (N 2 ) in the air using the enzyme nitrogenase , in order to provide the cells in the filament with nitrogen for biosynthesis.
Nostoc commune. Nostoc commune is found in many countries around the world. It is able to survive in extreme conditions in polar regions and arid areas. It is a terrestrial or freshwater species and forms loose clumps on soil, gravel and paved surfaces, among mosses and between cobbles. [1]
Nostoc parmelioides is a species of cyanobacterium in the family Nostocaceae. It is notable for its symbiosis with a midge larva, Cricotopus nostocicola . [ 1 ]
Anabaena is a genus of filamentous cyanobacteria that exist as plankton.They are known for nitrogen-fixing abilities, and they form symbiotic relationships with certain plants, such as the mosquito fern.
Nostoc pruniforme (Mare's eggs) are a species of cyanobacterium. These freshwater bacteria grow in colonies which take the form of dark green, gelatinous spheres with a smooth surface like a plum. It is common and widely distributed both geographically and ecologically in oligotrophic and mesotrophic freshwaters in temperate and sub-Arctic regions.