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Ebria tripartita

Classification
General Flagellate
Description
Shape Half-sphere
Size Diameter 30 - 40 μm
Colour Colourless
Connection None
Covering None (but with internal silica skeleton)
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Flagellum (plural: flagella)

A tail-like projection that sticks out from the cell body and enables movement.

Flagella		 Two
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Chloroplast

An organelle in the cell that contains the cell pigments (Horner 2002). This is where photosynthesis occurs. A chloroplast is a specialized chromatophore.

Chloroplast		 None
Behaviour
Lifestyle Close

Phagotrophic

Describing an organism that feeds by engulfing its food items. Once surrounded, a food particle is then ingested inside a vacuole. Many flagellates are phagotrophs.

Phagotrophic. Asexual.
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Bloom

A rapid increase or accumulation of algal populations in an aquatic system. This will likely involve one or a few dominant phytoplankton species. This follows seasonal patterns (i.e., spring, summer or fall bloom) with dominant species being those that are best adapted to the environmental conditions of that time period. Discolouration of the water may be observed because of the algae's pigmentation. Blooms are often green but may be yellow-brown or red depending on the species present.

Bloom		 Information not available
Harmful effects None known
Distribution
Habitat Close

Neritic

Describing shallow, near-shore areas and the organisms that live there. Refers to shallow marine waters ranging from the low tide mark to the continental shelf. Varying amounts of sunlight penetrate the water, allowing photosynthesis by both phytoplankton and bottom-dwelling organisms. Close proximity to land favours high nutrient content and biological activity (Encyclopedia Britannica 2011).

Neritic to oceanic
Geographic Cold to temperate waters
Seasonal Information not available
Growth Conditions
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Salinity

The dissolved ion content of a body of water. Can be measured in the following units: parts per thousand (PPT or ‰), practical salinity units (PSU), and absolute salinity (g/kg). PPT is measured by weight, denoting the number of parts salt per thousand total parts or a value of 10-3. PSU measures the conductivity of saltwater and compares it in a ratio to a standard KCl solution (because this is a ratio, salinity measured in this way can also be written without units). The newest unit of salinity is absolute salinity, which uses the mass fraction of salt in seawater (g salt per kg seawater) rather than its conductivity (TEOS-20 2010).

Salinity		 18 - 38
Temperature -2 - 24 °C

Synonym(s)

None.

Classification

Empire Eukaryota
Kingdom Protozoa
Subkingdom
Infrakingdom
Phylum Uncertain (proposed Cercozoa by Hoppenrath and Leander 2006)
Subphylum
Class Ebriophyceae
Subclass
Order Ebriales
Family Ebriaceae
Genus Ebria
Species E. tripartita (Schumann) Lemmermann 1899

(Guiry and Guiry 2012)

Lifestyle

Phagotrophic (Hargraves 2002). Reproduction involves formation of daughter skeletons before cell division (Horner 2002).

Description

Cells are solitary and roughly hemispherical in shape. Cells have a distinctive internal silica skeleton with three main circular openings. Two flagella are present. Live cells move in a "wobbly and irregular" fashion (Horner 2002). Cells are colourless.

Measurements

Diameter: 30 - 40 μm

Similar species

None.

Harmful effects

None known.

Habitat

Neritic to oceanic (Horner 2002). Also found in Close

Estuary

The area where a river meets the ocean. Often characterized by high sediments, high nutrient levels, salinity fluctuations and tidal mixing.

estuaries and inland saline lakes (Ernisse and McCartney 1993, cited in Westman 2000).

Distribution

Geographic:
Cold to temperate regions (Horner 2002).
Seasonal:
Information not available.
Local:
Information not available.

Growth conditions

Can form blooms under a wide temperature range (Rhodes and Gibson 1981).

Environmental Ranges

Depth range (m): 0 - 265
Temperature range (°C): -1.859 - 23.653
Nitrate (μmol L-1): 0.349 - 9.600
Salinity: 17.940 - 37.775
Oxygen (mL L-1): 4.947 - 8.948
Phosphate (μmol L-1): 0.051 - 1.164
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Silicic acid

A general term to describe chemical compounds containing silicon, oxygen and hydrogen with a general formula of [SiOx(OH)4-2x]n. Diatoms polymerize silicic acid into biogenic silica to form their frustules (Azam and Chisholm 1976).

Silicate (μmol L-1): 1.595 - 29.876
(OBIS 2012, cited in EOL 2012)

Bloom characteristics

Information not available.

References

Encyclopedia of Life (EOL). 2012. Ebria tripartita. http://eol.org/pages/898673/overview. Accessed 21 Jan 2012.

Ernisse, J. and McCartney, K. 1993. Ebridians. In: Lipps, J. H. (ed.) Fossil prokaryotes and protists. Blackwell, Cambridge, MA, USA. 131-140.

Guiry, M. D. and Guiry, G. M. 2012. Ebria tripartita (Schumann) Lemmermann. http://www.algaebase.org/search/species/detail/?species_id=56482. Accessed 21 Jan 2012.

Hargraves, P. E. 2002. The ebridian flagellates Ebria and Hermesinum. Plankton Biology and Ecology. 49(1): 9-16.

Horner, R. A. 2002. A Taxonomic Guide To Some Common Phytoplankton. Biopress Limited, Dorset Press, Dorchester, UK. 200.

Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS). 2012. Ebria tripartita. http://www.iobis.org/mapper/?taxon_id=436987. Accessed 21 Jan 2012.

Rhodes, R. G. and Gibson, V. R. 1981. An annual survey of Hermesinum adriaticum and Ebria tripartita, two Ebridian algae in the lower Chesapeake Bay. Estuaries. 4(2): 150-152.

Westman, P. 2000. The siliceous microalgae Dictyocha speculum and Ebria tripartita as biomarkers and palaeoecological indicators in Holocene Baltic Sea sediments. Geological Society in Stockholm (GFF). 122(3): 287-292.