Monosiphonous growth and cell-death in an unusual Bostrychia (Rhodomelaceae, Rhodophyta): B. anomala sp. nov.

John A. west,Susan Loiseaux de Goër,Giuseppe C. Zuccarello 한국조류학회I 2013 ALGAE Vol.28 No.2

A morphologically distinct lineage within the Bostrychia moritziana-B. radicans species complex is described as a new species. Bostrychia anomala has thalli with branched monosiphonous filaments with apical cell divisions. The species has terminal tetrasporangial stichidia, each subtending cell bearing tetrasporangia with 2 cover cells. Discharged spores divide transversely, the lower cell first forming a narrow rhizoid and the upper cell forming a monosiphonous shoot. Females have subterminal procarps and males have terminal spermatangial stichidia. Carposporophytes are spherical. Isolates in culture show a pattern of cell death not associated with injury, reminiscent of programmed cell death. Bostrychia anomola shows cell death at intervals along the filaments resulting in division of adjacent cells on either side of the dead cell re-joining the filament; cell division of only one adjacent cell resulting in branching at that site; or filaments fragmenting at the cell death point with adjacent cells forming new apical cells, a means of thallus propagation. The cell death pattern could be a method of filament propagation in the mangrove environment where sexual reproduction is rare.

Caloglossa beccarii (Delesseriaceae, Rhodophyta) from freshwater rivers in Kerala, India, a critical new record

John A. west,Mitsunobu Kamiya,E. K. Ganesan,Susan Louiseaux-de Goër,L. Jose 한국조류학회I 2015 ALGAE Vol.30 No.3

Caloglossa species occurs in freshwater streams around Southest Asia. We report it from 2 different riverine sites in Kerala, India. Tetrasporangiate plants were observed in field collections from the Periyar River and Chalakkudy River. The Chalakkudy isolate did not reproduce in culture but the Periyar isolate developed abundant tetrasporangial sori in culture. Many spores were discharged and most were abortive, but some germinated normally, sporelings forming male gametophytes with numerous spermatangial sori and females with many procarps, viable carposporophytes and some nonfunctional (no carpospores) pseudocystocarps. Some carpospores germinated forming new tetrasporophytes. Molecular evidence (28S rDNA and rbcL) placed the Indian specimens close to C. beccarii and C. fluviatilis. Considering the freshwater habitat and morphology of vegetative thalli (blade shape, rhizoid arrangement, and number of rhizoid filament per cell), the Indian specimens should be assigned to C. beccarii.

Caloglossa beccarii (Delesseriaceae, Rhodophyta) from freshwater rivers in Kerala, India, a critical new record

West, John A.,Kamiya, Mitsunobu,Ganesan, E.K.,Louiseaux-de Goer, Susan,Jose, L. The Korean Society of Phycology 2015 ALGAE Vol.30 No.3

Caloglossa species occurs in freshwater streams around Southest Asia. We report it from 2 different riverine sites in Kerala, India. Tetrasporangiate plants were observed in field collections from the Periyar River and Chalakkudy River. The Chalakkudy isolate did not reproduce in culture but the Periyar isolate developed abundant tetrasporangial sori in culture. Many spores were discharged and most were abortive, but some germinated normally, sporelings forming male gametophytes with numerous spermatangial sori and females with many procarps, viable carposporophytes and some nonfunctional (no carpospores) pseudocystocarps. Some carpospores germinated forming new tetrasporophytes. Molecular evidence (28S rDNA and rbcL) placed the Indian specimens close to C. beccarii and C. fluviatilis. Considering the freshwater habitat and morphology of vegetative thalli (blade shape, rhizoid arrangement, and number of rhizoid filament per cell), the Indian specimens should be assigned to C. beccarii.

New Techniques for Fabrication of Flexible Plastic LCD's

West, John.L.,Novotny, Grea R.,Fisch, Michael R.,Heinman, David The Korean Infomation Display Society 2001 Journal of information display Vol.2 No.4

We report simple techniques to manufacture low-powered, high-resolution, reflective cholesteric displays using flexible plastic substrates. We use wax transfer printing to replace photo-lithography and incorporate polymer walls to increase the mechanical strength and lifetime of the displays. These printing methods can easily be adapted to roll-to-roll production.

Mechanism of Formation of Three Dimensional Structures of Particles in a Liquid Crystal

West, John L.,Zhang, Ke,Liao, Guangxun,Reznikov, Yuri,Andrienko, Denis,Glushchenko, Anatoliy V. The Korean Infomation Display Society 2002 Journal of information display Vol.3 No.3

In this work we report methods of formation of three-dimensional structures of particles in a liquid crystal host. We found that, under the appropriate conditions, the particles are captured and dragged by the moving isotropic/nematic front during the phase transition process. This movement of the particles can be enhanced significantly or suppressed drastically with the influence of an electric field and/or with changing the conditions of the phase transition, such as the rate of cooling. As a result, a wide variety of particle structures can be obtained ranging from a fine-grained cellular structure to stripes of varying periods to a course-grained "root" structures. Changing the properties of the materials, such as the size and density of the particles and the surface anchoring of the liquid crystal at the particle surface, can also be used to control the morphology of the three-dimensional particle network and adjust the physical properties of the resulting dispersions. These particle structures may be used to affect the performance of LCD's much as polymers have been used in the past.

Reproduction of Rhodochorton purpureum from Jeju Island, Korea and SanJuan Island, Washington, USA in Laboratory Culture

West, Kathryn A.,West, John A.,Lee, Yong-Pil The Korean Society of Phycology 2006 ALGAE Vol.21 No.1

Rhodochorton purpureum 4187 from Jeju Island, Korea may have a sexual life history similar to that seen by other investigators working on other strains around the world. In culture short days (8:16, 11:13, 12:12 LD) at 10-15°C induced tetrasporogenesis. Discharged spores were observed with time lapse videomicroscopy. They showed a slight amoeboid movement for 2-3 minutes before rounding up and settling. Tetrasporelings develop into male and female gametophytes. No fertilisation was observed. Tetrasporangia often were borne on carpogonial clusters of females but no discharged spores were seen. Isolate 4241 from San Juan I., Washington, USA grew well in most conditions tested but did not reproduce in short days (8:16, 11:13, 12:12 LD) at 10-15°C.

Rosenvingea orientalis (Scytosiphonaceae, Phaeophyceae) from Chiapas, Mexico: life history in culture and molecular phylogeny

West, John A.,Zuccarello, Giuseppe C.,Pedroche, Francisco F.,De Goer, Susan Loiseaux The Korean Society of Phycology 2010 ALGAE Vol.25 No.4

The genus Rosenvingea is well known in the tropics. Four species have been reported from Pacific Mexico: R. floridana, R. antillarum, R. intricata and R. sanctae-crucis. We collected a plant (Boca del Cielo, Chiapas) that we identified as Rosenvingea orientalis, a species not previously reported from Pacific Mexico. We were able to characterize the life cycle of this species for the first time in laboratory culture. It reproduced exclusively by plurilocular sporangia (plurangia). The mature plants were up to 6 cm long with cylindrical to compressed fronds (to 2 mm wide) with dichotomous branches in the upper half of the thallus. The medulla was hollow with 2-3 layers of large inflated colourless cells at the periphery. The cortex was comprised of 1 layer of small cells, each with a single chloroplast and pyrenoid. Linear plurangial sori with phaeophycean hairs formed along the mature fronds. Zoospore germlings developed into prostrate filamentous systems, each with a single phaeophycean hair that gave rise to a single erect shoot with multiple hairs arising near the tip. Molecular phylogeny using the psaA gene placed this isolate within the Scytosiphonaceae. It does not confirm the exact identification of R. orientalis, although its placement close to other Rosenvingea sequences was confirmed and morphological evidence supports its placement in R. orientalis. Our culture investigations indicated that it has an asexual life cycle. Further collections are needed to resolve the full generic and specific relationships of Rosenvingea and related taxa, and their reproductive patterns.

Rosenvingea orientalis (Scytosiphonaceae, Phaeophyceae) from Chiapas, Mexico: life history in culture and molecular phylogeny

John A. West,Giuseppe C. Zuccarello,Francisco F. Pedroche,Susan Loiseaux de Goër 한국조류학회I 2010 ALGAE Vol.25 No.4

The genus Rosenvingea is well known in the tropics. Four species have been reported from Pacific Mexico: R. floridana,R. antillarum, R. intricata and R. sanctae-crucis. We collected a plant (Boca del Cielo, Chiapas) that we identified as Rosenvingea orientalis, a species not previously reported from Pacific Mexico. We were able to characterize the life cycle of this species for the first time in laboratory culture. It reproduced exclusively by plurilocular sporangia (plurangia). The mature plants were up to 6 cm long with cylindrical to compressed fronds (to 2 mm wide) with dichotomous branches in the upper half of the thallus. The medulla was hollow with 2-3 layers of large inflated colourless cells at the periphery. The cortex was comprised of 1 layer of small cells, each with a single chloroplast and pyrenoid. Linear plurangial sori with phaeophycean hairs formed along the mature fronds. Zoospore germlings developed into prostrate filamentous systems, each with a single phaeophycean hair that gave rise to a single erect shoot with multiple hairs arising near the tip. Molecular phylogeny using the psaA gene placed this isolate within the Scytosiphonaceae. It does not confirm the exact identification of R. orientalis, although its placement close to other Rosenvingea sequences was confirmed and morphological evidence supports its placement in R. orientalis. Our culture investigations indicated that it has an asexual life cycle. Further collections are needed to resolve the full generic and specific relationships of Rosenvingea and related taxa, and their reproductive patterns.

Observations on some mangrove-associated algae from the western Pacific (Guam, Chuuk, Kosrae, and Pohnpei)

John A. west,Mitsunobu Kamiya,Susan Loiseaux de Goër,Ulf Karsten,Giuseppe C. Zuccarello 한국조류학회I 2013 ALGAE Vol.28 No.3

The mangrove algal flora of Guam and the Federated States of Micronesia has been poorly explored. We add to our knowledge of this region by observations of collections from these regions. This paper presents new and additional records of: Rhodophyta-Acrochaetium globosum, Colaconema sp., Caulacanthus indicus, Bostrychia moritziana / B. radicans, B. radicosa, B. simpliciuscula, B. kelanensis and B. tenella, Murrayella periclados, and Caloglossa ogasawaraensis; Chlorophyta-Boodleopsis carolinensis; and Phaeophyceae-Dictyota adnata, Dictyotopsis propagulifera, and Canistrocarpus cervicornis. Most specimens were cultured to investigate their reproductive biology and many specimens were further identified using molecular data. Low molecular weight carbohydrates (dulcitol, sorbitol, and digeneaside) were identified in samples of B. radicosa and B. simpliciuscula. We also present data on manganese-rich deposits found on B. simpliciuscula and B. tenella in culture, possibly formed by epiphytic bacteria.

A new species of Bangiopsis: B. franklynottii sp. nov. (Stylonematophyceae, Rhodophyta) from Australia and India and comments on the genus

West, John A.,de Goer, Susan Loiseaux,Zuccarello, Giuseppe C. The Korean Society of Phycology 2014 ALGAE Vol.29 No.2

Small red algae, especially those previously referred to as 'primitive' are often overlooked, but can be quite abundant. These 'primitive' red algae are now placed in several classes distinct from the Florideophyceae, for example the Stylonematophyceae. A brownish-red filamentous alga was collected from a sandy tide pool at Cape Tribulation, Queensland, Australia. Cultured specimens were identified as Bangiopsis and conformed to the morphological characters of the genus (multicellular base, erect filaments branched or unbranched, uniseriate to multiseriate-tubular, single multilobed purple-red to red-brown plastid with central pyrenoid, vegetative cells released directly as spores). Molecular data of two plastid genes (rbcL, psbA) support placement of the Australian isolate and isolates from India in Bangiopsis. The genetic variation between these isolates and isolates from Puerto Rico previously attributed to B. subsimplex indicates that these should be considered as a separate species. As the type locality is in the Atlantic Ocean, French Guiana, and not far from Puerto Rico, and the Puerto Rican isolate has been used often in phylogenetic analyses, we propose that the Indian and Pacific Ocean isolates be designated a new species, B. franklynottii, to acknowledge Ott's many years of research on inconspicuous freshwater and marine red algae. Our research also highlights the lack of careful descriptions in many of the records of this genus and the lack of morphological characters to distinguish species. Especially within the morphologically simple red algae, morphological distinctness does not necessarily reflect evolutionary divergences.