Living Beings
Volvox carteri.png · Resized and converted to WebP for display. Documentary organism photograph; source identification retained. AI-generated illustration. Photo courtesy of Aurora M. Nedelcu, from the Volvocales Information Project ( http://www.unbf.ca/vip/index.htm ). · CC BY 3.0
Field guide · species
Volvox carteri
F.Stein
Volvox carteri is a multicellular green alga whose spherical colonies divide work between motile somatic cells and larger reproductive cells. It is a model for investigating how multicellular organization evolves.
Public research profile · final editorial review pending.
Tree of lifeScientific lineage
- LifeLife
- DomainEukaryota
- KingdomViridiplantae
- PhylumChlorophyta
- ClassChlorophyceae
- OrderChlamydomonadales
- FamilyVolvocaceae
- GenusVolvox
- SpeciesVolvox carteri
Advanced classification
Complete source lineage, including intermediate ranks. The standard view uses Life and the eight principal ranks.
- cellular organisms cellular root
- Eukaryota domain
- Viridiplantae kingdom
- Chlorophyta phylum
- core chlorophytes clade
- Chlorophyceae class
- CS clade clade
- Chlamydomonadales order
- Volvocaceae family
- Volvox genus
- Volvox carteri species
Structure and identification
Many small cells form the surface of a spheroid held together by extracellular material. Larger developing daughter spheroids can be visible inside.
Habitat and range
A freshwater organism. The cited field study established cultures from water samples collected in northern Taiwan.
Nutrition and metabolism
Green cells carry out photosynthesis, using light to support growth.
Biological activity
Surface cells contribute to movement and responses to light, while reproductive cells have a different developmental role.
Reproduction and life cycle
Reproductive cells generate new spheroids during asexual growth. Sexual development introduces male and female forms, with variation documented among natural strains.
Geographic distribution
Natural populations are documented in Taiwan as well as previously studied Japanese material. Laboratory strains do not define the entire species range.
Distinctive adaptations
Specialization of cell types illustrates division of labor within a single multicellular lineage. As a green alga it belongs within the source-backed green-plant lineage, not an invented catch-all kingdom.
Evidence
Sources
- Volvox carteri · NCBI Taxonomy ↗www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Volvox carteri · Biological reference ↗pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Volvox carteri · Biological reference ↗pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Connected life
Relationships
No reviewed ecological connections in the collection yet.
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