Cryptothallus
Encyclopedia
Cryptothallus is a genus
of liverworts
in the family
Aneuraceae
. The plants are small, and are white to pale green as a result of lacking chlorophyll
. The morphology
of Cryptothallus is very similar to that of Aneura. As a result, Renzaglia, has suggested it may be considered "merely as an achlorophyllous species of Aneura." Wickett and Goffinet have argued the same position on the basis of sequences of nuclear, mitochondrial, and plastid DNA.
Species of Cryptothallus are subterranean myco-heterotrophs
that obtain their nutrients from the ectomycorrhizal
fungi
growing among their tissues rather than from photosynthesis
. It is the only genus of bryophyte
known with this combination of characteristics. The infecting fungus is a basidiomycete, which is also the case in fungi associated with the related genera Aneura and Riccardia. However, this is not the case for other members of the Metzgeriales
that have been studied.
There are two species known for the genus. Cryptothallus mirabilis
is entirely white, and grows in bogs near birch
trees. It was first described as a separate genus in 1933, and has been found in locations across northern Europe
, and once in Greenland
. The second species, Cryptothallus hirsutus was discovered in 1977 in Costa Rica
, and first published as a new species in 1996.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of liverworts
Marchantiophyta
The Marchantiophyta are a division of bryophyte plants commonly referred to as hepatics or liverworts. Like other bryophytes, they have a gametophyte-dominant life cycle, in which cells of the plant carry only a single set of genetic information....
in the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Aneuraceae
Aneuraceae
Aneuraceae is a family of thallose liverworts in the order Metzgeriales. Most species are very small with narrow, branching thalli....
. The plants are small, and are white to pale green as a result of lacking chlorophyll
Chlorophyll
Chlorophyll is a green pigment found in almost all plants, algae, and cyanobacteria. Its name is derived from the Greek words χλωρος, chloros and φύλλον, phyllon . Chlorophyll is an extremely important biomolecule, critical in photosynthesis, which allows plants to obtain energy from light...
. The morphology
Plant morphology
Plant morphology or phytomorphology is the study of the physical form and external structure of plants. This is usually considered distinct from plant anatomy, which is the study of the internal structure of plants, especially at the microscopic level...
of Cryptothallus is very similar to that of Aneura. As a result, Renzaglia, has suggested it may be considered "merely as an achlorophyllous species of Aneura." Wickett and Goffinet have argued the same position on the basis of sequences of nuclear, mitochondrial, and plastid DNA.
Species of Cryptothallus are subterranean myco-heterotrophs
Myco-heterotrophy
Myco-heterotrophy is a symbiotic relationship between certain kinds of plants and fungi, in which the plant gets all or part of its food from parasitism upon fungi rather than from photosynthesis. A myco-heterotroph is the parasitic plant partner in this relationship...
that obtain their nutrients from the ectomycorrhizal
Mycorrhiza
A mycorrhiza is a symbiotic association between a fungus and the roots of a vascular plant....
fungi
Fungus
A fungus is a member of a large group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds , as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, Fungi, which is separate from plants, animals, and bacteria...
growing among their tissues rather than from photosynthesis
Photosynthesis
Photosynthesis is a chemical process that converts carbon dioxide into organic compounds, especially sugars, using the energy from sunlight. Photosynthesis occurs in plants, algae, and many species of bacteria, but not in archaea. Photosynthetic organisms are called photoautotrophs, since they can...
. It is the only genus of bryophyte
Bryophyte
Bryophyte is a traditional name used to refer to all embryophytes that do not have true vascular tissue and are therefore called 'non-vascular plants'. Some bryophytes do have specialized tissues for the transport of water; however since these do not contain lignin, they are not considered to be...
known with this combination of characteristics. The infecting fungus is a basidiomycete, which is also the case in fungi associated with the related genera Aneura and Riccardia. However, this is not the case for other members of the Metzgeriales
Metzgeriales
Metzgeriales is an order of liverworts. The group is sometimes called the simple thalloid liverworts: "thalloid" because the members lack structures resembling stems or leaves, and "simple" because their tissues are thin and relatively undifferentiated. All species in the order have a small...
that have been studied.
There are two species known for the genus. Cryptothallus mirabilis
Cryptothallus mirabilis
Cryptothallus mirabilis is a species of liverworts in the family Aneuraceae, and was first described in 1933. Plants of this species are white as a result of lacking chlorophyll, and their plastids do not differentiate into chloroplasts...
is entirely white, and grows in bogs near birch
Birch
Birch is a tree or shrub of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. The Betula genus contains 30–60 known taxa...
trees. It was first described as a separate genus in 1933, and has been found in locations across northern Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, and once in Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
. The second species, Cryptothallus hirsutus was discovered in 1977 in Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
, and first published as a new species in 1996.
External links
- Huldremossa Aneura mirabilis (Cryptothallus mirabilis), a short article (in Swedish) with color photographs