Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Chlamydomonas reinhardtii or Green yeast is a single celled green alga about 10 micrometres in diameter which swims with two flagella. See Chlamydomonas.

These algae are common and are found in soil, fresh water and oceans. They have a cell wall, a chloroplast and an "eye" that perceives light.

Cells of the reinhardtii species are haploid, the diploid zygote undergoes meiosis and releases four haploid cells that resume the vegetative life cycle.

Chlamydomonas is used as a model organism for research on fundamental questions in cell and molecular biology such as:

• how do cells move?
• how do cells respond to light?
• how do cells recognize one another?

External links

• Chlamydomonas frequently asked questions