Dissertations and Theses @ UNI
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Open Access Thesis
Keywords
Eudorina; Pandorina;
Abstract
Preliminary observations of Eudorina cultures verified the presence of morphologically distinct forms of these colonial flagellates. Colonies were observed which contained fewer than the sixteen, thirty-two or sixty-four cells given as the definitive taxonomic characteristic of Eudorina. Some of these colonies were more compactly arranged with a reduction in the amount of inter-cellular matrix present. It was the purpose of this study (1) to determine whether differences could be detected in the biochemical composition of small compact Eudorina species and of Pandorina species and (2) to determine whether biochemical differences could be detected between the small and the larger forms of Eudorina. Whole Eudorina and amino acid and protein hydrolysates of Eudorina and Pandorina were analyzed by two-dimensional separation with paper chromatography. The solvent pairs used were: (1) n-butyl alcoholacetic acid-water (450:50:125, v/v/v) as the first solvent and n-butyl alcohol-methyl ethyl ketone-water (2:2:1, v/v/v) as the second solvent and (2) ethyl alcohol-tertiary butyl alcohol (58 percent, v/v)- ammonium hydroxide-water (60:20:5:15, v/v/v/v) as the first solvent and tertiary butyl alcohol-88 percent (w/v) formic acid-water (14:3:3, v/v/v) as the second solvent. Chromatograms were sprayed with a five percent solution of ninhydrin in butyl alcohol, and the locations and colors of the resulting ninhydrin positive patterns were analyzed. Chromatograms of ethyl alcohol extracts showed a distinct separation of proteins and amino acids. The distinct contrast between the ninhydrin positive patterns on chromatograms of small compact Eudorina and of Pandorina supported the hypothesis that the similarity between the two forms is morphological and not biochemical. Comparison of chromatograms of ethyl alcohol extracts of small and of larger forms of Eudorina showed no definite similarities in the locations and Rf values of ninhydrin positive spots, Chromatography of whole organisms produced a less distinct separation of ninhydrin positive spots and bands. Precise analysis of these patterns could not be made. Comparison of the results of this study with the results of related studies suggests that the differences in chromatographic patterns produced by the morphologically distinct forms of Eudorina may indicate that (1) morphologically different forms of Eudorina may be different species or (2) biochemically distinct forms of the same species or that (3) morphologically distinct forms of Eudorina are dependent on specific environmental conditions. It is also possible that further chromatographic investigation might show that differences in the chromatographic patterns resulted from variations in chromate- graphic technique. More data are necessary before the significance of morphologically distinct forms can be established.
Year of Submission
1965
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Education
Department
Department of Biology
First Advisor
E. Russell TePaske
Second Advisor
Warren E. Picklum
Third Advisor
Robert L. Ross
Date Original
1965
Object Description
1 PDF file (44 leaves)
Copyright
©1965 Margaret Dean Davis
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Davis, Margaret Dean, "Paper Chromatography of Proteins and Amino Acids of Pandorina and Morphologically Distinct Forms of Eudorina" (1965). Dissertations and Theses @ UNI. 2452.
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/etd/2452
Comments
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