An examination of three strains of the blue-green algal genus, Fremyella

Abstract

Placed in the family Scytonemataceae by some authorities and by others in the Microchaeteaceae the blue-green algal genus Fremyella often exhibits seemingly paradoxical behavioral patterns. Its growth characteristics and its metabolic rates indicate the genus to be ecologically competitive. On the other hand, its infrequent occurrence in most experimental algal collections suggests just the opposite. Our three strains of Fremyella produced widely different data which suggested that the genus probably occupies terrestrial, subaquatic, and aquatic systems. However, our results did not truly explain the rarity of the genus.