Amazing and unique paintings can sometimes be seen in the world around us. For example, sometimes a colorful, aesthetic phenomenon occurs, popularly known as “watermelon snow”. Chlamydomonas is caused by a snowy, tiny organism, which for many is a mystery.
What will scientists say?
If you turn to biologists, you can find out that snow chlamydomonas is called Chlamydomonas nivalis in science. This is a plant that belongs to algae. Despite snow staining pink or even red, it is classified as green.
The microorganism lives only in fresh water, belongs to the number of unicellular plants. The fact that green algae colors the snowy expanses of red is explained by the presence in its composition of a pigment called astaxanthin. In addition to it, the plant also contains green pigment - chlorophyll known even to schoolchildren.
When the chlamydomonas snowy multiplies, they speak of "flowering snow." Surfaces acquire a pleasant pink tint, and sometimes become infernally red, as if nature recreates frames from a horror movie.
Chlamydomonas snow belongs to fans of a cold. In this, algae is the exact opposite of the numerous class of thermophilic unicellular plants.
Classification
Algae in modern biology is usually classified as chlamydomonas belonging to the family of the same name. It, in turn, is included in the order called Volvoksovye. The class of these plants got its name due to the pigment contained in organisms, it is called "Chlorophytic". The division is even higher. The plant belongs to green algae. Finally, this is the kingdom of the plant.
Beautiful mountains
Since Chlamydomonas snow feels great at temperatures near zero, climbers and travelers in the far north get the opportunity to see the most beautiful paintings.
By the way, pink is not the only shade of snow high in the mountains. There are also foci:
- purple;
- red;
- brown;
- yellowish.
The reason for the flowering of snow is the microscopic plants living in it.
Snow chlamydomonas perishes at 4 degrees, so only those people who are not afraid of the cold can see beautiful landscapes.
Very often, magnificent pink paintings can be observed:
- in the Antarctic;
- in the Caucasus.
If you remove the top layer, it turns out that the snow inside is white. This happens due to the specific life of this unusual plant - "snow chlamydomonas." Habitat algae - only the surface layer.
How does this happen?
The accumulation of pinkish pigment occurs not just like that, but under the influence of external conditions. Flowering begins when the air warms. In the normal state in the snow cover, the plant is in a dormant state, but when the sun begins to warm, the upper layer thaws, and optimal conditions for reproduction are created. But this does not last very long, because the chlamydomonas snow at a temperature of 4 degrees Celsius is already dying.
Once at the right time in the right place, the traveler can observe the active life of tiny algae. The pigment accumulates quickly enough. Studying this phenomenon, scientists took snow samples, and then studied it under a microscope, heating to the melting temperature. It is noted that reddish particles begin to move in water at high speed. Each of them - this is a separate plant.
Unobvious obvious
Today, a climber, a tourist, a member of the expedition, being among the snowy expanses, as if bloodied, is not afraid or surprised at this phenomenon, but enjoys the rare beauty that opened before him. But this was not always the case.
Until recently, red snow was a mystery to people. How many legends have been associated with him! Only some time ago, scientists found out what the origin of the phenomenon. Algae were found in the Arctic and Antarctic. It was also established that microorganisms feel good in conditions of high altitudes, due to which colonies develop in mountain ranges.
Today, biologists already count 140 species of algae and some other living organisms that can give the snow a fantastic, original, unnatural color.
Nature again surprised
When science took up microscopic algae, scientists were surprised, because chlamydomonas snow at a temperature of 4 degrees Celsius is already dying. It turned out that this plant is able to exist at temperatures not characteristic of ordinary algae.
And to this day, science has not been able to establish, thanks to which these tiny organisms at low temperatures can not only survive, but also multiply, maintain an active metabolism. Similar organisms on the planet have not yet been discovered.
And what is the structure?
What is snow chlamydomonas? The structural features of this representative type of monad are due to the fact that the alga belongs to unicellular. The body consists of:
- eyelet;
- contractile vacuole.
The movement of the cell is provided by a flagellum.
The organism is asexual, therefore reproduction occurs due to mitospores.
A cover of microscopic algae is formed by glycoproteins. The plant contains only one cupped chloroplast. The core is also only one.
Habitat
Chlamydomonas belongs to the few cryophilic plants. It lives where snow cover lasts year-round. The vegetative period during the year is only one week, the period of greatest warming. For propagation, the plant needs melt water.
So that chlamydomonas can multiply, it forms zygotes. Most of the year they are in a sleeping state, but as soon as the weather becomes comfortable, the colony begins to grow. At this time, snow blushes.
Interesting cases
Of great public interest was the incident that occurred in 1929. Then the algae grew over a vast area. This happened at the Bass pass. The colony filled a few square kilometers at an altitude of more than three thousand meters.
More than once, beautiful phenomena were observed:
- in the Northern Urals;
- on Franz Joseph Land;
- in the Arctic;
- in Kamchatka.
A famous case was when chlamydomonas grew in Khakassia in 2015. They were discovered by employees of the Khakassky Reserve. Watermelon snow was recorded in June, in the 20s. The most beautiful landscapes opened near the Shaman ridge, which is next to the lake. The height of the terrain above sea level is about 1,700 meters.
And what else are there?
Chlamydomonas snow is not the only representative of cryophilic algae. These also include:
- diatoms;
- cyanoprokaryotes.
The awakening of all these species occurs under the combined influence of factors:
- the abundance of melt water;
- the presence of nutrients in the environment;
- lighting;
- the presence of dissolved gases in a liquid.
It is interesting
Once in a flowering field, there are few travelers who do not want to taste the snow. But many rightly doubt: but is it poisonous?
According to scientists, you can safely try watermelon and red snow, nothing special can be found in it. But you can’t eat a lot, otherwise there will be problems with the stomach.
Algae in space
As it was found out during the experiments, cryophilic algae are very tenacious plants. They can not only exist in the snow and at zero and minus temperatures, moreover, the survival rate is great even in space.
Not so long ago, this type of microorganism was studied at the ISS. For transportation, it was necessary to dehydrate the algae, but in the orbit of the planet they were placed in trays where they created relatively comfortable conditions. The experiment lasted 450 days. Samples delivered after living in a space environment back to the surface of the planet soon multiplied normally under familiar conditions.
Now scientists are interested in those mechanisms due to which algae were able to adapt to such stressful conditions. There is a possibility that clarity in this aspect will help develop methods applicable to people. It is assumed that this will be useful primarily for long flights.