CORRELATION BETWEEN ENVIRONMENTAL PARAMETERS AND CYANOBACTERIA MORPHOLOGY: A STUDY OF ECOLOGICAL ASPECT OF HOT SPRING CYANOBACTERIA
Nining Betawati Prihantini1*, Gadis Sri Haryani2, Dalia Sukmawati3

1Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (FMIPA), Universitas Indonesia, Kampus UI, Depok 16424, Indonesia
2Pusat Penelitian Limnologi LIPI, Cibinong, Bogor, Jawa Barat 16911
3Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Negeri Jakarta, Rawamangun, Jakarta Timur, Indonesia

Abstract

Observation on morphology of cyanobacteria which are lived in hot spring had been done. The study aimed to determine a tendency of morphological/phenotypic plasticity of hot spring cyanobacteria. Cyanobacteria sampling location were 6 hot springs area in West Java and were done by purposive sampling. Samples were planktoonic and benthic samples (in sediment or attached to plants and others). The results showed that the identification of cyanobacteria from a hot spring was quite difficult to be indentified using morphological characters. Some morphological characters in certain strains could only be recognized from its shape, which includes coccoid, unbranched filament, and branche filaments of cyanobacteria. In this study, the morphological changes are likely occur permanently, because the morphology of certain cyanobacteria in fresh sampels, cultural enrichment, and the isolated streains look similar. In addition to the sahepe, morphological plasticity in cyanobacteria also refers to change in cell size.

Keywords: cyanobacteria; hot spring; morphological plasticity; thallus shape; thallus size

Topic: Environmental Engineering