Summary
The Bangia and Conchocelis-phases of Bangia fuscopurpurea were studied light and electron microscopically. Typical florideophycean algal pit connections were found in the Conchocelis-phase and were lacking in the Bangia-phase. Electron microscopy has revealed that these dumbell-shaped structures are membrane bound plugs continuous between adjacent cells. The presence of such entities in one stage of the life cycle of a bangiophycean alga, once thought to be unique to the higher red algal subclass Florideophycidae, indicates closer evolutionary ties between the two subclasses.
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Sommerfeld, M.R., Leeper, G.F. Pit connections in Bangia fuscopurpurea . Archiv. Mikrobiol. 73, 55–60 (1970). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00409951
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00409951