Coenobium
Pediastrum duplex
In biology, a coenobium (plural: coenobia) is a loose cell association ( colony) of the same species, which contains a certain, fixed number of cells with little or no specialization. They are formed by the fact that the cells are not separated from one another after division, but remain connected by a jelly, mucus or capsules. They can disintegrate into viable individual cells after changes in living conditions or due to shear forces . It occurs in bacteria mainly cyanobacteria and some unicellular algae .
Examples
- Volvox and relatives
- Scenedesmus
- Pediastrum
- Hydrodictyon