Several groups of siliceous microorganisms possess a skeletal latticework of interconnected rods. Skeletal configurations of one of these groups, the silicoflagellates, can be produced by a simple mathematical model, in which the apical surface area is minimized for given basal area and internal volume. A similar model in which the total length of the skeletal elements, and thus the silica utilization, is minimized produces configurations that are generally less common in silicoflagellates, suggesting that the minimization of apical surface area is very important to the silicoflagellate organism. / The diversity of silicoflagellate skeletal morphologies suggests that both the minimization of apical surface area and the conservation of skeletal material are important factors in silicoflagellate skeletal morphology. The two most important morphologies found in modern oceans, the four-sided Dictyocha and the six-sided Distephanus can co-occur in an environment where both the minimization of apical surface area and silica utilization have some relative importance. However, these models do not explain the range of variability found in silicoflagellate skeletons, indicating that other factors must also be important. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 49-07, Section: B, page: 2453. / Major Professor: Sherwood Willing Wise, Jr. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1988.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_77812 |
| Contributors | McCartney, Kevin Patrick., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 236 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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