At a glance
Essentials
- Size
- In the strains analyzed, the average was 5.47 ± 0.44 μm in the aquatic strain and 6.57 ± 0.66 μm in the terrestrial alpine strain. The range may vary with age, sex and population.
- Habitat
- Strains from an aquatic habitat and from alpine soil have been studied; the study compared an aquatic strain with another terrestrial high-mountain strain.
Observation guide
What to look for
- 01
Mature cells are spherical, sometimes oval; in the aquatic strain studied they measured on average 5.47 ± 0.44 μm, compared with 6.57 ± 0.66 μm in the terrestrial alpine strain.
An important limitation
Lighting, age and viewing angle can hide features. If identification affects consumption, handling or conservation, consult specialist sources.
Ecology
Description and characteristics
Chlorella vulgaris is a green unicellular microalga. In the described strains, mature cells are spherical and can be oval; both an aquatic strain and another strain isolated from alpine soil have been studied. The latter was assigned to the same species by sequence analysis, although it belongs to a different ribotype. The species reproduces asexually by formation of autospores.