On the nature of bristles in Scenedesmus

The existence of bristles, the hair-like appendages in several species of the genus Scenedesmus has been confirmed. The ultrastructure of bristles in S.helveticus, S.acutus and S.acuminatus has been studied by negative staining. While bristles of S.helveticus are composed of several microstrands with a regular pattern of cross-striation, the bristles of spineless species S.acutus and S.acuminatus seem to be composed only of individual microstrands. These investigations of bristles suggest their protein composition.