Euglena spp.
What is Euglena?
Physical Characteristics
- Pear shaped
- Single-celled micro-organism
- 1-2 tails
- 0.0006-0.02 inches
- One nucleus
- Many chloroplasts
- Green or red in color
- One contractile vacuole
- One bright-red eyespot
Where Does it Grow?
Euglena can be found all over the world in any water body and in moist soils, often forming large blooms.
Pros and Cons of Euglena
Some species of euglena can form large “blooms” over ponds and lakes that are toxic. If these blooms are allowed to grow, the fish population will begin to die off.