Ancylonema

Ancylonema is a genus of green algae belonging to the family Mesotaeniaceae. This genus is known to include psychrophilic species found on surfaces of glaciers and ice sheets. Recently, a mesophilic species, Ancylonema palustre, has also been discovered from the temperate moorlands of western Germany. One example of the genus is the species Ancylonema nordenkioeldii, which has been known to be an important part of the algal communities on glacial ice surfaces in Greenland and Norway. Psychrophilic members of Ancylonema have been recorded to participate in algal blooms on glacial ice surfaces, reducing the albedo of glacier surfaces and consequently accelerating melting of the ice.

== Taxonomy == Ancylonema belongs to the class Zygnematophyceae, a sister clade to the Embryophyta, including all of the land plants. The Ancylonema species form a well-supported clade within the family Mesotaeniaceae during metagenome analysis. Studies using both morphological and genetic markers have designated three species within the genus, namely Ancylonema alaskanum, Ancylonema nordenskioeldii, and Ancylonema palustre.