Pneumatocyst

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this article if you can. (July 2006)

[edit] Phytology

A pneumatocyst is a large float containing gas found in brown algae. An organism may have more than one. They provide buoyancy to lift the blades toward the surface, allowing them to receive more sunlight for photosynthesis.

The proportion of gases in the pneumatocysts adjusts by equilibrating with the surrounding air or water. The pneumatocyst can hold O₂, CO₂ and CO.

[edit] Medicine

A pneumatocyst can also be an air bladder in the lungs which generally appears after a pulmonary trauma. These also go by the name of traumatic pneumatoceles.