Editing Actinophryid (section)

===Cyst function and formation===

Under unfavourable conditions, some species will form a [[cyst]]. This is often the product of autogamy, in which case the cysts produced are [[zygote]]s.<ref name="Grell1973" /> Cells undergoing this process withdraw their axopodia, adhere to the substrate, and take on an opaque and grayish appearance.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=MacKinnon|first1=D. L.|title=A few Observations on the Encystation of Actinosphaerium eichhorni under different conditions of Temperature|journal=Quarterly Journal of Microscopical Science|date=1906|volume=52|pages=407–422|url=http://jcs.biologists.org/content/joces/s2-52/207/407.full.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://jcs.biologists.org/content/joces/s2-52/207/407.full.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live|access-date=2 January 2018}}</ref> This cyst then divides until only [[uninucleate]] cells remain. The cyst wall is thickly layered 7–8 times and includes gelatinous layers, layers of silica plates, and iron.<ref name="Patterson1981">{{cite journal|last1=Patterson|first1=D.|last2=Thompson|first2=D.|title=Structure and Elemental Composition of the Cyst Wall of Echinosphaerium nucleofilum Barrett (Heliozoea, Actinophryida)|journal=The Journal of Protozoology|date=May 1981|volume=28|issue=2|pages=188–192|doi=10.1111/j.1550-7408.1981.tb02831.x}}</ref>