The slender Planktothrix -species

Tricky, these slender Planktothrix -species.

But if they really are only 3 µm wide, have no particular features in end cells, no calyptra like Pl. prolifica, nor those characteristically elongated aerotopes like Pl. suspensa - then we are just stuck with the good old Plantktothrix agardhii. Sensu lato that is.

In lugol preserved samples the red color - which would reveal the true nature of Pl. profilica - can not either be observed.

So, to be on the safe side it's better to call it Planktothrix cf. agardhii.


Literature:
KOMÁREK J. & ANAGNOSTIDIS K. (2005): Cyanoprokaryota 2. Teil/ 2nd Part: Oscillatoriales. - In: BÜDEL B., KRIENITZ L., GÄRTNER G. & SCHAGERL M. (eds): Süsswasserflora von Mitteleuropa 19/2, Elsevier/Spektrum, Heidelberg, 759 pp.

Pseudotetraëdriella kamillae

It is there. In different Finnish waters, this tiny little thing.

Hegewald, Padisák, and Friedl (2007) found that this little thing differed markedly from other look-a-like algae and give a firm description of the differences in their article. A new family - Loboceae E. Hegewald - and a new genus - Pseudoteraëdriella Hegewald - was established in the Class Eustigmatophyceae Hibberd - and look: Pseudotetraëdriella kamillae Hegewald & Padisák had found it's place in the taxonomic tree.

One might easily overlook it. Or mix it with Tetraëdron minimum or Tetraëdriella jovetii, but it is different. First of all, it's very small - only 3-7 µm. Secondly it only has one (or two in older cells) chloroplast. It has no pyrenoid and the cell wall is smooth.

The green algae Tetraëdron minimum, on the other hand is, first of all, very green and it does have a pyrenoid. The size is about the same. Skuja (1948) has a nice drawing of Tetraëdron minimum var. tetralobulatum from Uppland, Sweden, which resembles our Pseudotetraëdriella kamillae quite a lot, but again - that pyrenoid.

Hindák (1980) describes even a smaller Tetraëdron, only 2-4 µm, which he calls mediocris, found in a fishpond near the beautiful city of Bratislava. This one still has the pyrenoid and it's much more tetrahedrical than our little P. kamillae. Not that I would have seen Tetraëdron mediocris alive and kicking - or even lugolised- no, not here in Finland.

Pseudotetraëdriella kamillae has lobes, but they are not as much twisted as in Tetraëdriella jovetii, a yellow-green (Xanhtophyceae) algae, size 10-12 µm, with 5-9 chloroplasts, no pyrenoid and a smooth cell wall.

Look now how very different they are:

Pseudotetraëdriella kamillae

Tetraëdriella jovetii



For further study:
Literature:
Hegewald, E., Padisák, J. & Friedl, T. (2007): Pseudotetraëdriella kamillae: taxonomy and ecology of a new member of the algal class Eustigmatophyceae (Stramenopiles). - Hydrobiologia 586: 107-116.

Hindák, F. (1980): Studies on the chlorococcal algae (Chlorophyceae). II. - In:Ruzicka, M. (red.). Biologické Práce 26 (6). VEDA Vydavatelstvo Slovenskej Akadémie Vied / VEDA Publishing House of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, 195 + (1) pp., incl. 73 pls.

Komárek, J. & Fott, B. (1983): Chlorophyceae (Grünalgen). Ordnung: Chlorococcales. - In: G. Huber-Pestalozzi (†). Das Phytoplankton des Süßwassers. Systematik und Biologie. 7. Teil, 1. Hälfte. In: Elster, H.-J. & Ohle, W. (red.). Die Binnengewässer. Einzeldarstellungen aus der Limnologie und ihren Nachbargebieten. Band XVI. E. Schweizerbart’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung (Nägele u. Obermiller), Stuttgart. X + 1044 pp., incl. 253 pls. ISBN 3-510-40023-2.

Skuja, A. (1948). Taxonomie des Phytoplanktons einiger Seen in Uppland, Schweden. Symbolae Botanicae Upsalienses 9(3): 1-399.

Co-operation rules!

Wonderful!
A combination of passions: Adventurers and Scientists for Conservation.

Fighting algae with algae

An Indian company NUALGI NANOBIOTECH makes the product "Nualgi" to solve a wide range of problems:
* to boost the growth of prawns and fishes in aquaculture ponds
* to treat sewagewater, polluted and effluent waters and to reduce COD, BOD, color and bad odour in them
* to prevent growth of toxic algal species called 'red tides' in the sea
and even
* to absorb global carbon dioxide and reduce greenhouse gases thereby solving global warming problem.

All this is done by our little friends, the algae. In this case specifically the diatom algae. The idea is to stimulate the growth of the diatoms, so that they will be the winners in the growing competition, not the blue-green algae or other nuisance algae. This is done by "micro nutrients in the form of nano particles which triggers the growth of diatoms (algae) in the water body, and not any other form of algae" as the company tells on their web page. Yes, I can see the question marks rising...

It seems to work, according to the company's reports, of course. And there is nothing wrong with the central idea. It's just that this engineer-like approach does not do justice to the wonderful complexity of the nature. The sum of two things can be very much more than an engineer can imagine. And therefore one should be quite careful before throwing something like this in to the nature in great amounts. Who knows what would happen, if one uses something like this on a really big scale - let's say in an ocean? None of us.

Nature is far more ingenious than any team of engineers. Just accept it. And have respect for it.