ANSP / NAWQA / EPA 2011 Diatom and Non-Diatom Taxa

This week there was a message from both DIATOM-L and ALGAE-L about a set of taxa names they have been developing in USA: http://diatom.ansp.org/nawqa/Taxalist.aspx.

Makes me wonder about the cleverness in making all kinds of - more or less taxonomically correct - algae lists in different countries. When does the dawn of international algae lists break through? Nordic Microalage has made a nice start. But a larger European co-operation on this subject would not be harmful. Not to talk bout the rest of the world. Step by step...

Do take a look at the rest of the pages of the Phycology Section, Patrick Center for Environmental Research. Interesting. Nice photo's, although one can't see all of them without logging in.

A cordial blue-green algae

They really are heart shaped, the cells of of the blue-green algae Gomphosphaeria:

Although it's not as nicely visible here as in Joostens (2006) book, see page 153.

This is the type species Gomphosphaeria aponina, because it has a thin, yet very clear layer enveloping the individual cells:

There used to be a lot of different Gomphosphaeria-species, but then - in 1980's - misters Komárek and Hindák took a closer look at these species and divided three genera out of this group: Gomphosphaeria Kützing 1836, Woronichinia Elenkin 1933 and Snowella Elenkin 1938.

They also mention the genus Coelosphaerium Nägeli 1849 as a member of the subfamily Gomphosphaerioideae. Coelosphaerium differs from the rest because there are no stalks inside the colony.

Joosten (2006) on the other hand thinks that "possibly only a single genus is justified" (p. 128) for all these four genera. But, as he also says, for such a drastic revision we shall have to wait for the results of molecular studies.

Which again have a tiny obstacle in the fact that these species are difficult to cultivate (Komárek & Hindák 1988). Maybe a friendly "Good morning" to the cultures every morning would help here too, as Komárek told us during the blue-green course last summer, was (one of) the secret(s) of the Japanese culturing Aphanizomenon so succesfully?



Literature
Joosten, A.M.T 2006. Flora of the blue-green algae of the Netherlands. I The non filamentous species of inland waters. KNNV Publishing, Utrecht. 239 s.

Komárek, J., Anagnostidis, K. 1999. Cyanoprokaryota, 1.Teil: Chroococcales. In: Ettl H., Gärtner G., Heynigh H., Mollenhauer D. (ed.). Süsswasserflora von Mitteleuropa Band 19/1.

Komárek J, & Hindák F. 1988. Taxonomic review of natural populations of the cyanophytes from the Gomphosphaeria-complex. Arch. Hydrobiol. Suppl. 80, 1-4. Algolocigal Studies 50-53. 203-225.

Brown beans

I saw these brown beans hanging on a Tabellaria today:

and was wondering, what was this again..? Being sure I had seen a picture like this somewhere I tried to recall in which book. Was it in the Yellow-green algae (Xanthophyceae) book? Or was it in the Green algae book (Chlorophyceae, Chlorococcales) from Komárek the Great and Fott the Fine? Or perhaps in the Dinophyceae book??

There is something that makes one think about the Xanthophyceae: the thick, transparent walls and even some red oil dops. But the color is very dark... and it looked like they did not put much too much lugol in the sample when they took it. The dark color is not very Xanthophyceae- or Chlorophyceae -like. But it is characteristic to Dinophyceae.

And yes, there it was! In the Family Dinococcaceae Fott 1960, together with four other genera were the pictures of species in the genus Dinococcus, that I had in mind. This was in the Süsswasseflora von Mitteleuropa 6, that was written by Jiří Popovský and Lois Ann Pfiester (notice all the stripes and carons I managed to get in it this time!) back in 1990, an ocean of time if one looks at the development in the field of algae taxonomy.

Checked some sites for the taxonomy of this genus. algaeBASE puts Dinococcus in the Class Dinophyceae, the Order Phytodiniales and further in the Family Phytodiniaceae. The Dutch TWN-list gives only Dinophyceae incertae sedis. Even worse result was found on ITIS, (Integrated Taxonomic Information System) where the whole genus is missing. Does it has a synonyme in ITIS? Or why is it not there?

Back to the Green and Yellow-green algae. There are some species, that very much look like these brown beans of today. Like in the green algae genus Bicuspidella Pascher 1932 or in the genus Dioxys Pascher in the Yellow-green algae. Information from the books that are more tha 20 years old... yes, I know... I must go and read some more recent literature.


Literature
Ettl, Hanuš 1978. Xanthophyceae 1. Teil. In.: Ettl H., Gerloff J., Heynigh H. (ed.). Süsswasserflora von Mitteleuropa Band 3. Gustav Fischer Verlag, Stuttgart, New York. 530 s.

Komárek J., Fott B.1983 Chlorophyceae (Grünalgen), Ordnung Chlorococcales. In: Huber-Pestalozzi G. (Ed.): Das Phytoplankton des Süsswassers, Die Binnengewässer 16, 7/1: 1-1044, Schweizerbart Verlag, Stuttgart 1983.

Popovský Jiří, Lois Ann Pfiester 1990. Dinophyceae (Dinoflagellida). In: Ettl H., Gerloff J., Heynigh H., Mollenhauser D. (ed.). Süsswasserflora von Mitteleuropa Band 6. Gustav Fischer Verlag, Jena, Stuttgart. 272s.

Coastal Phytoplankton - a book

The Photo Guide for Northern European Seas, Coastal Phytoplankton book from Alexandra Kraberg, Marcus Baumann and Claus-Dieter Dürselen is worth taking a look in.

The size is handy, the photo's are fine, the quality of paper very good. It has nice, clear drawings to clarify the different structures in plankton organisms. Every species has one whole page for itself, with mostly good photos and drawings. Furthermore on top of every page you can find a bulk of information of the species in a very concentrated, yet not in a cluttered manner.

Very handy are the tips about the similar species. When identifying the algae, it's always good to know who is lurking round the corner, trying to look just like the one you have in your microscope field of view. If this information about the similar species isn't enough, take a look in the end, where you find quite some taxonomic references.

I have not had the chance to try the book out in real life, but I think the concept is good. Although an electrical version would perhaps also be convenient.

When do they make a book like this about the Baltic Sea phytoplankton?


KRABERG, Alexandra, Marcus BAUMANN & Claus-Dieter DÜRSELEN:
Coastal Phytoplankton
Photo Guide for Northern European Seas

2010. [in English] – 204 pp., 190 coloured and 24 black-and-white figures (c 388 coloured and 88 black-and-white photos and drawings), 4 tables.
24 x 21 cm. Paperback.

ISBN 978-3-89937-113-0