Abstract
BackgroundThe checklist of Greek Cyanobacteria was created in the framework of the Greek Taxon Information System (GTIS), an initiative of the LifeWatchGreece Research Infrastructure (ESFRI) that has resumed efforts to compile a complete checklist of species reported from Greece. This list was created from exhaustive search of the scientific literature of the last 60 years. All records of taxa known to occur in Greece were taxonomically updated.New informationThe checklist of Greek Cyanobacteria comprises 543 species, classified in 130 genera, 41 families, and 8 orders. The orders Synechococcales and Oscillatoriales have the highest number of species (158 and 153 species, respectively), whereas these two orders along with Nostocales and Chroococcales cover 93% of the known Greek cyanobacteria species. It is worth mentioning that 18 species have been initially described from Greek habitats. The marine epilithic Ammatoidea aegea described from Saronikos Gulf is considered endemic to this area. Our bibliographic review shows that Greece hosts a high diversity of cyanobacteria, suggesting that the Mediterranean area is also a hot spot for microbes.
Highlights
The history of natural science is directly linked to Greek civilization, since the older written references to plants, animals, and algae are found in the Homeric Epics dating back to the 8th century BC; the first record of algae in the Western literature appears in Homer’s Iliad: “the dark waves uprear their heads and scatter their sea-wrack in all directions” [Iliad IX.1 translated by Batler (1998)]
The orders Synechococcales and Oscillatoriales have the highest number of species (158 and 153 species, respectively), whereas these two orders along with Nostocales and Chroococcales cover 93% of the known Greek cyanobacteria species
During the 1960s Konstantinos Anagnostidis performs two extensive studies of Cyanobacteria from thermal springs (Anagnostidis 1961) and sulphur-communities (Sulphuretum) in marine and freshwater habitats of Greece (Anagnostidis 1968). These taxonomic studies revealed the occurrence of a great number of cyanobacteria taxa, led to the description of several new species (e.g. Geitlerinema apolloniae Anagnostidis, 2001; Leptolyngbya phormidioides (Anagnostidis) Anagnostidis & Komárek, 1988; Pseudanabaena lonchoides Anagnostidis, 1961; Pseudophormidium battersii (Gomont) Anagnostidis, 2001; Borzia periklei Anagnostidis in (Anagnostidis and Komárek 1988)), and were later widely used to establish the modern classification system of Cyanobacteria (Anagnostidis and Komárek 1985, Anagnostidis and Komárek 1988, Anagnostidis and Komárek 1990, Komárek and Anagnostidis 1986, Komárek and Anagnostidis 1989)
Summary
The history of natural science is directly linked to Greek civilization, since the older written references to plants, animals, and algae are found in the Homeric Epics dating back to the 8th century BC; the first record of algae in the Western literature appears in Homer’s Iliad: “the dark waves uprear their heads and scatter their sea-wrack (phycos) in all directions” [Iliad IX. translated by Batler (1998)]. During the 1960s Konstantinos Anagnostidis performs two extensive studies of Cyanobacteria from thermal springs (Anagnostidis 1961) and sulphur-communities (Sulphuretum) in marine and freshwater habitats of Greece (Anagnostidis 1968) These taxonomic studies revealed the occurrence of a great number of cyanobacteria taxa, led to the description of several new species (e.g. Geitlerinema apolloniae Anagnostidis, 2001; Leptolyngbya phormidioides (Anagnostidis) Anagnostidis & Komárek, 1988; Pseudanabaena lonchoides Anagnostidis, 1961; Pseudophormidium battersii (Gomont) Anagnostidis, 2001; Borzia periklei Anagnostidis in (Anagnostidis and Komárek 1988)), and were later widely used to establish the modern classification system of Cyanobacteria (Anagnostidis and Komárek 1985, Anagnostidis and Komárek 1988, Anagnostidis and Komárek 1990, Komárek and Anagnostidis 1986, Komárek and Anagnostidis 1989). The checklist of Greek Cyanobacteria was created in the framework of the Greek Taxon Information System (GTIS), an initiative of the LifeWatchGreece Research Infrastructure (ESFRI) that has resumed efforts to compile a complete checklist of species reported from Greece This list was created from exhaustive search of the scientific literature of the last 60 years. Our bibliographic review shows that Greece hosts a high diversity of cyanobacteria, suggesting that the Mediterranean area is a hot spot for microbes
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