The scaled chrysophyte flora from the Pinelands National Preserve of southern New Jersey, U.S.A.

Abstract

The distributions of scaled chrysophytes relative to physical and chemical conditions are described for waterbodies of the Pinelands National Preserve in southern New Jersey, U.S.A. The Pinelands represent the northern end of the Atlantic Coastal Plain and contain waterbodies that are largely shallow, acidic, poorly buffered, dilute and highly colored from high concentrations of iron and dissolved organic matter. The Pinelands sites are rich in scaled chrysophytes with 55 species representing the six genera, Mallomonas, Synura, Chrysodidymus, Chrysosphaerella, Spiniferomonas and Paraphysomonas. On average, 19 species were found per waterbody and several localities harbored 22 or more scaled chrysophyte taxa. Although the genus Mallomonas contained the most organisms with 41 species, scale counts of Mallomonas and Synura taxa were equally abundant. Synura echinulata, followed by Chrysodidymus synuroideus, Synura sphagnicola, Mallomonas punctifera, Synura petersenii and Synura spinosa were the most abundant species, each found in over 80 % of the study sites. Many of the species found in the Pinelands sites, including Mallomonas acaroides var. muskokana, M. canina, M. calceolus, M. hindonii, M. paludosa, M. pugio and M. wujekii, are acidobionts known to inhabit acidic localities. Taxa in the genera Chrysosphaerella, Spiniferomonas and Paraphysomonas were present, but rare. The biogeographies of selected taxa are discussed relative to other regions along the Atlantic Coastal Plain.