Affinis Var Research Articles

A Synopsis of Orthotrichum s. lato (Bryophyta, Orthotrichaceae) in China, with Distribution Maps and a Key to Determination.

A total of 46 species and two varieties of the traditionally interpreted genus Orthotrichum are currently known to occur in China. They represent five genera, including Orthotrichum (29 species), Lewinskya (14 species and two varieties), and Nyholmiella and Leratia that are represented by a single species each. The fifth genus Florschuetziella, also consisting of only one species, F. scaberrima, is an entirely neglected representative of the China’s moss flora. A list of all accepted taxa is presented and for each taxon all literature records and herbarium specimens are enumerated for provinces in which they have been recorded, and their distribution is mapped. A key to determination of Chinese orthotrichalean mosses is presented. A chronological list of 63 species and varieties and two designations, O. catagonioides and O. microsporum which have never been validly published, reported from China in the years 1892–2020 is presented. Four species, Orthotrichum brasii, O. hooglandii, O. elegans and O. gymnostomum are excluded from the bryoflora of China and Lewinskya affinis var. bohemica and Orthotrichum schimperi are recorded for the first time from this country. Phytogeography of the Chinese taxa of the orthotrichalean mosses is considered and they are grouped into eight phytogeographical elements and five sub-elements.

Lewinskya affinis var. bohemica - new epiphytic moss in the bryoflora of Germany

Abstract During the field investigations in Germany, a new epiphytic moss, Orthotrichum affine var. bohemicum, was repeatedly found in 2015 in the Lands of Hessen and Bavaria. Distribution of this variety in Germany is mapped and its ecology is described in detail. Because the traditionally understood genus Orthotrichum was recently split into some segregates and this variety was not given a name in the genus Lewinskya to which it actually belongs, it is transferred to this genus and the relevant new combination Lewinskya affinis var. bohemica is effected.

Checklist and red list of mosses (Bryophyta) of Slovakia

An updated checklist and Red List of the mosses of Slovakia is presented. The checklist consists of 699 species with two additional subspecies and 21 additional varieties. According to the Red List presented here, 31.0% of the moss flora of Slovakia was evaluated as threatened (categories Critically Endangered, Endangered, Vulnerable), 9.2% as near threatened, 7.3% as data deficient taxa and 49.4% of mosses were classified in the Least Concern category. We modified the category Extinct (EX) to Regionally Extinct/Vanished (RE/VA), which now includes 2.9% of the moss flora. Species Grimmia lisae, Hygrohypnum eugyrium, Lewinskya affinis var. bohemica, Niphotrichum elongatum, Oreas martiana, Orthotrichum moravicum, Osculatia bornholmensis, Tortula cernua and T. randii have been reported recently as new for Slovakia.

Regeneration and utilization of nutrients during collapse of a Mesodinium rubrum red tide and its influence on phytoplankton species composition

High-biomass red tides occur frequently in some semi-enclosed bays of Hong Kong where ambient nutrients are not high enough to support such a high phytoplankton biomass. These high-biomass red tides release massive inorganic nutrients into local waters during their collapse. We hypothesized that the massive inorganic nutrients released from the collapse of red tides would fuel growth of other phytoplankton species. This could influence phytoplankton species composition. We tested the hypothesis using a red tide event caused by Mesodinium rubrum ( M. rubrum ) in a semi-enclosed bay, Port Shelter. The red tide patch had a cell density as high as 5.0 ´ 105 cells L−1 , and high chlorophyll a (63.71 µg L−1). Ambient inorganic nutrients (nitrate: NO 3 − , ammonium: NH 4 + , phosphate: PO 4 3 − , silicate: SiO 4 3 − ) were low both in the red tide patch and the non-red-tide patch (clear waters outside the red tide patch). Nutrient addition experiments were conducted by adding all the inorganic nutrients to water samples from the two patches followed by incubation for 9 days. The results showed that the addition of inorganic nutrients did not sustain high M. rubrum cell density, which collapsed after day 1, and did not drive M. rubrum in the non-red-tide patch sample to the same high-cell density in the red tide patch sample. This confirmed that nutrients were not the driving factor for the formation of this red tide event, or for its collapse. The death of M. rubrum after day 1 released high concentrations of NO 3 − , PO 4 3 − , SiO 4 3 − , NH 4 + , and urea. Bacterial abundance and heterotrophic activity increased, reaching the highest on day 3 or 4, and decreased as cell density of M. rubrum declined. The released nutrients stimulated growth of diatoms, such as Chaetoceros affinis var. circinalis , Thalassiothrix frauenfeldii , and Nitzschia sp . , particularly with additions of SiO 4 3 − treatments, and other species. These results demonstrated that initiation of M. rubrum red tides in the bay was not directly driven by nutrients. However, the massive inorganic nutrients released from the collapse of the red tide could induce a second bloom in low-ambient nutrient water, influencing phytoplankton species composition.

English

This study was conducted to study the morphological features of species under the genus Chaetoceros isolated from the coastal waters of Pahang, Malaysia. The species were isolated, cultivated and viewed under light microscope (LM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Four taxa were successfully isolated and cultivated in pure culture, namely Chaetoceros affinis var. affinis, Chaetoceros affinis var. willei, Chaetoceros anastomosans and Chaetoceros baculites. Both varieties of C. affinis were considered as distinct taxa where both strains can be distinguished based on morphological characteristics. C. affinis var. affinis has a thick cell wall compared with C. affinis var. willei. C. anastomosans has special features including a silica bar on the intersection of setae and the production of mucous. The length of the aperture opening is a new record from this study. The new record obtained for C. baculites includes the size of the aperture, the terminal setae, spinal arrangement, the thinness of the cell wall and the location of the species in tropical waters. Detailed data on each species will be added to the taxonomic information for future studies.

New records of lignicolous fungi deteriorating wood in India

Wood deteriorating fungi were collected from Ratanmahal Wildlife Sanctuary (RWLS) between October 2006 and January 2011. Aurificaria indica var. leucocephala var. nov, and Microporus affinis var. glabriceps var. nov. are described and four species, Fomitopsis cupreorosea, Ganoderma curtisii, Microporus alboater and Phellinus shaferi are new reports for India. These six taxa are described and illustrated in this paper.

대암산 용늪지역의 버섯류 종 다양성 연구

Author has carried out to survey on the fungal diversity from Yongnup swamp land, Yanggu-gun, Kangwon-do during the fruiting season over five years. During this survey 45 species and 3 varieties were recorded. Among them, Hygrocybe turunda (Peck) Bon var. sphagnophila (Peck) Bon was confirmed as an unknown species and Hygrocybe cruenta (Hongo) Hongo, Hydropus floccipes (Fr.) Sing. and Rhodophyllus setuliforme Kim Y. S. & Seok, S. J. were also found as rare species in Korea based on the examination of sporocarps and through previous literatures. Additional three species and two variety in Myxomycota, Hemitricha serpular (Scop.) Rostaf., H. clavata var. calyculata (Speg.) Y. Yamam, Badhamia affinis var. affinis Rostaf., Acyria cinerea (Bull.) Pers. and Metatricha vesparium (Batsch) Nann.-Bremk were also listed.

The genus Chaetoceros (Bacillariophyceae) in inner Danish coastal waters

The genus Chaetoceros, one of the most important genera of diatoms in the marine plankton, has been investigated from 20 stations in Danish waters during the period 1991–1995. Thirty‐five taxa were identified, 18 of which were brought into culture for further morphological studies. Three taxa are reported for the first time from Danish coastal waters and one new species is proposed, C. impressus. Chaetoceros affinis var. circinalis is raised to species level. Material referred to previously as Chaetoceros sp. B. by Sundström is considered to represent C. pseudobrevis. Twelve taxa found previously in the area by other authors are also described, resulting in a total of 47 descriptions. An artificial key is provided for identifications of all species presently recorded in inner Danish coastal waters.

Demonstration of exo-(β-1,3)- d-glucanase activity in some planktonic diatoms

Active enzymes for degrading β-1,3- d-glucans are reported from several marine diatoms, particularly Chaetoceros affinis var. willei (Gran) Hustedt, C. curvisetus Cleve, C. decipiens Cleve, and Skeletonema costatum (Grev.) Cleve. The β-1,3- d-glucanase activity showed a specificity for β-1,3-linked d-glucans as no reaction occurred with α-1,4 or α-1,6-linked polysaccharides. The results indicate that the activity originates from a glucanase of the exo type i.e. an enzyme liberating one molecule of glucose at a time. The activity was produced mainly in the slow-growing phase under nutrient-limiting conditions.

Production of carbohydrates by marine planktonic diatoms. II. Influence of the [formula omitted] ratio in the growth medium on the assimilation ratio, growth rate, and production of cellular and extracellular carbohydrates by Chaetoceros affinis var. willei (Gran) Hustedt and Skeletonema costatum (Grev.) Cleve

The N P ratio of the growth medium was varied in six steps from 0.4 to 100 in batch cultures of the marine diatoms Skeletonema costatum (Grev.) Cleve and Chaetoceros affinis var. willei (Gran) Hustedt. The influence of these changes on growth rate, assimilation ratio of nitrogen and phosphorus, production of cellular and extracellular carbohydrates, protein, cellular phosphorus and cell size was studied during exponential and stationary growth phase. A decrease in the growth rate from ≈ 1.7 to 1.1 div. day −1, and a decrease in the rate of uptake of nitrate from the growth medium, were observed at N P ratios in the medium over the range of 10 to 100. The content of phosphorus/cell was almost constant for the lowest N P ratios both in the exponential and stationary growth phase, and then decreased for both species with an increasing N P ratio. The cellular N P ratio is not constant, but changes in the direction of the composition of the medium. The range of the cellular N P ratios was from ≈ 2 to 59. Rapidly growing cells of both species produced relatively little carbohydrate while slow-growing cells produced relatively much more, and this production is influenced by the N P ratio of the medium. An increase in the N P ratio of the medium leads to a decrease in the ratio of cellular protein to carbohydrate in the exponential phase and an increase in the same ratio in the stationary phase. The major increase in cellular carbohydrate was due to an increase in the β-1,3 glucan content. The ratio of cellular carbohydrate to cellular phosphorus varied from 15 to 675 and this ratio is suggested as another useful indicator of the physiological state of marine diatoms. Particularly at high N P ratios, C. affinis produces large amounts of an extracellular polysaccharide, and under extreme P-deflciency this production is likely to constitute the main photosynthetic activity. S. costatum produced only small amounts of extracellular polysaccharides. The two species also show an important difference in the N P balance point — the value found being ≈ 12 for S. costatum and 24 for C. affinis i.e., S. costatum is likely to use more of the available phosphorus than C. affinis and is more able to divide and produce cellular carbohydrate when under N-limitation. The potential ecological significance of these findings is discussed.

Alkaline and acid phosphatases of the marine diatoms Chaetoceros affinis var. willei (Gran) Hustedt and Skeletonema costatum (Grev.) Cleve

Alkaline phosphatase activity in cultures of the marine diatom Chaetoceros affinis var. willei (Gran) Hustedt was higher than in Skeletonema costatum (Grev.) Cleve. The enzyme activity was localized in coarse cell particles. Acid phosphatase activity was found in the cytoplasmic fraction. Induction of alkaline phosphatase depended on the N P ratio in the culture medium. A N P ratio > 40 in dilution/batch culture and > 30 in large scale batch culture, respectively, induced alkaline phosphatase. Cell phosphorus showed a critical value below which alkaline phosphatase was induced. Alkaline phosphatase in natural phytoplankton from the Trondheimsfjord is unlikely to occur except possibly in special situations.

Production of carbohydrates by the marine diatom Chaetoceros affinis var. willei (Gran) Hustedt. II. Preliminary investigation of the extracellular polysaccharide

The isolation of an extracellular polysaccharide from cultures of Chaetoceros affinis var. willei (Gran) Hustedt is described. The polysaccharide behaved as a homogeneous, polyanionic compound in free-boundary electrophoresis at both pH 2 and 7. It contained sulphur, presumably as sulphate half ester groups (8.7% of SO 2Na), and the following monosaccharides were tentatively identified: rhamnose, fucose, arabinose, and galactose, with the two former constituting 63% of the polysaccharide preparation. The main cellular polysaccharide was a glucan and could be extracted from the cells by dilute acid. The remaining material gave, after hydrolysis, a complex mixture of monosaccharides with rhamnose as the major component. It is concluded that the extracellular polysaccharide is probably excreted from healthy cells.

Production of carbohydrates by the marine diatom Chaetoceros affinis var. willei (Gran) Hustedt. I. Effect of the concentration of nutrients in the culture medium

The chemical composition of cells of Chaetoceros affinis var. willei (Gran) Hustedt grown in batch culture was markedly influenced by the concentration of nutrients in the medium. In the logarithmic growth phase the content of cellular glucan was relatively low, but in the stationary phase the glucan content showed a rapid increase which seemed to coincide with the depletion of nitrate from the medium. This led to very pronounced variations in the ratio of protein to carbohydrate. This ratio can easily be determined and seems to be a sensitive and convenient parameter for characterizing the physiological state of the diatom cells. In the stationary phase the alga also produced considerable amounts of an extracellular polysaccharide, particularly when grown in a medium with a high proportion of nitrate to phosphate.

THE AUTOECIOUS SPECIES OF PUCCINIA ON HELIANTHEAE IN NORTH AMERICA

Sixty-two taxa are recognized in this study of the species of Puccinia completing their life cycle on Heliantheae. Six new species are described: Puccinia guatemalensis Parmelee on Zexmenia spp. and Wedelia spp., P. ghiesbreghtii Parmelee on Wedelia ghiesbreghtii, P. abramsii Parmelee on Geraea viscida (= Encelia viscida), P. chloracae Parmelee on Viguiera spp., P. calanticariae Parmelee on Viguiera spp., and P. praetermissa Parmelee on Lagascea spp. Six new varieties are recognized: Puccinia electrae var. robusta Parmelee and P. electrae var. depressiporosa Parmelee on Zexmenia brevifolia, P. caleae var. cuernavacae Parmelee on Calea spp., P. cognata var. echinulata Parmelee on Verbesina spp., P. cognata var. fraseri Parmelee on Viguiera fraseri, and P. affinis var. triporosa Parmelee on Viguiera spp. Three taxa have been restored from synonomy under P. abrupta, viz. P. subglobosa, P. ximenesiae, and P. affinis, the last two parasitic on Verbesina spp., the first on Rhysolepis (= Viguiera). P. tithoniae, P. nanomitra, and P. ordinata, are reduced to synonomy with P. enceliae var. enceliae, P. iostephanes, and P. melampodii respectively. New combinations include: P. enceliae var. aemulans (Syd.) Parmelee and P. abrupta var. partheniicola (Jacks.) Parmelee. A key based on uredinial and telial characters, others based initially on the hosts, and a host index are provided. Each taxon is illustrated by a photomicrograph from type material. Distribution and host extensions, supplementary to those given in Arthur's Manual of the Rusts, are indicated.

Function of Pyrenoids in Algæ

THOUGH attempts have been made from time to time to explain the function of pyrenoids in Algae, exact knowledge on the point is lacking. Usually starch is deposited around the pyrenoids in a good many Chlorophyceae, and G. M. Smith1 holds that pyrenoids synthesize starch. In starch–free diatoms G. Karsten2 remarks that one has scarcely seen the actual formation of oils in connexion with pyrenoids. But by growing Rhopalodia gibba and Synedra affinis var. fasciculata in 2 per cent glucose medium, fatty acid and glycerine medium, etc., I could get distinct grouping of oil–drops around the pyrenoids (Fig. 1), the first–formed oil–drops in these diatoms being invariably deposited round the pyrenoids. Similarly, by growing green filaments of Spirogyra in fatty acids and glycerine medium, oil is synthesized in the course of three days in the form of drops (Fig. 2) around the pyrenoids within the starch–sheath. Chemical analysis confirms the utilization of acids in the process as the amounts of acids decreased during the process. Filaments of Spirogyra undergoing decomposition, either in Nature or in artificial culture, show the first formation of oil–drops around the pyrenoids within the starch-–heath as well as surrounding the sheath; here the starch–sheath becomes narrower and thinner—evidently oil is secondarily formed from the primarily formed starch–grains in the sheath.