Diatom Collection Research Articles

Новые находки водорослей, грибов, лишайников и мохообразных. 14

The first records for Russia of one species of siphonous yellow-green algae, ascomycete, and lichenicolous fungus, and the first records for regions of Russia: nine species of siphonous yellow-green alga for the Arkhangelsk, Astrakhan, Moscow, Volgograd regions, two diatom species for the Tyumen Region, nine species of basidiomycetes for the Novgorod, Tomsk regions, and the Republic of Tuva, three species of lichenicolous fungi for the Orenburg Region and Krasnoyarsk Territory, 23 species of lichens for the Arkhangelsk, Irkutsk, Murmansk, Sakhalin regions, Altai, Buryatia and Komi republics, Altai and Khabarovsk territories, 15 species of mosses for the Arkhangelsk, Magadan, Orel, Voronezh regions, Kamchatka Territory, Republic of Tuva, and St. Petersburg, one species of liverwort for the Krasnoyarsk Territory are presented. The data on their localities, habitats, distribution are provided. The specimens are kept in the herbaria ALTB, AR, H, IBIW, IRK, KPABG, LE, MAG, NSK, PTZ, PZV, SMR, SYKO, VU, in the diatom collection of the Timiryazev Institute of Plant Physiology RAS, the Tobolsk complex scientific station RAS or Vaucheria collection of the Laboratory for Algology at the Papanin Institute for Biology of Inland Waters RAS. Sequences of ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 nrDNA regions of some specimens of fungi and ITS1-2 nrDNA and trnL-F cpDNA of one liverwort have been deposited in the GenBank.

Notes on the diatom collection of the Natural History Museum, London (BM) XI: the type specimens of Actinocyclus ingens Rattray and related specimens

Actinocyclus ingens Rattray is a useful stratigraphic marker. It has been sub-divided into several ‘forms’ because of a presumed high degree of morphological variability: it is considered a ‘polymorphic species’. The type specimens of Actinocyclus ingens, Coscinodiscus elegans Grev., Cosmiodiscus elegans Grev., and Coscinodiscus perikompsos var. curta Rattray are examined and commentary is made on the meaning of sub-specific categories. For nomenclatural reasons, detailed within, Actinocyclus ingens requires a new name. This paper primarily concerns names.

An electron microscope study and re-description of the type specimens of Synedra subula and its transfer to Ctenophora (Bacillariophyta)

Synedra subula Sande Lac. & Suringar is rarely encountered today. Although a reasonable description was provided, the species has never been illustrated. Having discovered the type specimens in the diatom collection of the Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden (the Netherlands), this short account presents details of some specimens using only scanning electron microscopy as no light microscope slides exist or have been prepared.

Notes on the diatom collection of the Natural History Museum, London (BM) IX: Campylodiscus hardmanianus, with a discussion on synapomorphy and the poverty of molecular monophyly

Type specimens of Campylodiscus hardmanianus and Campylodiscus hardmanianus var. grovii are discussed. The general purpose of this contribution is twofold: (1) to draw attention to some Greville types that reside in Deby’s collection in BM; and (2) as both taxa should be placed in Coronia, the status of that genus is discussed with respect to the concept of synapomorphy and monophyly.

Новые находки водорослей, грибов, лишайников и мохообразных. 12

First records for Russia of naviculoid diatom from the Yaroslavl Region, and micromycetes from the Republic of North Ossetia — Alania, green alga for the Leningrad Region and Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Area, fragilarioid diatom for the Kaliningrad Region, red alga for the Nizhny Novgorod Region, cyanoprokaryota for the Leningrad Region and Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, and crustaceous red alga for the Autonomous Republic of Adjara of Georgia, macromycetes for the Leningrad Region, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area — Yugra, Republic of Tuva, Trans-Baikal Territory, myxomycetes for the Trans-Baikal Territory, lichens and allied fungi for the Murmansk and Tver regions, republics of Karelia and Tuva, Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Area, Altai and Khabarovsk territories, cyanolichen for the Urals and the Orenburg Region, mosses for the Lipetsk Region, republics of Ingushetia and Buryatia, Krasnoyarsk and Trans-Baikal territories are presented. The data on their localities, habitats, distribution are provided. The specimens are kept in the herbaria ALTB, GSU, IBIW, IRK, KPABG, LE, MHA, MW, NNSU, NSK, PZV, TBI, UUH, VU, YSU, and the Diatom collection of the Laboratory for Algology of IBIW RAS. Sequences of 16S, and 16S–23S ITS cyanobacterial RNA regions, ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 fungal and ITS1-2 moss nrDNA regions of some specimens have been deposited in the GenBank.

Interesting species in the collection of diatoms at the Karadag scientific station

The purpose of the collection of diatoms of the Karadag Scientific Station and the species of diatoms from the collection that are interesting from the point of view of studying problematic issues, in particular, taxonomy and evolution, toxicogenic, of applied importance, and potentially useful for biotechnology, are briefly described.

Diatoms from inland aquatic and soil habitats as indestructible and nonremovable forensic environmental evidence.

Environmental analysis of soil, water, and plants plays a key role in the criminal investigation process, as it not only provides information about the course of the crime, but it can also elucidate the connection between the offender, the victim, and the environment. One particularly useful way of linking the victim and offender to a specific environment is by analyzing their clothing for the presence of diatoms. The present research was conducted upon field experiments. Firstly, it examines the variability of diatom and the quantitative analysis of diatom communities in designated places, each at an increasing distance from the aquatic ecosystem. Secondly, it analyses the differentiation of the structure of diatom communities in designated environments located close to each other. Thirdly, it examines the diatom colonization of selected substrates: cotton, chamois leather, and sponge. Finally, it confirms whether the diatoms which transfer to socks after contact with the selected environment reflect the structure of the diatom communities in that environment, even after the socks had been washed. Our findings indicate that diatom communities vary considerably, even between environments separated by short distances, and that objects placed in a particular environment are colonized by diatoms that reflect the environmental samples, irrespective of the substrate. In addition, after contact with a specific aquatic ecosystem, sock material retained diatom collections that reflected the environment samples, even though the time of exposure was very short and after the socks had been washed. This provides valuable information that can be used as forensic evidence.

Hundred years of Botany at the NWU: contributions towards understanding plant and algae function, diversity and restoration in a changing environment

The Department of Botany on the Potchefstroom Campus (formerly Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education) of the North-West University (NWU) had its centenary in 2020. In this paper we celebrate this milestone by giving an overview of the history of the Department at this campus, including its recent establishment and expansion on the NWU Mahikeng Campus (formerly the University of North-West). A brief overview is presented of the advances in teaching and research over the years, and the development and relevance of the important plant collections in the botanical garden, two herbaria and the national diatom collection. The main emphasis of this contribution is, however, a reflection on the advancement and significance of research conducted by various disciplines on plant and algae function, diversity and ecological restoration over the years. The different disciplines in Botany at NWU, from the oldest to the more recent, are Plant Taxonomy, Plant Ecophysiology, Terrestrial Plant Ecology, Aquatic Sciences, Urban and Settlement Ecology, Geoecology, and Proteomics. Different aspects contributing to changes occurring in the environment, such as pollution, land degradation, urbanisation, overexploitation of resources and the subsequent effect of these on plant diversity and function are especially addressed in our current research. The results of our research inter alia led to solutions for problems occurring in the landscape and contribute to the well-being of the people using the land and water by restoring important ecosystem services.

<strong>Notes on the diatom collection of the Natural History Museum, London (BM) II–IV. Some type specimens in the genus <em>Aulacodiscus</em> Ehrenberg and nomenclatural notes on <em>Thumia</em> Cleve ex F.B. Taylor </strong>

The diatom collection at the Natural History Museum, London (BM) is in the process of reviewing the card index that is the primary guide. The cards direct the user to the glass slides in the collection that are supposed to include specimens of the particular species indicated. The cards indicate which slides contain type specimens. Not all the types have been discovered. Occasionally, a card will refer to a name that has never been published, effectively a manuscript or herbarium name. This series of notes has been created to clarify some of those names and, where necessary, validly publish the names (part I was published earlier, Williams 2020).

Benthic Diatom Communities in Korean Estuaries: Species Appearances in Relation to Environmental Variables.

In the Korean Peninsula’s southern estuaries, the distributive characteristics of epilithic diatoms and the important environmental factors predicting species occurrence were examined. The collection of diatoms and measurements of water quality and land-use were performed every May between 2009 and 2016, with no influence from the Asian monsoon and snow. Throughout the study, 564 diatoms were classified with first and second dominant species of Nitzschia inconspicua and N. perminuta. Based on diatom appearance and standing crops, the 512 sampling stations were divided into four groups by cluster analysis, and two regions, namely the West and East Sea. Geographically, G1, G2, G3, and G4 were located in the East Sea, Southeast Sea, West Sea, and Southwest Sea, respectively. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) results indicated that environmental factors, such as turbidity, electric conductivity (EC), and total phosphorus (TP), significantly influenced the distribution of epilithic diatoms. A random forest model showed that major environmental factors influencing the diatom species appearance included EC, salinity, turbidity, and total nitrogen. This study demonstrated that the spatial distribution of epilithic diatoms in the southern estuaries of the Korean Peninsula was determined by several factors, including a geographically higher tidal current-driven turbidity increase and higher industrial or anthropogenic nutrient-loading.

Bacterial Epibiotic Communities of Ubiquitous and Abundant Marine Diatoms Are Distinct in Short- and Long-Term Associations.

Interactions between phytoplankton and bacteria play a central role in mediating biogeochemical cycling and food web structure in the ocean. The cosmopolitan diatoms Thalassiosira and Chaetoceros often dominate phytoplankton communities in marine systems. Past studies of diatom-bacterial associations have employed community-level methods and culture-based or natural diatom populations. Although bacterial assemblages attached to individual diatoms represents tight associations little is known on their makeup or interactions. Here, we examined the epibiotic bacteria of 436 Thalassiosira and 329 Chaetoceros single cells isolated from natural samples and collection cultures, regarded here as short- and long-term associations, respectively. Epibiotic microbiota of single diatom hosts was analyzed by cultivation and by cloning-sequencing of 16S rRNA genes obtained from whole-genome amplification products. The prevalence of epibiotic bacteria was higher in cultures and dependent of the host species. Culture approaches demonstrated that both diatoms carry distinct bacterial communities in short- and long-term associations. Bacterial epibonts, commonly associated with phytoplankton, were repeatedly isolated from cells of diatom collection cultures but were not recovered from environmental cells. Our results suggest that in controlled laboratory culture conditions bacterial–diatom and bacterial–bacterial interactions select for a simplified, but specific, epibiotic microbiota shaped and adapted for long-term associations.

Atlas of diatoms (Bacillariophyta) from diverse habitats in remote regions of western Canada.

High-resolution LM images of diatoms from remote regions of western Canada are presented as a contribution to our knowledge of diatom floristics, ecology and biogeography in North America. Approximately 600 taxa are imaged in 132 plates. Genera with the most taxa are Cymbella (19 taxa), Cymbopleura (29), Encyonema (23), Encyonopsis (15), Eunotia (77), Gomphonema (42), Navicula (47), Neidium (20), Nitzschia (35), Pinnularia (50) and Stauroneis (34). Diatoms were collected from diverse habitats in four of North America’s major biomes: Arctic tundra, taiga, Rocky Mountains and Pacific rainforest. Many of the photographed taxa could not be identified to species and are likely new to science. Other taxa may represent new records for North America or Canada. Images of voucher specimens are keyed to individual collection sites. Detailed descriptions of the collection sites include GPS coordinates, colour photographs, vegetation, algal substrates, elevations, pH, temperature and conductivity. Samples were collected from natural substrates in fresh to brackish, flowing and standing waters. Voucher slides are deposited in the Montana Diatom Collection (Helena) and the University of Montana Herbarium (Missoula). Cleaned diatom frustules have been deposited in the Diatom Herbarium of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia.

Reinvestigation of African Surirella taxa (Bacillariophyta) described by B.J. Cholnoky with some remarks on digitization of diatom types

Cholnoky described several new Surirella taxa from Africa and we have re-investigated this material. As many other of his contemporary authors, especially in the case of description of new African diatoms, Cholnoky did not indicate holotypes. In the present paper original materials are re-evaluated, lectotypes and a holotype are designated and also epitypes whenever it was appropriate. Taxa later transferred to Stenopterobia have not been taken into account. A short description of the seven species concerned (Surirella anassae, S. chasei, S. coei, S. oliffii, S. ostentata = Surirella ovata var. africana, S. pseudotenuis and S. pseudothienemannii) is given based on the original light microscopic descriptions. Additional morphological information based on scanning electron microscopy is added if available. The presently known ecology and distribution of the taxa is given as are other remarks, based on own observations. For each of the seven taxa Cholnoky's original drawings are presented, which were later re-drawn for publication and which are kept in the archive of the South African National Diatom Collection. The results are discussed referring to the outcome of the digitization project of African Surirellaceae (diatoms, microscopic algae) in the frame of the African Plants Initiative.

Ruth Patrick: The River Doctor

Ruth Patrick: The River Doctor

Contribution towards a morphological and molecular taxonomic reference library of benthic marine diatoms from two Arctic fjords on Svalbard (Norway)

Knowledge on benthic diatom taxonomy and hence biodiversity from Arctic locations is rare, though the few existing analyses address morphological characteristics only. Morphological treatment is a time-consuming process and just allows the taxonomic identification of a low sample volume. In contrast, molecular sequencing is a faster and universally applicable approach, and also has the potential for refined analyses. Unfortunately, a lot of molecular information in databases is not trustable, and often existing genetic data do not fit together with morphological aspects. Therefore, the main goal of our study was for the first time to combine both morphological features and DNA information on benthic Arctic diatoms. In a first step, we studied the morphology of 26 strains from the Rostock Culture Collection of Arctic diatoms via light and electron microscopies. Secondly, we addressed their molecular taxonomy by sequencing the DNA barcode 18S V4 and the chloroplast marker rbcL. As a result, we could identify five species. Seven of the altogether twelve taxa could not be attributed to any known species, because listed sequences and morphology did not fit together. From these, three species were described as new to science here. Although the studied strains represent only a minor fraction of the diatom flora of Svalbard, this study is a first milestone in coupling morphological and molecular data of benthic diatoms in such high latitudes. By making these data available online, they contribute to a taxonomic reference library for Arctic benthic diatoms and are available for comparative studies.

Potential effects of climate change on the distribution range of the main silicate sinker of the Southern Ocean.

Fragilariopsis kerguelensis, a dominant diatom species throughout the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, is coined to be one of the main drivers of the biological silicate pump. Here, we study the distribution of this important species and expected consequences of climate change upon it, using correlative species distribution modeling and publicly available presence-only data. As experience with SDM is scarce for marine phytoplankton, this also serves as a pilot study for this organism group. We used the maximum entropy method to calculate distribution models for the diatom F. kerguelensis based on yearly and monthly environmental data (sea surface temperature, salinity, nitrate and silicate concentrations). Observation data were harvested from GBIF and the Global Diatom Database, and for further analyses also from the Hustedt Diatom Collection (BRM). The models were projected on current yearly and seasonal environmental data to study current distribution and its seasonality. Furthermore, we projected the seasonal model on future environmental data obtained from climate models for the year 2100. Projected on current yearly averaged environmental data, all models showed similar distribution patterns for F. kerguelensis. The monthly model showed seasonality, for example, a shift of the southern distribution boundary toward the north in the winter. Projections on future scenarios resulted in a moderately to negligibly shrinking distribution area and a change in seasonality. We found a substantial bias in the publicly available observation datasets, which could be reduced by additional observation records we obtained from the Hustedt Diatom Collection. Present-day distribution patterns inferred from the models coincided well with background knowledge and previous reports about F. kerguelensis distribution, showing that maximum entropy-based distribution models are suitable to map distribution patterns for oceanic planktonic organisms. Our scenario projections indicate moderate effects of climate change upon the biogeography of F. kerguelensis.

Criptógamos do Parque Estadual das Fontes do Ipiranga, São Paulo, SP. Algas 36: Bacillariophyceae (Cymbellales)

Foi providenciado o levantamento florístico da ordem Cymbellales (Bacillariophyceae) na área do PEFI, Parque Estadual das Fontes do Ipiranga, São Paulo, SP, Brasil, com base na análise de 28 unidades amostrais. Amostras de plâncton foram obtidas com auxílio de rede e as de perifíton pela coleta e remoção das diatomáceas aderidas aos talos de macrófitas aquáticas submersas. O material foi oxidado e analisado em microscopia de luz e eletrônica de varredura. Seis gêneros e o total de 36 táxons foram identificados. Características morfológicas e dimensões das frústulas foram providenciadas para todos os táxons registrados. Das espécies identificadas, as seguintes 13 são novos registros para o PEFI: Cymbella tropica, C. turgidula var. venezoelana, Encyonema neogracile var. tenuipunctata, E. angustecapitatum, E. cf. brevicapitatum, Placoneis constans var. symmetrica, P. hambergii, P. undulata, Gomphonema parvulum var. exilissimum, G. augur var. turris, G. brasiliense subsp. pacificum, G. laticollum e G. urugayense.

New diatoms from the American West—A tribute to citizen science

Twelve new diatom species are described from remote locations in the western United States: Cymbella blinnii sp. nov., Cymbopleura maggieae sp. nov., Encyonema drakei sp. nov., E. pentoniae sp. nov., E. willeyorum sp. nov., Frustulia esandalliae sp. nov., Gomphonema darwinii sp. nov., G. evolutionensis sp. nov., Muelleria agnellus sp. nov., M. spauldingiae sp. nov., M. tetonensis sp. nov., and Navicula harmoniae sp. nov. Descriptions are supported by LM images showing size diminution in the type populations and by SEM images. Type populations of the new species are from California (3 species), Colorado (3), Montana (2), Oregon (2), Washington (1), and Wyoming (1). All of the type materials for these new species were collected by unpaid citizen volunteers. This paper reviews other new species and significant new distribution records produced by volunteer collections. It also discusses the process of engaging citizen volunteers in diatom collection and the value of citizen collections in building diatom herbaria, in cataloging diatom biodiversity, and in expanding our knowledge of diatom biogeography, especially in remote regions with difficult access.

Transfer of Fragilaria atomus Hust. to the genus Stauroforma (Bacillariophyta) based on observation of type and newly collected material

Fragilaria atomus was described from a brackish water lagoon in southern Finland and has subsequently been reported from several localities worldwide. However, due to its small size, it can be easily mistaken with other small, morphologically similar araphid diatoms. To clarify the morphological, metric and structural features of the species, lectotype material from BRM (Hustedt’s diatom collection) and specimens from salt marshes in Brazil were studied using light and scanning electron microscopy. Fragilaria atomus is compared to seven morphologically similar taxa belonging to Fragilaria, Stauroforma and Psammoneis. The results revealed that some important features of Fragilaria (discoid closing plates, rimoportulae and spines) are not present in F. atomus. The absence of these structures, together with the opposite striation pattern, round areolae, features of the apical pore field, and reduced or absent sternum, suggest that a transfer of F. atomus to Stauroforma is appropriate. The distribution and ecology of F. atomus is discussed.

Minnesota diatomists: The first 150 years

Minnesota boasts over 12,000 lakes, most of glacial origin, three major continental drainage systems (Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico, Lake Superior via the other Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean, and the Red River of the North via the Nelson River, to Hudson Bay), and a diversity of landforms comprising seven major ecological regions. Such landscape and aquatic variability hosts a high diversity of diatoms, which have been studied for over 150 years. Diatom communities range from saline and eutrophic in the southwest agricultural lands, to oligotrophic and endemic forms in the cold waters of Lake Superior. Early diatom collections were distributed to reknowned diatomists such as C.G. Ehrenberg and H.L. Smith. Other botanists and phycologists, including Tilden, Eddy, and Drouet, were active in Minnesota but only rarely included diatoms in their studies. Interest in Minnesota diatoms increased in the latter half of the 20th century with taxonomic and floristic surveys (e.g., Czarnecki, Koppen, and Kingston) and the inclusion of diatoms in applied research efforts that set the groundwork for understanding post-glacial ecology, effects of Euroamerican settlement, impacts of climate, and the effects of acid precipitation. Important to these latter developments were the efforts of Dr. Herb Wright Jr., who invited several European diatomists (e.g., Florin, Battarbee, and Haworth) to work on paleoecological projects in and near Minnesota. Although not a diatomist per se, Wright's subsequent efforts to promote diatom research included the appointment of Platt Bradbury as a research associate and later John Kingston, Dick Brugam, and Brian Cumming. Students Sheri Fritz, Kate Laird, and Virginia Card completed diatom research for their doctoral degrees. These workers and others have left a legacy that continues to fuel several active labs in Minnesota that have used diatoms to develop water quality standards, assess and restore impaired waters, and understand the impacts of climate, management, and landuse change across the state.