Annales Universitatis Paedagogicae Cracoviensis Studia Naturae, 7: XX–XX, 2022 ISSN 2543-8832 DOI: 10.24917/25438832.7.x Wojciech W. A. Kowalski Department of Botany and Nature Conservation, West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin, J. Słowackiego 17 St., 71-434 Szczecin, Poland; e-mails: wojciech.wakowalski@wp.pl, botanika@zut.edu.pl, Desmatractum bipyramidatum (Chodat) Pascher 1930 (Chlorophyceae, Chlorococcales) – a new locality in Poland Introduction Genus Desmatractum West et G.S. West 1902 (= Bernardinella Chodat, Calyptobactron Geitler) includes species found in various habitats on almost all continents of the Eart. According to Guiry, Guiry (2022) currently eight species are recognised (Desmotractum bipyramidatum (Chodat) Pascher; D. delicatissimum Korshicov; D. elongatum Pascher; D. indutum (Geitler) Pascher; D. nyanzae, (Wołoszyńska) G.S. West ex Printz; D. obtusum Pascher; D. plicatum Weste & G.S. West, and D. spryii Nicholls) of which only four has been found in Poland: D. bipyramidatum, D. delicatissimum, D. indutum, and D. nyanzae (classified earlier by Wołoszyńska (1914) as a Peniococcus nyenzae). A characteristic feature of the cells of this genus are thick protrusions of the cell wall running along the long axis of the cell, in the form of ribs. This feature is more pronounced in most species. The cells are bipolar, with a spherical or oval protoplast with one pyrene. Towards the pole, the cells are more or less narrowing, having a spindle-shaped form, with a spike of various lengths. Habitat and plant material Registered in the Goleniów Forest in Western Pomerania (Fig. 1), in the habitat of the mid-forest peat bog Desmatractum bipyramidatum, it is the second place of occurrence of the species. Earlier, its occurrence in Poland was noted only by Mrozińska (1984). On the analysed site, a floristic list of vascular plants was made, for the general characteristics of the habitat, as well as a list of other algae species accompanying D. bipyramidatum. Fig. 1. The location of the “Wrzosiec” nature reserve (53°37′03″N 14°57′41″E) and the location of the habitat of Desmatractum bipiramidatum; a – roads, b – forest roads, c – borders of forest divisions, d – borders of forest areas, e – border of nature reserve, f – location of species locality D. bipyramidatum cells occur on the flooded organic substrate, covering the synusions in Caricetum elatae Koch 1926. Small pits in area, 0.5–1.5 m2, trough-shaped pits between the Carex elata All. clumps are covered with an organic substance consisting mainly of dead shoots with varying degrees of decomposition of shoots C. elata and bryophytes. Mineral substances deposited by the peatland flowing from the periphery also have a small share in the length. The habitat is characterised by poor vegetation. Locally, the substrate is inhabited by small grasses of bryophytes: Sphagnum auriculatum Schimp., S. rufescens (Nees & Hornsch.) Warnst., Fossombronia foveolata Lindb., Drepanocladus exannulatus (Schimp.) Warnst. and a few vascular plants: Juncus bulbosus L., Hydrocotyle vulgaris L., Drosera intermedia Hayne, less often D. rotundifolia L. Coverage of the vascular layer is 5–20%, and the moss layer 5–50%. The low position of depressions between the Carex elata clumps, in relation to the neighbouring plant communities of the remaining parts of the fen, causes constant runoff and stagnation of waters in the habitat. Hence, in most of the year they are flooded with a 1.0–1.5 cm layer of water, or it stagnates evenly with their surface, giving them the character of a bush. From spring to late autumn, this habitat is a place of mass development of various systematic groups of algae covering the surface of the substrate with a gelatinous layer. The development of algae in synusias is favoured by favourable light conditions. The leaves of the tall clumps of sedges diffuse the sun's rays, but without limiting the good illumination of the synapse substrate. D. bipyramidatum cells are accompanied by various cyanobacteria and algae taxa represented mainly by Chlorophyceae, Cyanoprokaryota and Bacillariophyceae species. The absolutely dominant taxonomic group are Chlorophyceae species of the Desmidiales order, among which the largest numbers are: Netrium digitus (Ehrenb.) Itzigs. et Rothe, Tetmemorus granulatus (Bréb.) Ralfs ex Ralfs, Euastrum ansatum Ralfs var. ansatum, Closterium baileyanum (Bréb.) Bréb., Closterium dianae (Ehrenb.) Ralfs, Pleurataenium ehrenbergii (Bréb.) De Bary, Euastrum pectinatum (Bréb.) ex Bréb. The cells are singly present: Cylindrocystis brebissonii (Ralfs) De Bary, Penium exiguum W. West var. glaberrimum Grönbl., P. spirostriolatum Bark var. spirostriolatum, Closterium costatum Corda ex Ralfs var. costatum, Cl. gracile Bréb. ex Ralfs, Cosmarium debary Arch. in Pritchard, C. margaritiferum Menegh. ex Ralfs var. margaritiferum, C. portianum Arch. var. portianum, C. quadratum Ralfs ex Ralfs var. quadratum, Euastrum gayanum De Toni var. gayanum, E. verrucosum Ehrenb. ex Ralfs, Micrasterias thomasiana Arch. var. notate (Nordst.) Grönbl., M. truncate (Corda) ex Bréb. var. truncata, Staurastrum teliferum Ralfs. Diatoms represent: Frustulia rhomboides var. saxonica (Rabenhorst) De Toni = Frustulia saxonica Rabenhorst, Eunotia exigua (Brébisson ex Kützing) Rabenhorst, E. lunaris = Eunotia bilunaris (Ehrenberg) Schaarschmidt, Tabellaria flocculosa (Roth) Kützing var. flocculosa, Pinularia sp. div. Less common along with D. bipyramidatum cells are the species: Merismopedia glauca (Ehrenb.) Kützing, Chroococcus turgidus (Kützing) Nägeli, Oscillatoria sp. (Cyanobacteria), Pediastrum tetras (Ehrenb.) Ralfs, P. angulosum (Ehrenb.) (Chlorophyceae) and Pseudostaurastrum enorme (Xanthophyceae). Cell description Desmatractum bipyramidatum (Chodat) Pascher 1930 Basionym: Bernardinella bipyramidata Chodat 1921. Bull, Soc. Bot. Geneva, ser. 2, 12; Fusiform cells (Fig. 2), widened in the equatorial plane into a ring surrounding the cell, tapering conically towards the apexes and stretched on both sides into short appendages, sharply rounded at the ends. The total length of cells 23.6–28.6 µm, width in the equatorial plane 10.2–12.9 µm, length of the apical processes 4.2–4.5 µm. Cell wall smooth, colourless or slightly reddish with 5–8 ribbed projections along the long axis of the cell. In plan, the cells are round with slightly concave walls between the ribbed projections. The inside of the cell is a spherical protoplast 7.7– 9.7 µm in diameter, with a chloroplast containing one clearly visible pyrenoid and several (usually 4–6) distinct grains with a diameter of 0.6–0.7 µm. The shape of the cells is identical to D. bipyramidatum sensu Skuja (1964). Taper more or less evenly conically towards the ends, drawn into a short spike, rounded at the top. In the collected material, D. bipyramidatum cells were observed only in two samples collected during the summer period, when the water level is stabilised and not too high. W. Their occurrence, however, was sporadic. These were 6–8 cell clusters. In spring and autumn, the depressions are flooded with water and are characterised by completely different ecological conditions. Reporting the occurrence of the species on different continents indicates that it is a taxa with a cosmopolitan range, but very rarely observed. Fig. 2. Desmatractum bipyramidatum sensu Skuja (1964) from a high Atlantic peat bog in the Goleniów Forest (original) Distribution Distribution in Poland According to the information contained in the study (Siemińska, Wołowski, 2003) and in the icon library and species records of the Department of Algology, IB PAN in Krakow, the occurrence of Desmatractum bipyrimidatum has been recorded so far only in the Tatra Mountains from the peat bog in the valley Dolina Pięciu Stawów (Mrozińska, 1984). In unpublished materials from the peat bogs of the Śnieżka region in Karkonsze, it is mentioned by Matuła. The site from Western Pomerania is therefore the second documented place of its occurrence in Poland. General distribution D. bipyramidatum cells have so far been found in marshy habitats of peat bogs in Central Europe; this species should be considered cosmopolitan in the area (Tsarenko et al., 2011; Guiry, Guiry, 2022). There are known localities from this region in Bulgaria (Vodeničarov, 1960), Sweden (Suja, 1964), Great Britain (Lund, 1942), and the Tyrolean Alps (Ettl, 1968). According to Komarek and Fott (1983), who give the positions of D. bipyramidatum also from Denmark, Germany, France, Czechoslovakia and the territory of the former USSR (Koršikov, 1953). Outside Europe, single D. bipyramidatum sites are also known from the state of Michigan in the USA (Taft, 1939, Prescott, 1962), New Zealand (Skuja, 1976); Asia (China, Japan, Russia); South West Asia (Bangladesh, India); Africa (Ivory Coast); Australia, Papua New Guinea (Guiry, Guiry, 2022). Prescott (1962) believes that the taxon is definitely related to the acidic habitats of bog bogs. Summary and conclusion Registered in the Goleniów Forest in Western Pomerania (Fig. 1), in the habitat of the mid-forest peat bog Desmatractum bipyramidatum mesar fen, it is the second place of occurrence of the species. Earlier, its occurrence in Poland was noted only by Mrozińska (1984). D. bipyramidatum cells occur on the flooded organic substrate, covering the synusions in Caricetum elatae Koch 1926. Small pits in area, 0.5–1.5 m2, trough-shaped pits between the Carex elata clumps are covered with an organic substance consisting mainly of dead shoots with varying degrees of decomposition of C. elata and bryophytes. The habitat is characterised by poor vegetation. Coverage of the vascular layer is 5–20%, and the moss layer 5–50%. The location of the depressions between the C. elata clumps, in relation to the neighbouring plant communities of the remaining parts of the fen, causes a constant runoff and stagnation of water in the habitat, which is the nature of the marshes. In terms of shape and other diagnostic features, the cells are identical to the described D. bipyramidatum sensu Skuja (1964). They taper more or less evenly conical towards the ends stretched out in a short squeeze, rounded at the top. Their smooth, colourless or slightly reddish cell wall is covered with 5–8 ribbed bulges along the long axis of the cells. The interior of the cell is occupied by a spherical protoplast with a chloroplast containing 1 pyrene and a few (usually 4– 6) distinct granules. Conflict of interest The author declare no conflict of interest related to this article. References Ettl, H. (1968). Ein Beitrag zur Kenntnis der Algenflora Tirols. Berichte des naturwissenschaftlichen-medizinischen Verein Innsbruck, 56, 177–354. [In German] Guiry, M.D., Guiry, G.M. (2022). AlgaeBase. Listing the World’s Algae. National University of Ireland, Galway. https://www.algaebase.org Komarek, J., Fott, B. (1983). Chlorophyceae (Grünalgen), Ordnung Chlorococcales. In: G. Huber-Pestalozzi (ed.), Das Phytoplankton des Süsswassers, die Binnengewässer, 16(7/1), 1–1044. [In German] Koršikov, A.A. (1953). Pidklas Protokokovi (Protococcinae). Viznačnik prisnovodnich vodorostej Ukrainskoj RSR. Akad. Nauk URSR, 5, 1–439. [In Russian] Lund, J.W.G. (1942). Contribution to our knowledge of British Algae – VIII. Journal of Botany (London), 80, 57– 73. Mrozińska, T. (1984). Botryosphaerella sudetica (Lemmermann) Silva (Botryococcaceae, Chlorophyta), a green alga new to Tatra Mts. Archiv fur Hydrobiologie, Supplement 67, 3(Algological Studies 36), 245–249. https://doi.org/0.1127/algol_stud/67/1984/245 Prescott, G.W. (1962). Algae of the Western Great Lakes Area. Iowa: WM. C Brown Comp. Publ. Dubuque. pp. 977. Siemińska, J., Wołowski, K. (2003). Catalogue of polish prokaryotic and eukaryotic algae. Katalog glonów prokariotycznych i eukariotycznych Polski. Ser. Biodiversity of Poland. In: Z. Mirek (ed.), Różnorodność biologiczna Polski, 5, Kraków: Institute of Botany Polish Academy of Science. Skuja, H. (1964). 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[In German] Abstract In the materials collected during phycological studies of bog bogs in the Goleniów Forest in Western Pomerania, cells of Desmatractum bipyramidatum (Chodat) Pascher 1930, rarely administered from Poland, were found. and bryophytes. In terms of shape, the cells are identical and refer to the described D. bipyramidatum sensu Skuja (1964). D. bipyramidatum cells are accompanied by various algae taxa represented mainly by species of the Chlorophyceae, Cyanoprokaryota and Bacillariophyceae classes. The absolutely dominant taxonomic group in the habitat are Chlorophyceae species of the order Desmidiales Key words: Chlorococcales, Chloropohyceae, new locality, Western Pomerania Received: [2022.01.19] Accepted: [2022.02.05] Desmatractum bipyramidatum (Chodat) Pascher 1930 (Chlorophyceae, Chlorococcales) – nowe stanowisko w Polsce Streszczenie W materiałach zebranych w trakcie badań fykologicznych torfowisk mszarnych w Puszczy Goleniowskiej na terenie Pomorza Zachodniego, znaleziono komórki rzadko podawanej z terenu Polski zielenicy Desmatractum bipyramidatum (Chodat) Pascher 1930. Komórki D. bipyramidatum występowały na przepojonym wodą substracie organicznym, utworzonym z obumarłych szczątków roślin naczyniowych i mszaków. Pod względem kształtu komórki są identyczne i nawiązują formą do opisanego D. bipyramidatum sensu Skuja (1964). Komórkom D. bipyramidatum towarzyszą różne taksony glonów reprezentowane głównie przez gatunki klasy Chlorophyceae, Cyanoprokaryota oraz klasy Bacillariophyceae. Bezwzględnie dominującą grupą taksonomiczną, występującą w siedlisku są gatunki Chlorophyceae, rzędu Desmidiales. Słowa kluczowe: Chlorococcales, Chloropohyceae, nowe stanowisko, Pomorze Zachodnie. Information about the author Wojciech W. A. Kowalski The author is a specialist in the field of algology. His research interests concern both single species of algae and whole groups of marine and freshwater algae, with particular emphasis on rare and endangered taxa. A special taxonomic group of interest are the taxa associated with the ecosystems of bog bogs, as well as freshwater red algae.