Konrad Wołowski

Strombomonas and Trachelomonas species (Euglenophyta) from south-eastern USA

A biogeographical and taxonomic study on Strombomonas and Trachelomonas, which are often abundant in polluted environments, was undertaken in south-eastern USA. Light and scanning electron microscope analysis allowed the identification of 68 taxa, among them five Strombomonas and 63 Trachelomonas. All are documented with original SEM and LM micrographs. Twenty-seven Trachelomonas taxa are reported as new from this region. Variability in lorica microstructure is demonstrated for T. curta var. curta, T. pusilla var. punctata, T. rotunda, T. hispida var. coronata and T. scabra var. scabra from natural habitats. Physicochemical parameters for water quality at the collection sites are reported.

Chrysophycean stomatocysts associated with the carnivorous plants (genus Utricularia) from Jeleniak-Mikuliny Nature Reserve

An account is given of chrysophycean stomatocysts and algae occurring together with the carnivorous plants known as bladderworts, Utricularia intermedia, U. minor and U. australis, in the peat bog of Jeleniak-Mikuliny Nature Reserve. Eleven chrysophycean stomatocyst morphotypes were found, all reported for the first time from this nature reserve. Among them, two are new records for Europe (stomatocysts 330 and 208) and another two are new for Poland (stomatocysts 112 and 387). Descriptions are provided together with SEM illustrations. General data about cyanobacteria and eukaryotic algae occurring with these stomatocysts are enumerated.

Chroodactylon ornatum (Rhodophyta, Porphyridiales) occurring in Poland and Slovakia

The paper includes data on rare occurring pseudofilamentous freshwater red alga, Chroodactylon ornatum (C. Agardh) Basson, in Poland and Slovakia, Central Europe. The species is classified as widespread in the whole world in littoral of stagnant waters or in rivers but rarely noted. Original microphotographs and drawings of Ch. ornatum are presented.

Algae and prey associated with traps of the Australian carnivorous plant Utricularia volubilis (Lentibulariaceae : Utricularia subgenus Polypompholyx) in natural habitat and in cultivation

The carnivorous plant genus Utricularia comprises three monophyletic subgenera, Polypompholyx, Bivalvaria, and Utricularia; however, all Utricularia species produce sophisticated suction traps. Most studies on the interactions between this genus and algae were performed on the derived aquatic bladderworts from Utricularia subgenus Utricularia, section Utricularia, thus our knowledge about phytotelmata in bladderworts is still limited. The main aim of our study was to examine the composition of algae and prey in phytotelmata of U. volubilis R.Br., the Australian species from subgenus Polypompholyx, that has different construction of the trap door and trigger mechanism than species studied so far within the context of trapped organisms. We examined the contents of traps collected at a natural site in Western Australia, and from cultivated material grown in a botanical garden. The traps from the natural site in Australia contained predominantly diatoms, mainly of the genus Frustulia. Young traps from the botanical garden contained mainly diatoms, xanthophytes and green algae, while in the older traps, cyanobacteria prevailed. In general these observations were in agreement with the data obtained for aquatic bladderworts from section Utricularia, thus suggesting that the type of trigger mechanism has a minor influence on the composition of the trapped algae and prey.

Pediastrum privum (Printz) Hegewald (Chlorophyceae) in Lake Male Zmarle, Northern Poland

Pediastrum privum (Printz) Hegewald (Chlorophyceae) in Lake Małe Zmarłe, northern Poland This report on Pediastrum privum (Printz) Hegewald in Lake Małe Zmarłe (Tuchola Forest) is only the second for Poland and the first to describe its morphological variability in a natural population. This study was performed using light microscopy (LM) micrographs, together with data on its ecology.

Euglena Ettlii Wołowski Sp. Nova (Euglenophyceae)

Summary The new species has one central chloroplast incised and slightly folded, without pyrenoid. It was found in a village pond in the Cracow-Czgstochowa Upland, Poland.

Morphological Variability of Loricae in Trachelomonas caudata Complex (Euglenophyta)

Abstract This study documented lorica ultrastructure variation in Corresponding author: and related taxa from natural populations. On that basis, inaccuracies in the taxonomic system of euglenoid Trachelomonas are pointed out. Loricae of T. caudata and taxa very similar to it were examined by light and scanning electron microscopy and by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The latter observations showed similarity of chemical composition between loricae of different putative taxa, with silicon and iron as the main components, and the absence of a chemical element considered to be a very important component of trachelomonad envelopes - manganese. All observed morphotypes were classified in one complex based upon envelope configuration, and the “caudatae complex” was established. Our morphological analyses led us to conclude that f. pseudocaudata of T. caudata should be subsumed in the typical form or treated as a synonym of T. caudata, as the morphological differences between them are within the typical range of phenotypic variability of species from natural environments. The same view applies to the species T. bernardinensis, T. fusiformis, T. allorgei and T. molesta, which should be considered synonyms of T. caudata.