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Morphological features of oospores of Chara baueri A. Braun, one of the rarest charophyte species worldwide, were studied based on 100 oospores collected from a small and temporarily dried mid-field pond near Cedynia, Western Poland. This is the first Polish and fifth presently known locality of this species. For comparison 67 oospores from a Germa...
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... of Chara baueri collected in Poland were prolate or perprolate (ISI index 156-291) and had an ovoid to ellip- soidal shape (ANI index 20-53.6). They were dark brown or black with prominent ridges and did not have the so called "shoulder" (indentation in the upper part of the oospore), a typical feature of some species (Fig. 2). The SEM analysis did not reveal any specific wall ornamentation details, hence it was not possible to describe it more ...
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Twelve taxa of the genus Chara (Characeae, Chlorophyta) are decribed and illustrated based on specimens from southern Brazil. The taxonomic survey in the states of Paraná, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul recorded seven, one, and nine species for each state, respectively. Chara guairensis was the most common species in the area, followed by C....
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... This is not surprising, considering the results from Blume et al. (2009), who showed that the variations in oospore parameters among populations of the same taxon were high when considering Chara baltica Bruzelius "species complex". Pukacz et al. (2012) pointed out that the data describing the relationship between oospore morphometry and habitat conditions are usually lacking in literature, but that they are most likely responsible for interpopulation differentiation. Our results showed that oospores of C. globularis differed in populations from SL, DP and GPL1 (Fig. 4), where the water chemistry also differed ( Table 1). ...
The precise determination of charophytes to the species level is important for many reasons, but the common morphological taxonomic characteristics, particularly between morphologically similar taxa can be insufficient or misleading. The aim of our study was to create a comparative analysis of the oospore’s morphometric parameters in morphologically similar taxa such as Chara globularis Thuil., C. “connivens” P.Salzmann ex A.Braun, C. braunii C.C.Gmel. and C. baueri A.Braun (from Serbia). The potential for applying oospore features in species delineation was assessed, along with the interpopulation variability of oospore parameters in geographically remote populations of C. globularis and C. braunii. Common oospore parameters (height, width, number of ridges, width of fossa, and distance between the apical pole of the oospore and its widest part) were measured and the isopolarity index and anisopolarity index indices were calculated. Both interpopulation variability and interspecific differences were confirmed using oospore morphology for the selected charophyte species. Although interpopulation variability does in fact exist, oospore parameters clearly differ between morphologically similar taxa. These results are important from a taxonomic perspective, but also from the aspect of diaspore bank characterization and its potential application in restoration projects. The results also justify the need for the development of oospore identification keys at the local and regional level, particularly in the regions where they are completely lacking (e.g. Balkans). Collecting more data on oospore morphometry is necessary for our results to be widely used.
... This material could belong to extreme polymorphs of of Chara hispida, with which it cooccurs in the same samples but in a lower proportion (Table 1). Stressful environmental conditions are well known to result in the development of extreme polymorphs in extant Chara species (e.g., Pukacz et al. 2012). ...
A diverse charophyte assemblage from the Middle Miocene of the Vallès‒Penedès and Vilanova basins (Catalonia, NE Spain) is here described and illustrated for the first time. This flora has been recovered from three localities: els Casots (Subirats), Vilobí del Penedès, and Mas de l´Alonso‒el Pi Gros (Vilanova i La Geltrú). The charophyte assemblages comprise ten different species distributed among three distinctive aquatic environments, and are approximately simultaneous to major fossil vertebrate sites of these basins. Sphaerochara ulmensis, Chara cf. vulgaris, Chara molassica var. notata, Lychnothamnus barbatus var. antiquus, Lychnothamnus sp., Nitellopsis (Tectochara) merianii, and Nitellopsis sp. occur associated to abraded benthic foraminifera in organic-rich claystones related to palustrine and shallow freshwater coastal lakes. Lamprothamnium papulosum forms monospecific assemblages in gypsum-claystone alternations attributed to a coastal brackish water salina. Chara cf. hispida and Chara sp. are found to be associated with ostracods in marls and limestones related to a permanent oligohaline and alkaline lake. The discovery of this aquatic flora sheds new light on the palaeoenvironmental conditions that prevailed in the Vallès‒Penedès Basin during the Langhian in the context of the Mid-Miocene Climatic Optimum and in the Vilanova Basin during the Serravallian.
... Chara baueri A. Braun is considered to be one of the rarest charophytes worldwide [1]. It was first discovered and often collected in the Berlin area in the first half of the 19th century, until the 1870s. ...
... Specimens of C. baueri found in Serbia are described in detail, and presented comparatively with the data from the relevant literature sources [1,4,6,[10][11][12][13][14][15] (Table 2). ...
... Data on the ecology of the C. baueri are very scarce, and authors could only reach data published by Pukacz et al. [1] and Doege et al. [20] (since data presented in Doege et al. [20] are practically the same as in Pukacz et al. [1], we are further referencing the older, but original publication). When the literature data is compared to the data obtained in this study (Table 3), it is clear that the values for almost all comparable parameters are lower, meaning that water in the localities in Serbia were poorer in Ca and Mg content and electrolytes in general (conductivity), as well as softer and a bit more alkaline (Table 3). ...
Chara baueri is one of the rarest charophytes worldwide. It had been considered extinct in Europe for more than a century, from the 1870s to 2006, when it was rediscovered in Germany. The current distribution of this species is limited to a few localities in Europe (Germany, Poland and Russia), and one locality in Asia (Kazakhstan). We present a new finding of Chara baueri, to be a significant contribution to the species ecology and biogeography, and helping to review and update the current scarce knowledge. Chara baueri was discovered in Serbia and monitored for two vegetative seasons in 2018 and 2019, along with the associated macrophyte vegetation and water quality parameters. The morphology and ecology data of the species are presented comparatively with the literature data and the biogeography is critically reviewed. The population in Serbia is the first verified record of Chara baueri in southern Europe. Considering the recent findings and the knowledge accumulated in these records, Chara baueri was very possibly never extinct at all, but overlooked in Europe for the entire 20th century. We suggest that waterfowl migrating from the northern parts of Europe should be considered as the important spreading agent of Chara baueri in southern regions.
... Greater difference compared to most of the former investigations could be related to the conditions of measurement: wet or dry oospores were measured, the number of oospores used for examination, whether they were mature, in what types of water bodies and how deep the plants grew, etc. Moreover, significant difference in the results of most recent measurements of the oospores of C. baueri and the data known from the literature was noticed by Pukacz et al. (2012). On the other hand, we examined only one population from one lake. ...
Distribution and ecological requirements of Chara filiformis A. Braun in Hertzsch in Lithuanian water bodies were studied. This species has quite limited distribution in central and northern Europe, clearly preferring the habitat ‘3140 Hard oligo-mesotrophic waters with benthic vegetation of Chara spp.’. Morphological features of oospores and gyrogonites of C. filiformis were studied based on 50 gyrogonites and 50 oospores taken from herbarium specimens collected from Lake Germantas (55.979279, 22.14266 WGS) at the depth of 2–3 m on 17 August 2000. Largest polar axis (LPA, length), largest equatorial diameter (LED, width), isopolarity index (ISI = LPA/LED × 100) and number of ridges were measured. The comparative analysis revealed that the morphometry of oospores from the studied population significantly differed from most of the data known from the literature.
... Casanova (1997) suggested that the morphology of Chara oospores was controlled by genetic and environmental factors, such as water temperature, water chemistry and the allocation of resources to oogonia during their development. Moreover, Pukacz et al. (2012) concluded that weather oscillations during vegetative growth directly affected oospore morphology in Chara baueri A.Braun. They demonstrated that oospores of this species from a Polish lake without water level fluctuations displayed larger sizes and a wider size range than those from a very shallow temporary lake from flooded areas in neighbouring Ger- many. ...
... Indeed, irradiance and water temperature can reach very high values during the summer in shallow ephemeral inland ponds in temperate regions, such as the Mediterranean, similar to the high values used in the present study, i.e. 1000 lmol PAR m À2 s À1 and 358C. Our results are comparable to those from the morphometric analysis by Pukacz et al. (2012) on oospores of Chara baueri from Poland and Germany. They demonstrated that oospores from permanent lakes had a larger size range (~ 150 lm in height and ~ 49 lm in width) than those from shallow temporary lakes. ...
To test the influence of light and temperature on intraspecific gyrogonite variation, two common European
charophyte species, Chara vulgaris and Chara globularis, were studied indoors under controlled environmental
conditions. A total of 60 plants of each species were incubated under different combinations of four irradiances and three water temperatures. These parameters simulate temporary ponds from the
Mediterranean region in the summer and help in understanding charophyte reproduction in shallow temporary ponds of past geological periods. After 102 days, gyrogonite productivity was evaluated, and a morphometric analysis of the gyrogonites produced was performed. Our results indicated that both irradiance and water temperature play a key role in C. vulgaris intraspecific gyrogonite variation. Gyrogonites tended to increase their size as irradiance and temperature increased. However, in extreme conditions (L4 and T3), an opposite trend was observed, with gyrogonites becoming significantly smaller. Our results agree with the distribution patterns of fossil gyrogonite assemblages. Using the present data, we hypothesise that charophytes in historic temporary floodplain water bodies produced smaller gyrogonites in response to the stressful environments induced by high irradiances and temperatures.
... According to Bonis and Grillas (2002), changes in the water level e a frequent occurrence in shallow temporary habitats e not only trigger sexual reproduction but also accelerate oospore maturation. In these habitats, the extant charophytes Chara muelleri and Chara fibrosa show uniform oospore sizes when compared with species that frequently grow in permanent water bodies, which display a larger variability in their fructifications (Casanova, 1997;Pukacz, Boszke, Pełechaty, & Raabe, 2012). ...
Charophytes bearing small sized fructifications dominated in fluviatile floodplain facies (red beds) from the Maastrichtian of Coll de Nargó and neighbouring basins in the southern Pyrenees (Catalonia, Spain). These charophytes mainly belong to the genus Microchara and are often disregarded in biostratigraphic studies, which focus their attention instead on facies from permanent lakes that are richer in species which usually bear fructifications with a larger size range. However, small sized gyrogonites are also significant for biostratigraphic purposes and even include some of the index species for Maastrichtian biozones in Europe. Indeed, the charophyte assemblages from the Maastrichtian of Coll de Nargó belong to the Microchara punctata biozone, recently calibrated to the middle-upper Maastrichtian.
... Chara baueri also had ecorticated branchlets and only one row of stipulodes. This species has long been regarded as extinct, and has only recently been rediscovered in a few localities in Germany and Poland (Pukacz et al., 2012). Krause (1997) and Wood & Imahori (1965) agreed on the status of C. baueri as a separate species, and our data support their assumption. ...
Charophytes are benthic algae with a complex morphology and high phenotypic plasticity. This has led to ambiguities in species delineation. However, until now genetic studies on Chara have been based on samples collected from a restricted geographic range or only included a restricted number of taxa. This may have hindered a general interpretation of the results. We applied barcoding of matK, a rapidly evolving coding section of the plastid genome, in 324 Chara samples collected from 19 countries, in order to test whether the distribution of barcode haplotypes among individuals was consistent with species boundaries as they are currently understood. The phylogenetic tree grouped the 324 Chara individuals, which according to commonly used identification keys represented 29 species, into 12 well-defined groups (i.e. monophyletic morphospecies or groups of morphospecies). Considerable morphological variation occurred within genetically homogeneous groups. This included traits which are commonly used for Chara species determination, such as the length and number of spine cells, the length of stipulodes and bract cells, cortication (tylacanthous, isostichous, aulacanthous and absent cortication), as well as sex differentiation. However, there were also substantial genetic differences among morphologically similar species (e.g. C. virgata – C. globularis – C. connivens). No morphological trait consistently reflected genetic differences. This indicates that morphological traits for specific taxa may serve as diagnostic tools for species delimitation, but that they are not generally suitable for inferring genetic differentiation or phylogenetic relationships. We propose that (i) C. virgata and C. strigosa, (ii) C. liljebladii, C. horrida and C. baltica, and (iii) C. hispida, C. rudis and C. polyacantha are conspecific. Our data also indicate that C. gymnophylla should be divided into tylacanthous forms (which are closely related to C. contraria) and aulacanthous forms (which are related to C. vulgaris).
... A sample size of 100 gyrogonites is usually considered necessary to circumscribe the average values of a measured parameter. Such practice, in use for fossil charophytes since the pioneering works of Grambast (1958) and Tongiorgi (1959), is currently being applied also to modern oospores (Pukacz et al., 2012). The number of measurements necessary to circumscribe the average size of the oospores/gyrogonites may be modulated as a function of the variability of the objects. ...
... Differences in the arrangement of gametangia are correlated with significant differences among the oospores of species in this group. Chara baueri has much smaller oospores (400-667 mm long, 183-300 mm wide) with very prominent ridges (pachygyra) than does C. muelleri (Pukacz et al. 2012). Chara karolii has a A Note: when Princess Alexandrina ascended the throne in 1837 she took the name Victoria. ...
... Although C. braunii has probably declined (still occurring in fresher waters associated with the Baltic Sea: Blindow 2000; within the Netherlands: Bruinsma 2010; the Czech Republic: Caisová and Gąbka 2009), C. baueri disappeared and was thought to be extinct in Germany. Chara baueri has been recently recorded for the first time in temporary water bodies in Kazakhstan (Langangen and Sviridenko 1995) and rediscovered in temporary habitats in Poland and Germany (Pukacz et al. 2009(Pukacz et al. , 2012. ...
... Conservation of species in this group is entirely dependent on conservation of their habitat: temporary-, spring-and summer-filling shallow wetlands and riparian zones. These wetlands are often in agricultural settings (Pukacz et al. 2012) and vulnerable to changes in land management (Casanova 2012;Altenfelder et al. 2014). Although access to sites provided in the Bush Blitz program enabled the discovery of new charophyte species, and extended the ranges of others, one need not go to 'wild places' to discover new species of charophytes in Australia. ...
Australian species of Chara L. sect. Charopsis (Kütz.) Leonh. are revised. Multivariate analysis supports recognition of four species: Chara braunii C.C.Gmel., C. evanida Casanova, C. karolii Casanova and C. muelleri (A.Braun) F.Muell. These taxa are described and illustrated, and a key is provided.
