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N A T U R A LF N VF O N M E N TH E S E A R CCHO U N C I L
guideto
A beginner's
Freshwater
Algae
llilarv Belcher& EricaSwale
CultureCentreof Algaeand Protozoa
0 2 2 3 ( c . m b r d q o )6 1 3 / 3
T h eC u h u r eC o i r e o l A ! a e a n d P r o r o z o a
s part of the lnslitul. ol Terestra Ecotogy,
(hi.h rs, c.mp,renr brdf ol th.
N l u r a l E n vr o . m e n tF c s e . . c hC o u i . L
lntroduction
Thepurposeof thisbooklels to enablethosewho would rke
10make
somof the algaeoi freshwater
1o learnto recognise
a start.Fromthe verylargenumberof differeftgcnerawe
to be found,an.lwe
110 of thosemostlikeLv
haveselected
haveiiuslraledonespeciesbelonglngtoeach(A gerds.
pl.ra genera.s corgarabe w th the iamrlyn.me cI a person
'Wordswo(h'.and a rpecies.p ursispecles.
e
is comparab
eg
'W
liani.)The drawingsar n almost
with a firstname.eg
(exceptthoseof dia
everycasemadefrom liv ng spclmens
WI]ATAF ALGAE?
Aigalnc ude suchdiversegroupsof orllansmsthat one m3y
"
I n
"7
"1.
e"4n qr.er I e
c_1'nom^
'I'
o on i
oJ ght microscopes.
that in the eary daysof the development
ty
theiriull dLVers
and beforethoseoi electronmicroscopes.
couldnol be detecledThe cellsof somealgaeareof bac= 1/100Omm)
about1 um (1 nricrometre
lerialsize.ior example,
or about0 00004ins acrossOtherscontaina vastnumberof
cellsandcan be up to 50 m (over150 feet)long.1orexampe,
p ants,
the afgestseaweedsSomealgaearundotrbtedly
somed fier so litre frornbacleria
that they couldbe mernbels
ol a specal bacleral class,somgareanimalsor |nry show
cerian teatures
both of an malsand p ants Desp1ethes
faclsmosta gal 0roupshavcerlainfeaturesr common.
I\,4icroscoplc
a gae can be foLrndeverywhere,from permanent
snow and iceto deserts,
the oceans,akes,rivers,p!ddLes,
grasses
rocksand sorl.Just as the 1rees,
and herbseveryone
w th arelhe ftrnrnbasisof |ie on and.so a qae are
is famrliar
aboutthe
the basisof thatin the seaand.Indeed.proclLrce
samearnountof organicmatlerand oxygnas do land plants.
with the
comparable
Althoughthcre s nothng in freshwater
largetseaweeds,
thesea gaeshow a rangein sizefromthe
to traling folmsof more
smallestof aboutT um in diameter
FICATION
CLASS
(see
To he p find lhe way in moreadvancedpub rcatrons
page46). the algaeincludedherearearrangedn thelrmajor
groupingsbelow:
including:
Greenalgae(Chlorophyceae),
(nos.1-14)
Swimmingcels and co onies(Volvocales),
Non motilecellsand colonles(Chlorococcales),
(nos.15-33)
F lamentous
algae(of variousfam lies).nos34-50)
Desmds (Conjugaes in paft),(nos.5'1-59)
(nos.60-63)
Yellow greenalgae(Xanthophyceae),
(nos.64-68)
Goldenye ow algae{Chrysophyceae).
(nos.69-85)
Distoms(Bacillariophyceae).
Cryptophyceae,
(no.86)
(nos.87,88)
Dinofagelates(Dinophyceae),
Euglcnoid
(nos.8S-91)
flage ates(Euglenophyceae),
(nos.92-95)
Bed algae(Rhodophyceae).
Blue-green
a gae (l\,lyxophyceae
or Cyanophyceae).
( n o s9 7 - 1 1 0 )
vegetative
divrson of a free-living
cel into two
equa and separale
daughterce ls
lhe co ouredstructurein p Enrce ls which
absorbsI ght Lrsedn photosynthesisi
usual,
red or blLre-green
!lreenor brolvn,occasronally
Cyst
Signoid
oi an e ongatedS-shape.likGylrslgra no.80
Srellate
Stiae
th stripelike nrarkrngs
oI a diaromfrLstule
seenoteon dralomsand abelled.l agram
Diagrammatic
structure
of somealgae
Flagellun
ALGALFLAGELLATE
Contractile
vacuole
Eyespot
Nucleus
Chloroplast
F I L A I IE N T O U S
G B E NA L G A
FiLA[4ENTOUS
BLUE.GREEN
ALGA
Chloroplast
Ceilwall
vegetatlve
DIATOM
Striae
1-GJrdle
Baphe
view
Chlorophyceae
: Greenalgae
Greenswirnmingcels lsee alsoEuglenaandPhacus)
Chlamydonanas.Avery big genusof round. oval or cylin,
clricalcels which swimwith two flagellaoi equallenglh.
T, "." rr"/ J. 1"/
lsuallypresent.
Thewall is smootf and ihin. Cetlscan be
trom 2 5 to 50sm or morein engrh,mosllyb20 (wlthout
ncludng the flagela.as in al rneasurements
in this bookleO.
FoLrnd
in everykind of aquarichabtat.speciesoi this genus
arthe mostlikeiygreenswimmingce s to be encounlefed.
Chlarcgoniun.Ihls has r,NaI agellaI ke Chlamydomonas
but s spindle-shaped.
Unlikethe srnnarlyshapedt/g/era
(89) il doesnot changej1s{orm 5 50gm tong (l rare
speciesreaches
250tm). and iound n pondsand rivers.
BBchionanas. Relaledb Chlamydamorasbut has a po nted
tarland fo!r ateralobeswh ch stickout of the body like
frfs. Sometlmes
found in bird-baths
anctln poolsnearihe
sea.10-50Umlong.
Pteromanas.Like Chlanydarnonasbut with a longltud nal
wing on eachsideof the body I ke an e m f.u t. Revovesas
rl swrms.is 10-25urnlong.and livesrn pondsand slow
rlvers4b, a ce ltn transverse
section
Haenatococcus.Cel s ova . 10-30um tong. conlents
separated
fromthe wa by a clearspacecrossedby radal
lhreads.
Thegreenchloroplast
is somelirnes
nrasked
by red
' i loL'6doil Tr e dan 6 oop ,td onsof
.-i<orgarr' oclL'r I g
in bird-baths.
wet ho ows in rocks,the depressrons
In m!n
halecoversand orhersma temporsry
water bodiesmav be
ertnerbngntgreenor rustyrd.
Loban)onas.Cellslike Chlamydonanas,3 2Esm long. with
ll obedor wavy out n. Occlrs n pldd es.pondsetc.s
doesrhe s m lar rrplosrauror,whr.h ssquare
Phacotus.Cels ike Chlamydomonas.
l O 20um rong.ano
iound rn similarp aces.bul eachis enclosedrn a wal
resembing rwo watchglasses
f ttingtogether,
sometimes
lnrn andtransparent
but moreoitenthickand scutprurecl.
Pytan)imanas.
Cellsovalor strawberry-shaped.
5,ZbUmlong,
w lh foLrrf ageliawhich arisefrom a prt ar the rronteno.
Antefioredgeof the chloraplast
depy dividdinrofour or
rqhtlobes,g ving the celta stripedappearance.
There s no
wall.3nd the ce I div desby binaryfissicn.ponds.p!ddtes
Chlorophyceae
: Greenalgae
Greenswimmingcolonies
Pyrcbotrys.Peat-shapedswimmingce ls b-25um lonq.
looseiyaltgfeqated
to {orma co ony.In hoof prinlsand other
puddlcsftchin organicmalter.Will somelimes
appearif
mud andwatertromthese s icft to standtogetherw th a
pieceof a driedpea.ThesimilarPascrer,?a
hasonly 4 cells
insteadof 8 of 16.
'10
Eudatina.Ihes'r.,alroundcells.5-15umlong.occurat the
surfaceof a globularcolony up to 20Osm across Sveral
one commonin puddles,ponds,lakesand rrvers.
species,
1 1 Pandarha. D)tfercftam Eudozra tn that the cellsiit c osely
logelharwitho!1a lafgeceniralspace Commonin puddles.
p o n d sl,a k e s a n rdi v e r sC. e l s8 - 2 0 u r no n g , c o o n i e s u p t o
50 um diameter.
12 Gorlum.Consists
of square,
flat.fouror 16 ce ledcolonies
!p to 100umacross.
Cells5-25Umlong.Common
in
ponds,
puddles.
lakesandslowrivers.
1 3 Stephanasphaeft- f he coloniesare characterisric
clear
globesLrpto 60um acrosscontsiningeightlargecettstike
thoseoi Haerlalo..rs afiangedln af equaiorial
nng.The
globerevovesas it swimsthroughthe water.Foundpar
ticularlyrn water-filled
solulionhollowsof lrrnesrone
rocKs.
l/o/yox.Coloniesvjsibc to the unaidedeve (up to I mm
across).
contanrnghundreds
of cells.Foundin puddes,
ponds.akesand slow rvers.Foran articledealjngwirlt this
and the previous
four genera.
seeJane,F.W., 1949.Famous
plan$: 1, Volvax,New Bialagy,6, S7-99.
Chlorophyceae
: Greenalgae
Greennon-motileunicelsand colonies(bur not Desmids)
Chlorella.Smallround or oval clls (2 1b um diameler)
wh ch divideintotl]voor four non-morrle
daughlercetts.
encosedfor a lrtllewhilewiihin lhe old watl,as shown.
FoJnoeue\ ^ toro.b.rtsonerTe, qs6L119 In va-l quan
trtresas a greensoupin can e-lroughs,
and similarplaces.
Fora ful er accountseeFogg.c. E..1953.Famousplants:4.
Chlorclla.New Bialosy,15,99-116. Chtotococcumard \s
all es <liffetlram Chlotellain producingmotilespores,each
wrth two flagella.
OocysrlsOvalor lemonshapedcells5 2ogm long.sometimesfo!nd 2 or 4 roqethernsrdethe ntarged
ctearmolher
cellwall Ponds,lakesand slow rivers.
1 1 Chodatella Like Oocystisin srzeand shape,but wilh several
slenderbnstles,
usuallyat eachend of the cell.Ponds.akes
and slow flvers.
1B Tetraddron.Lillle angulargreencells.5-20gm across.rouno
r^ oonds,lrl es ard sjow rive\ TwoLonrror specres
are
illustrated.
1 9 anlt.trcrj..nr" srarcr t. ( urv"dor qp,a rFedle\aapeo
ce ls up to 50um longor more.sometLmes
fqrmingbundtes
All lypesoi water-body,
common.The p ate shows1wo
Chlorophyceae
: Greenalgae
Greennon motileunicellsand colonies
23
CoelasLrum.
Non-motileroundrshcels unitedclosey to form
spherrcal
colonlesup to I00Um across.p ankion!i takes.
pondsand slow rivers
24 Pedtastrun.
F at disc shapedcolonies,
!p to l00um across,
of 4lo 32 cels.with a serrared
peredgoand somerims
foraled.Ponds,lakesandslow rivrs.
2 5 Ctu.i(rcnia.Flal p alsof oval cel s uf red in groupsof four,
wh ch areagalnoftnlooselyuniledin fours (seeatso
Mensnlopedia.
no.99).Cels 3 15um ong.Ponds.lakesand
2 6 Scenedesnlus.
Flalco onies.i 2,4 or 8 e ongaredcells
arangedIn a row as shown,somospecieshavng sp nesat
the cornersof the co onies Cels 5-30Umlong.Cornmon
everywhere.
Two species
are llustrated.
2 7 Tetrastrun.4celledJIatcolof es arrangedin a dtarnoncl
as
shownin the figure.oftenornamented
w ih smaI spines
aroundthe margin.Ce s up to T0umacrossPonds.aks
2 a Dictyosphaeium.
Loosecoloniesoi !reen cellsin c .r
rnuclage.the .e ls connecledto a centralpo nt by branched
slrands(ohenbarelyv s b e) Ce ls !p to 10Bm.cross.
Ponds.akesand slow rivers.sometimes
veryabundant
2 9 Hydrodictyon.Net I ke coloniesoJ greence s. n r]vcrsano
canalsThe cels. which becomemultinucleaie,
maygrow up
to 10 mm long.and a nw net formsinsde each.Well grown
nelsare argeafd conspicuous.
TheJigureshowsa smal
(O.r,-,
G\ / i.";i
C-+f." t
-,-
a"i
.{ , -,
t)
.o1.,
a
ht^,^^h,,^^^^
v, ,,u, v|J, Iy usov
Greenron.motri.un cellularandf amntorsatq.e
3 0 Pleurccaccus
Greenpackelsof ce ls varycommonon trees
and fcnces.olten in associ.tron
wth fungathyphaeAlsoa
c o n s tl u e n lo f s o m oi c h e n sl h c c e s a r e l O 2 0 u ma c r o s s ,
andthe hol crossbLn' apperrance
is oftencrr.rdcrerrsI|c.
3 l TrebouxtaSph.rca)ce s 2 25urndianreler
grlwrog on
lrees Tences
et. .nc havng a tlar platelrkear cr'rtoroptast
w i t h a o b e de d ! t ei r i d . c - o I l f ap y r e n o dA c o n s t r u e n t o i
some chens Sornetims
drlfcu r ro dislin0ush ir.rma
sp.c es al Ch/arela(15) lhal rs alsocornmonon irces.but
he Chlorell.1hasa pat eralcI oroplasr.
32 Sttchococcus
A reducedf ameftousform.wrth cy ndrica
ce s 2 5u.n n d ameler.grow fq s ngly or . ,rrlechainsof
2 cf 3 .e ls gro\'r'
.! cn lrc?s.!!.ils. LJ|]rlers
rrC j o!\,erp3is.
ponds
as \/e Ias In
or puddes Vorycommorl
3 3 Batryac.)ccus.
Grows in coloniesup to 0.5 mm across,wth
numerous
!reonce s 5 10urnlongembeddedn an oily
matrx whrchvarcs in co our Iroma clearye ow to totaly
opaqueorafce or br ck red oranqeoilp gmenrdw th
ca.otnmaYbe scleezedf.om t !rndera.over sl p
P ankton01pondsand l3kes.otuenf o.t ng on tha water.
Somelimes
ab!ndant,formin! a thrckscum 33a.a co onyl
33b.partof thisflatrened
un.lera covers p ro show ce ls.
Mougeonaf amentous,
unbranched,
5 50um d ameter.
Cellscontarna srnge cliloropl.st,an axileI bbon runnng the
lenglho{ lhe cell.w lh pyrenods at intervals.
scef n rhe
!{iderv eh, rn lhe eft-handce and n tho narrowerai rhe
rght. common n srandng warer.
OedogantuniFilaments
unbrrnched.
3 50urndi;imerer.
Chloroplasl
a parietalnet,w rh severalpyrenoids.
The
thickenedwall at oneend ol somecells.r ds.1|ke dis
posab plasn.cupsone instdethe other,is character
stic
r f s t a . d i n qw a t e f .
l l h e ' c a p) C o m m o n
3 6 Zygnemalnbtan.led riuc lag nousI lamenisI0 50sm
d ameter,
eachcellw ih two star shapedchloropastswilh
cenrralpyrenoids.
Commonn sranding
walersZygaganum,
roundon damppeaiyso I. s similar,bu! haspurptesap.
3 1 Spitogyra. U rbrcn.hed mucrtaginousf itaments.varyingfrom
l0 to overl00trnrdiameterce with one or njoreoarela
ch o.opls1s
in rheformol sp raly wounCr bbons Commonin
standrng
water,especra
ly rn earlyspr/ng.
6
ii|
'l-",,:.-
,,b
r,'di'
Fr 1t.
\".J
,_.--.,1,
,.a\Q/"
-::
\,{
Chlorophyceae
Greenfilamentous
algae
38
are ar.Fo |
6l
39
il
l- hlnrnnhrrna:ro
sheetlikeor bag'likegrena gae
F amentoLrs.
1 3 Prasiala.
Cells1 20gm across.havng an ax le chloropastIn
rhe form of : o ete w rl_ra cenlrai pyte.a d. I ke Trcball\ta.
The planrma'r'be f amefrcus(43a).a r bbon seviil ce ls
into a sheel(43c.
wrde (43b.smaler scae). or expanded
glow
or subaeral.
ng on rocksIre_
natur.lsize) AqLratic
quentedby b rds,or ln olhcr habtatsrich nntrogef.
Stgeochniun. Cells ike rhoseal Ulothnx,\Nithbard shaped
pariet! rhloroplastsF amenlsbranched.
up to 20um across
or mor,but withouta stoutcntra.x s as hasthe r atod
y smallerand soflr
(no 0)- and considerab
Dtaparnatdra
(no.12)
conr.l]o1l
In slandng or ruin n.J
lrar Cla(lophota
w a l e rc, s p e c l a l yn s p rr q 4 4 a ,l w o c e l l s . b o ullo d v i d c
(w th t$roch oropastseach)i 44b,habt skelch.
Branched
filamenlsgrovvng fto woollylLrlls
4 5 CltaetaDl)ata.
x10).
fromwhiclr projectong colouressha rs
or balls(45b.
Ce ls Lrpto 20UmacrossCommonas af ep phyte01water
wtlrl
plants,or on strcksoTstones,somtmesencrusted
oi calc!m carbonte
crystals
.16 Entercnnrpha.
Plantbodylub! ar. ho ow (45b,c. raiLr3L
s ze).(rp101 crn w de and I 5.m or rnorelong.composedol
(46a).Some
cels wilh thrckwa ls and paretiilchloroplasts
on the surfaceoi
f oat n9 n masses
llmesveryconspicuous
slow riversand canals,or cntrnged wlth largcrvr'atcrplanls,
water.
and mny be abundanlrn brackish
ol lhe macroscopc plant bod as
4l Tetraspan.PL)rhata hacaLrse
ir forms(47b.si qhr y n nrged).bLrttheseareof muc age
1ype.havingpscudocLl!a
contalnlnqcellsof Chlanydorroras
(|ke mol onlessilage a) projcclng Iromthe mrrc allc (47a).
Palmodt.ttons s m ar.b|]t lofmsrctlculaie
le ly-masses.
Lnroropnvceae
Filamentous
and sheet ike greenalgaeand Desmids
Aphanochaete
Smallflamentousforms5-15snrin diameler,whrchgrow prostrate
upon olheralgae.Thecellshave
parietalchloroplasts.
and someof rhembeafhairswith bul
bousbases.48a,
two cels, one with hair;48b.habitsketch.
gtowing an Oedogonium.
Trentepohlia
Althoughbelongingto lhe greena gaethis
branched
f ameniousplanthascellsfiled wlth orangeoil. lt
is sLrbaer
al and growsor"rdanrprocks,formrngpatches
which look likeorangevelvet.Much commonerin northern
andwesternBntainthan in the south-east.
Cells7-20um
50 Coleochaete.Ifislotms disc-shapedencrustingplatesof
ce ls besetwith fine hairs.and growson stonesand water
p ants,reachlnga diameierol 1 mrn.\i.'hile
lhe cellsare1C
20Bmacross.i is oftenconspicuous
on the g assof
aquariaor the sLdes
of old sinksin which walerp antsare
grown.50a,deta s of cells;50b.partof a largep ant at a
lowermagnllicarioni
50c,a wholeyoungplant
D E S M I D S( a g . o ! p o f s p e . i a L i s egdl e e na l a : e J
5l
Hyalatheca.A rcptesentatlve
of the small numberof fila
mentousdesmidswhich arelound in boOgVpoolsetc.The
sur'
filamentsarecylindrical,
5-40um in diameter,0nd
foundedby a layerof muciage.
Desmidiumis a 3i.r|ilatgenus.but the filamentsusuallyhave
Lncross
a toothedoulirneand aremostiiequentlyI'lanetLrlar
5l
Chlorophyceae
: Greenalgae
Desmids
54 Closteium.A ctescent-shaped
desmidlound commonly;n
55
56
5l
58
59
Xenfhnnhrrnaaa
Yellow-green
algae
6 0 Ophtocytiun.Cylindrical
or sausage-shaped
epiphyiicor fiee
i oal ng unicels. 3-2Cgmd ameter,each,"r,ith
two or more
palegreenchloropiasls
Th-.yvaryfromshortto very
elongared.
and areoitencurv,.dor evenlooselycoiled.In the
commonspecies
shownherethe Voungcellsattachthemselvesto the lip of the mothercellwall,whlch is hself
a|\ached ta a Cladaphora f a|iefi.
6 l Trib.)nena.FllafiettaLs and unbranched,5-20um diameler.
with severaparietalchloroplasts,and
H pieces,rsembling
Mrcrcspata(39). but diffringin the longorand nar.ower
ceilsand much p3ler.nd moretranspafenl
appearance.
havrr! no starch.Commonespecallyin grassypoos. 61apart
of a frlament;61b. H p ece ({ t logelherto formthe walls)
62 Batrydiutn.A coenocyric(m!hinucleate)algaformin0 dark
green!lobu s !p to 2 mm acrosson dryjngmud,ancliored
by a co ouressbranchedrhizoid.Not uncommon.
but only
lastsIn thisformfor a few days.perennation
beingby cysts.
6 2 a .a w h o l ep l a n t d u gu p . x 1 0 : 6 2 b .g r o u po f p a n t s o n
mud,seenfrom above,v 2.5
63
vaL t,4.
,
.oL) d
b,!1.r q.ea'
dn 6
ed
Chrysophyceae
GoLden-bro\,!n
algae
Achrononaslvlot e unrceL usualy oval,2 25sm long.wLth
1 or 2 brownchloroplasts
and I longand a short{lagelum.
Chrantuhna
s smlat but only has1 flagellumvisibe. L ke
_ 1 3.r o f ( r " l d " l l - o o . o r 1 , , ^ o r g o t . n o . , o r '
sl de. Farrlycommon.especially
rn spring,in puddles,ponds,
Chn,cnnhvnoao
continued
6ti D;nabryan BtaNn ce s I k.eachronanas. but eac!rllving rn
a clea.lor.!1(cot) Sol taryor fc.m ng bfarr rec cclcnres.
attachldor lre. s\rlimmrnolcDlrh of lo ca:lO 100lrr
Frequentin pondsand akes.especally in sprLng
67 .tyrLl/a.Scaly lrrown cells ltke Mallamanas.20 40um long.
connectedby theirtais into swrmm'ngcolor es up lc 500J]rn
a c r o s sC. o m m o n
r n p L r d d e sp .o n d s .: k e sa f d s o w r v e r s .
67:, s,/vmmrngcc on./;67b,s nqleceil,larqer
6 8 Uroglera.Iornrssw mm ng co oiies !p to 50r]umacross.
bLt thc smal .ells sit al tlreedgcof a ba I of 5o1tclearalmost
rnvisble Jnucirlle Thet.ils qo r !ht to the ccntre.but cirnnot
oflen be sccrr Com rof rn lakcs.poos etc.In sprng.68a,a
coloiy I 68t).:l ce s from rc cdqeI 68c.sil...wa ed cystor
p:od!ce
resilrgs\d0r M.n,, -efli:,c,i.l rhc airr!sotlryceae
iheseroundor ovalbolile.lrkccysts.
Diatomsor Bacillariophyceae
Brown alg.e wrth s ca sheils
l T h e s h e o f f r u n u i e i s l , k c , b o x . f D r m e do f 2 o l e f l a p p l r q
g a s s y p o n o n s a s n a F l r d s h o r a c l a t eb o r T h e s r d e! e \ , 1 '
o I t h e c e l i s t h c g r r d l ev i e w a n d t h e t o p o r b o l i o m v r e w t h e
v a l v e v e w ( s c e d r a g r a m .p . 7 ) l n t h e l a l t e rt h c . h a r a c t e f l s t r c
s c u l p t u rn c r. r f t h - "w a l c a n b e s e o n .e s p e c i . y n f r u s t u l e s
c e a n e d ' , t h . c d o r h e 6 t i r n d s p e c r a y n r o u n r e da s s n e e d e d
f . , r a e i r i r e d L d . n r i , c a t L o i \ , l e 1 i \ o d sr n i - L L n c1! .9 6 i )
6 9 M e b s n a . C f l t n r k c a c e l s J o n o d t o q t h e rI t ) p r o d u c ef l a , t h n u m e r o u sb r c w n c h o r o p l a s t s
m e f t s , 5 - 1 0 0 u m d r a m e t e rw
C o r n m o n n ( l t c h e s . p o n d s l a k e s .T h c s p - " c r e sr l L r s l r a t e d( i .
g i r d r ev l e w ) l r r s s m o c l h \ r a l l s . b ! t o i h e r s b c . r r o w s o f s p o l s .
a n o s c m e I r m c 5 . .s o s p n e s .
l a Cy.iotella ard Stephanodlscr/5-.Often ihese crnrol easrly be
t o d a p a n . b l l o n l y b y c i e l a e d s t u d y .T h e y . r c c y i n d r i c a l
d a t o n r s ,5 5 ( ) u m d i a m e t e r .o c c L r r r i n gs n g l y o T n p a i r sb l r t
n o t i n i o n g c h : n s O l t n t h o y h a v e a c r o w n o f v r y J i n el o n q
r a d r a t i n gb r s t o s f r o m a c h e n d . n o t s h o w n h e r e b e c a u s ei t l s
d ff cLlt io se. Corimon. usljaly plankioi.. n pco s. lakes.
a n d e q p e c L a l ls! i o \ / ' l l e r s . w i j o s e w a l e r s a r c o l l e i b r o w r
w r t h t h e n r n r p r n g a n c ie a r l y s u m m e r .7 0 a . b . v a l v e a f d
girdie v ws: 70c, cleaned \al,te ol a Cyclotellii.
Diatoms
continued
12
14
15
76
,. .di.
"t
-pi
l2a
,7
EI
Ww
74a
tsa
ti
tt
E=
[J
14b
f3c
Ef
E]
\i
75b
Diatoms
1 1 Cacconeis.ExttemclycarnmonI at ova diatoms.10 30um
long,c ing ng to p anls,stonesand orhersubstrata,
some
lirnesIn an almosiconl nuousleyer 77a,c eancdlrustue;
77b. 3 ce ls on an Aedagontun)| a'r,efi.
78 l/e., /" l_^-o t.ddr"'oa ^lh^" , .p. 6 . ,rq
irom 5 tc 200umln enllh. creepfo .n mud etc . El iypes
oi viater-bod'i,,r;rous re aled0eneralAchnenthes
eic) arly
d si ngrishabieirom /Vavtcula
hy dela ed exemnalon. 78a
. eanedfrustue; 78b,|ving cellw th a ch oroplaston each
s de. Girde view paralel-sded
7 9 Ptnnularia Besembes a rrlc /Vaylcrlawith thlck bar 1ke
striaeand roundedcnds.20 4O0smlong On tlre m|ld ol
pofds,lakesandr'\,r)r:The lrqrIc shows! clernod1r!slule.
BO 6yros@ra Fecognrsed
l)\' lii b.irLrtirrsgmoidshape.sup
to 200urn ong..nd ve,ion llrc mrd .rr akes.pondsand
r i v e r sS e e a s c n o S 3 l l r ef ! L r r cs h o ! " /as c e a n e df r u s i u l e .
8 1 CymbellaShaped ke a Cornsh pasry,10 2009mlong.
commonlyattachedro plantsand othersubsfiataby muciage
sia ks.or iv.g severaltogelhern r.Lrcrlaqe
tubes.81a.
cleanedfrlsl.re; 31b. I vrngcell on sl: k of mucrLage
Ar.tphora ooks I te iwo Cylnbellas)a ned 10:affi 2n aral
a 2 Gomphonema.
Aso ca.rlmon.
usuallyaltachedby muc age
stalks,bul can a so creepabout ke the othcrd atomson
th s pageandthe next Shapcasymmetr
cal engthwise.
orrdlev ew wedqeshaped.and valvview varyng frorn
narrowlyova (nol l|ptica) to the shapeof an Elypt an
mumnr)'case.
I 10Oumlon0 82a.cloanediruslLrle;82b,
c,
rv nq attachedce ls.va vc and qrrde vicws.A d atomsimiar
ta GamphonenabU curvedrn g rdlevrewI ke a bananais
19
78b
t,}.
f-l
::-!
82b
\-,9
ea
R hndnnhrroaro
'Fed' a gae (oftenbrownoI blue grenin cololr, however.
e s p e c i ya n f i e s h w a t e r )
9 2 Parphyridiun Bright red unicels growlng at lhe foct ol'.(al s
wheTe$o ubl-"til rs coLlecl,
and rocksand in greenhouses,
dropsof b ood or
resembling
masses
{ormingmucilagino!s
tomatosauce.Occasona. Cellsareabout10um Lnd amelel
and havea stellatechloropasl.
9 3 Asterocytis(at Chraodacrt'lor) Formsshon filamenlsor
eachwith a bright
cushlonsof cellsabout10gm across,
sle atech oroplastand a centralpyrenoidOften
blue-green
ep phytic on other a gac, cspocia y Cladophora ard faliy
cornmonin hardwaterd strlcts.
Batacttaspermun.Highlv orq.niscd fl aments.form ng brown
branchng tufls (lp to severalcm long
or greenmucila!lnous
in
and springs,occasionally
on rocksand stonesn streanrs
consst of a cenlralaxis
!sLlaLlV
tarns.Branches
moLrntain
g ving a
usLrally
fromwh ch arisewhorlsof tinYbranches.
940. oxls\"vitlr\r\'lrorlsof small br3nches
beadedappearance.
ve
and two majorones(the'brrds'nesls'arreproduct
a.d a nrgn
at a rnaderate
bodes);94b nd c. srnalbranchos.
9 5 le,rarea.Anotherh thly org.nisediorm Lrplo 10 15.m
y
long.Plantsarethrckslrands.knobby and sparse
qreY
CommonlV
green.
sh
ot
brown
I
olive
du
branched.
formslargetuftson slonesin shaLowlasl r vers,speci'llyln
spring.
(or CyanoPhYceae)
Myxophyceae
9l
@6
,'->-.v.-=
wffi
92
l\i1r,vnnh,,no eo
Blue greenalgae
98 AphdnotheceSmal eion!lated
cells.3 8um ionq.embedded
looselvin lransparentslructureLess
mucrlage.mosiLyon vrei
rocksand n boggypoos A s milargenusbui w th round
s anoihergenuswhich
Synechacaccus
cels )sAphanDcapsa
(not in colone5).
hass nglece ls ke lhascol Aphanothece
Partof a colofy of Aprrrolhe., is shown.
99 Merismapedia.
Easilyrccognsedby the ro!nd cels, 3 10um
diameter.
d vidingofly in two planes.producingllat color es
Noi uncommonin
likerafts.a smal!one bclfg i Lstraled.
ponds,lakes.bogs,slow I vers.
n) . Smallcells up to 5gm
1OA GonphasphaerialC oelasphacrill
iloating
in d arneter.
unitedinto a ho low. roughV spherical.
and oltensur
colony,sometmcs blacksh in appeiranca
roundcdby muc age.Colonos reachabout1009ma.ross.
Consplcuousn th"-p .nkton of lakes
ce s op to 5um n d ametelembedded
101 MicrocystisSmaLl
denselyin mucllageto formrrre!!larco ofies.oftenplerced
wlth ho es. In bossand lakcs.sometnresplanktonc.
Larnprocystt.i,
ane ol lhe prrple slr phur bactefl:, has co on es
' \ e y ' l t c r o c y s rbsu. r i s p n k . . n d L V ersn p o n d sa n c d L t c h e s
,/,,ilhmuchdecayinsvegeialon.
1O2 Chanaestphon
Sma e ongaredcells!p 1o 5um drameter
aigaeeic.while
atlachedby one end 1olargerfilamenlDUs
fromthe otherend a chalnot sporess produced.
Common.
Thef gureshowsthreep anrsol d Jlerentagson a f lament
af Cladophora.
143 Asci atoria,Lyngbya.Phorn diun.Ihtee generadrf|cu t to
tell apart.evnby speciarsts.Cels un ted into unbranched
f aments,withoutsporesor olherspecalisedbodies,bLt
oftenwith a differently
shapedefd cell.Thc filamentscan
creepslo\\l) alone.Diamercrsvary Jrom1 um to 30 or rnore.
Sometimes
Jormrng
foundas s nglefr rmcnts,sometimes
densemats,oitendarkbluishgre.n.o ve or purp|shbrown
in colour,and with a characteristLc
smcll.Verycommonrn all
sortsof waterbodes.eitherp.nktofrc or benthic,alsoin
a r on wet rocksand soil.
qBg" o
,d ud wG
'egt
C,
\,t
'98
q*'.\1,
,q o"r
t \ / 1 ., . , ^ ^ t - , , ^ ^ ^ ^
r v ry U P i r y u v d v
by lheir
Planklonic
fi arnentous
alqaerecoqnisable
104 Anabaena.
beadedappearance.
havingthick
oftencur V, andsometimes
(speciallscd
cells)and sa!sago'
wal ed c earer'heterocysts
shapeddensesporesat inlerv:s. CellsLrpto 10sm across
Commonin the planktonof lakesand ponds.but sometms
in bogs.The frgur.sshow paftsof two I amentsat
occLrrring
d fferntnragni{ical
ons
a.Jgfegatcd
105 Nosrod Fl amentsI ke thosoot,4raraera.bL.rt
c osey togetherto iorrna co ony oJde{inireshapcwhi.h
may be greenor blacksh. Of llre bedsof rivers,on wcl
rocks,wet so and flowerp.)ls.cc s up to 9gm across,
iusidea
rolonies!p to severalceftlnr.rres1o5a.Jilamenrs
youngcolonyi105b,a co ony. nrturaisrzc.
I ke thoseol.4rir
106 Aphanizon)enan.
F aJn rl! i.,,rrrewhat
3ggrcgaled
barra, but lessbe!dcd,1 ijurn diafireler.
togetherlnro birnclesLp 1.r:jcveramm ofg which flo.t at
of pondsrfd .kes.somtmesabundaftly106!.
tho sLrrface
partsof 3 filamenlsshownq a spore(above)and a heterc
clst lbeio"\,t.1C6b,3 f oatrngcolony,x20
al
1Ol Gloeotlich!a.
Ce s in lapcrn( I amenlswllh a lrelefocyst
the thickend.F amonlsc uslere.llogclherby the b !nt ends
{ormng sphericaiurry ba s up lo severalml.nd arneter.
f I
lloalingat the surfacof pondsrnd akes 107:. severai
. a r to f t h c s cl.a r g e r , t h e r g hht a n do n cw l h ,
m e n t s 1j 0 7 b p
sporei107c.a floatingcolony.x20.
A note on waterbloams
Somoof the plafktonrcblue grcenalgaeat timesplod'rcc
of poolsand lakcsIn
vrylargeJloalinqmassesat the slrrfac
c, r. weather,partrcLriarly
rn autumnThesea.evryco.
ali favc
s.icLro!s.oflen ap,reirnfgrkcsp t gr0enpaL.ri.
beenknownfor anyyearsas walef b ooms.(Sce1re ar1c c
'Water
by A J. Brook.
Blao|.,s. I New Bnlogv. va 23.
1957)Genera iablero torm b oafis n. w)e Gomphaspha.)
na. Mictucystis.Asci/latoria,Anabacnd,Aphanizornenon,
Glaeotrichia. Ihe $een.o onial alga Sorryococcrsalso
formsbloomsEt times.
-:EiE<106b
@
crry,E:trElgG
Myxophyceae
Elue-green
algae
Tolypothrix.I6isfEmentous
form hasbranches
ol a characby
lt
type,
as
shown.
usually
marked
hetefocysls.
lerislic
plants.
cells
are
10um
among
olher
water
The
aboul
occurc
branch:108b,end
broad.108a,filamenlwth characteristic
a
filament.
of
Scytonemais sim:tlatIo Talypathrix,brlthe shealhsate
rnuchwiderand t growson wet rocksor soll surfaces
109 Fivula a.IhetaperincfiamentsareLrpto 12um In drrmeter,
al the basesol the
with heteroavsts
and aremuchbranched.
1o
lorm
These
are
uniled
tough hemfilamenls
branches.
mm
in
d
ameter,
especially
sphericacoloniesseveral
but alsooccuron stonesn mo!ntaingtreams,
conspicuous
poo
s.
109a,
colonieson a
on
reeds
stems
in
ring
and other
109c.
part
of
a
filament;
natural
size
109b.
branched
stone.
|
more
highly
magnif
ed.
filaments
Calorhrx hasfilamentslike Rivulatia,but is much less
branched,and the tjlamenlsoccur slngly or in tuits Iather
thancorones.
and usuallytorm
The frlamnls
branchirregularly.
I 10 Sr/gonema.
rocks,
Tha
cells
are
rounded,and
furry
masses
damp
dark
on
I e severaabreastin lhe o der pa(s, ils shown.Helerocysts
at the basesof branchesThe
but arenot regularly
scatte.cd.
varv
30um
diameter,
but of coursethe
flom
3
to
in
cells
parts
plant
wider
thanthis.110a,
of
the
are
very
much
o der
pad of who e planr,x 20j 11Ob,tip of a plantshowing
rows of cellssurrounded
by mucrlage.
rrregular
lAB
Notes
Notes
reading
Further
with the algaein !h s bookt yotr
Afler becomlngfaBrillar
may wanl lo learnmore.Thereis a largespecalisl Lteratufe
dealng wnh a gal ldentiicalion.Fotunatelyun ke manv
algaearernosty
groupsoi p anlsand animas, freshwater
Amencan
so that.lor examplc,
world w de in theirdistfibLtion,
and Germanilo.as will he found useful.
Fof the a most-beginner:
Prcscolt,G.W. How ta know the FreshwaerAlgae etawn
lowa,T954
Wesl. G. S. & Fritsch,F E. Bnttsh FreshwaterAlgae
1927
Cambridge,
For a generallntroduclion:
Round. F. E. The Biology of the Algae EdwardArnold'
London.1973
t'rYoafi clesg vc helpan collectlonand examl
Thefo o\^rlng
of the MalhamTarndrstrct
Lund.J W. G., 1S61.The aLllae
FieldStudies,1(3). B5-119 (l-lcrothe hinlson co cclion
appearaftefthe reierences.)
of fresh
examination
Lund.J. W. G.,1960.The m croscopical
and
Treatn)ent
for
Watet
watet-Praceedingsaf the Sacietv
(2). 109 144.
Exatuinatian.9
lor the seriousstudenli
lndispcnsable
George.E.A., 1976.A guideto a qal kevs(excludingsea
weeds) British PhycolagicalJ aurnal,11\1) 49-85
Inoex
E u g l e n a8 9
Gonphosr,haeria 100
G o n i u m1 2
Bara.hosperm!m94
C a l o l h r i1x 0 9
u othrix 38
zvqnema36
H E F I \ , 4 A J E S T YS
' ST A T I O N E B YO F F ] C E
Gavenneht Boakshops
4 9 H i g h F o l b o m , L o n d o nW C l V 6 H B
1 3 a C a s t l eS t r e i ,E d n b u r g hE H 2 3 A B
4 l T h H a y e s ,C a r d l f C
f FI IJW
B r a z e n n o sSei r e e t ,M a n c h e s l e[r4 6 0 8 A S
S o u r h e yH o ! s e ,W f e S r r e e l B
, r i s r oB S 12 B Q
2 5 8 B r o a dS t r e e i ,B ' m i n g h a m8 1 2 H E
80 ChichesterSlreer, Bellast BT1 4JY
Govehhent