Insthuteof TerrestfialEcology

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

Her Majestys Slaiion€ryOffice

CultureCeite ot Agae and Frotozoa

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

1o learnto recognisesom€of the algaeoi freshwater 10make
a start.Fromthe verylargenumberof differeftgcnerawe
haveselected 110 of thosemostlikeLv to be found,an.lwe
haveiiuslraledonespeciesbelonglngtoeach(A gerds.
pl.ra genera.s corgarabe w th the iamrlyn.me cI a person
'Wordswo(h'.and a rpecies.p ursispecles. is comparabe
eg
'W
with a firstname.eg liani.)The drawingsar€ n almost
everycasemadefrom liv ng sp€clmens (exceptthoseof dia

WI]ATAF€ ALGAE?
Aiga€lnc ude suchdiversegroupsof orllansmsthat one m3y
I n e"4n qr.er I e c_1'nom^ 'I' o on i
" , "7 "1.
that in the eary daysof the development oJ ght microscopes.
and beforethoseoi electronmicroscopes. theiriull dLVersty
couldnol be detecled- The cellsof somealgaeareof bac-
lerialsize.ior example,about1 um (1 nricrometre = 1/100Omm)
or about0 00004ins acrossOtherscontaina vastnumberof
cellsandcan be up to 50 m (over150 feet)long.1orexampe,
the afgestseaweedsSomealgaear€undotrbtedly p ants,
somed fier so litre frornbacleriathat they couldbe mernbels
ol a specal bacleral class,somgareanimalsor |nry show
cerian teatures both of an malsand p ants Desp1ethes€
faclsmosta gal 0roupshav€cerlainfeaturesr common.
a gae can be foLrndeverywhere,from permanent
I\,4icroscoplc
snow and iceto deserts, the oceans,akes,rivers,p!ddLes,
rocksand sorl.Just as the 1rees,grasses and herbseveryone
w th arelhe ftrnrnbasisof |ie on and.so a qae are
is famrliar
the basisof thatin the seaand.Indeed.proclLrce aboutthe
samearnountof organicmatlerand oxyg€nas do land plants.
Althoughthcre s nothng in freshwater comparable with the
largetseaweeds, thesea gaeshow a rangein sizefromthe
smallestof aboutT um in diameter to traling folmsof more
 HOWTO LOOKAT THEN4
To examinefreshweter algaethe equipmenlrequiredneednot
be elaborate.A iew of the largergenefacan be ,dentifiedby a
h a n dl e n sa l o n e( m a g n l f i c a t i oonf sx 1 0 a n d x 2 0 ) .b u i a
m croscope wh ch magnfiesar leastx100 is generally
essential. At thisstagethereis no needat a I tor an o I
immersion obtective. lt wouldtaketoo muchspace.and it
would not be verysatisfectory, to explainin detailhow to
mounta sampleof algaeon a qlassslideand how actualy
to !se a m croscooe. Forthis a Je\/ nrlnLiles demorstraiion
by someoneexperienced is fiore valuable thanpagesol
description.
Algaeusuallydie and decayIairlyrapldlyaflercollection. Io
keepthem freshas longas possible. do not overf I the con-
t€iner,alwaysleavean air spaceand keepthe samplecool.
Planklonalgaemav be ealeoby assocatedanrmals(suchas
Daphnia,tlrc watet flea) in a short time. li presentrn notice'
ab e numberstheyshoud be strainedoff immediately (a piece
of nylonstockingmakesa good sieve).
Samplesmay be preserved by addingiodineso utionwhlch,
howev€r, lurnslhe chloropastbrovJi A saluraled soluiionof
roore r,roolasrL^rrod,d6d rd walercon be oraporFo. bul
ordinarytinclureof iodinewill do. lt is best10add it from a
droppingbottlauntllthe wholeis of a palcbrowncolour.lt is
importantto ensurethat the speclmenbortleor tubeof algae
is keptwell stopperedas odineevaporates readrly.

NQTES ON TI]EDRAWINGS
Indicationof s zesof the algaedrawnls diflicultas thisvaries
so muchbelweenspecies. evenof the samegenus(for in
srance,.e It ol Chlorcganiun ta.ge Irc'r] 5 15 L'm n length
lat C. euchbrunt b 25orn Iar C. maxtmum).)twould be
misleadrg to show,the srzeo{ eachspeciesillusrf6ted. so we
havestaleda rangecoveringthe wholegenus.
The studentis stronglyadvsedro draw microscop c objects
wheneverpossible. Thereis no necessry to'be ableto draw'
to do this.What maiiefss havingyourown recordof what
the thing lookedI ke,to helpyou to remembert and to
Lrndersiand rtsshape lils surprisingho\1,trying
10draw
it makesofa look muchharderro seewhat ihe atgais realty
like.Always label ihe d.awing with the name(f Itte akJail
knownand add the dateandrhe placewhere I was rouno.
CLASS FICATION
(see
To he p find lhe way in moreadvancedpub rcatrons
page46). the algaeincludedherearearrangedn thelrmajor
groupingsbelow:

Greenalgae(Chlorophyceae),including:
Swimmingcels and co onies(Volvocales), (nos.1-14)
Non motilecellsand colonles(Chlorococcales),
(nos.15-33)
F lamentousalgae(of variousfam lies).nos34-50)
Desmds (Conjugaes in paft),(nos.5'1-59)
(nos.60-63)
Yellow greenalgae(Xanthophyceae),
Goldenye ow algae{Chrysophyceae).
(nos.64-68)
Distoms(Bacillariophyceae).
(nos.69-85)
Cryptophyceae,
(no.86)
Dinofagelates(Dinophyceae),
(nos.87,88)
Euglcnoid
flage ates(Euglenophyceae),
(nos.8S-91)
Bed algae(Rhodophyceae).
(nos.92-95)
Blue-green a gae (l\,lyxophyceae
or Cyanophyceae).
( n o s9 7 - 1 1 0 )
 lsee the diapran apposhe)

Lnthe centreoi the ce I

Binary vegetative
divrson of a free-living
cel into two
equa and separaledaughterce ls
lhe co ouredstructurein p Enrce ls which
absorbsI ght Lrsedn photosynthesisi usual,
!lreenor brolvn,occasronallyred or blLre-green
Cyst restingstaoewilh thickwa . fonnedfrom e
srngLcce
rsed of a plantwhich lrows on rnother.but not

/,rirp ike slrucllresusedbVcels lor swlmmng

bul diff cu t 10seeunlessstainedby iodineetc;
h€nce'f a!,elatcs'-ce s swimmingby flagella.
ln.b. flageuLln s slnguar. plura f/agel/a)
hslf shellof a di.tom-see noteor diatoms
iol!oh,inqno.68
seenoteon dratomsand labeled diagram
colourless
structure
wh ch containshereditary

lyrngagainslthe wall of a c€ll

co eclrvelermfc'ran nralsand plafls whicl_
lLoalin walei and arecarriedpassvely by

a colouressstructurcassociatedw th the ch oro

plastand concerfedwjth starchfor.nallon
the Inearstr!.lurezlongibe canlreo, somedia
lom frustLr
es seelabe ed diagram
Signoid oi an e ongatedS-shape.lik€Gylrslgra no.80
Srellate staashaped,mainy us€doJch oroplasts
Stiae th€ stripelike nrarkrngs
oI a diaromfrLstule
seenoteon dralomsand abelled.l agram
 Diagrammatic
structure
of somealgae

ALGALFLAGELLATE
Flagellun

Contractile
vacuole

Eyespot
Nucleus

Chloroplast

F I L A I IE N T O U S FiLA[4ENTOUS
G B E € NA L G A BLUE.GREEN
ALGA

Chloroplast

Ceilwall
vegetatlve

DIATOM

Striae

1-GJrdle view

Baphe
Chlorophyceae
: Greenalgae
Greenswirnmingcels lsee alsoEuglenaandPhacus)
Chlamydonanas.Avery big genusof round. oval or cylin,
clricalcels which swimwith two flagellaoi equallenglh.
T, "." rr"/ J. 1"/ rot ba a D. .a-o:cj. bLt a rpd pya 5po- .
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
ar€the 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 somelirnesnrasked 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 rustyr€d.
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 de€py divid€dinrofour 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 S€veral
species, one commonin puddles,ponds,lakesand rrvers.
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.Consistsof square,
flat.fouror 16 ce ledcolonies
!p to 100umacross.Cells5-25Umlong.Common in
puddles.ponds,
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 lrrnesronerocKs.
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 previousfour 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 c€lls (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.some-
timesfo!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

2 0 Chahcium. Ovalot spindle-shapedgreence s with a long

or shortstalkgrowingattachedto varioustilamentous algae
and othersubstrata.Lengthincludlngsralkup to 80Um
Cornmon.
21 Acthastrum.Coloniesol fou. or eiqhtcigar-shapedcetts.
10-25 ffir onq,uniteda! one endto form a siar.Ponds.
lakesand slow rivers.
22 Micracrintum Round cells 3-2Oum across.each wiih one or
morelongslenderbristles,ottenin colontesas shown.
Planktonof lakesand slow rivers.
)
 Chlorophyceae
: Greenalgae
Greennon motileunicellsand colonies
23 CoelasLrum. Non-motileroundrshcels unitedclosey to form
spherrcalcolonlesup 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 edgoand somerim€s per-
foraled.Ponds,lakesandslow riv€rs.
2 5 Ctu.i(rcnia.Flal p al€sof oval cel s uf red in groupsof four,
wh ch areagalnoft€nlooselyuniledin 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.ak€s

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 n€w 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 am€ntorsatq.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 Sornetim€s 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.
as \/e Ias In ponds 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 gmenr€dw th
ca.ot€n€maYbe 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
l l h e ' c a p) C o m m o n r f s t a . d i n qw a t e f .
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.opl€s1s in rheformol sp raly wounCr bbons Commonin
standrng water,especra ly rn earlyspr/ng.
 €ii| 6
'l-",,:-
.-
,,b r,'di'
Fr 1t.\".J
,_.--.,1,
,.a\Q/"
-:: \,{
 Chlorophyceae
Greenfilamentous
algae
38 Uta|h't/ | ro"a1 ."o frld-npn 1-/0p1d are ar.Fo | 6l
w th one chloropast (or 2 in drvidingce s) which {ormsan
lncomplele bandroundthe ce las shown.Commonin
standingor runningwater,especaliyin spring.lf branched,
seeStiseactoniurn144) at Draparnat.taga).
3 9 Microsparc Urhrcnchedfilaments5 25um d amel€r.Cells
zppearto havenumerouspErietachloroplasts (thou.Jh ths rs
nol lhe case),and aresom€whats m ar in structure to
Tnbonena161).\1\\hH pleces(over:ppng hali cellw?lls.
i ls.f;aled1o( Trjbonema).bui arc ro 3t vely sho(er and
ihicker,and aaea moieopaquedarkergreen.ln runnin! or
' ' a r o . _ q\ ^ d r o 'T ' e u p p e ' r ^ o ^ l l ci 1 t l ' f i g L ' oe r . ' e e ' i n
opt cal secton, the lowertwo in surfaceview.
40 DraparnaldiaCe s resembe those of ,lalhrix wlIh a band
shapedch oropast.but the wlroleplanthasa featherylook.
w h h a c e n t r aa x i so f l a r g ec e l l sS, 0 p r no f s o a c r o s sn t h e
olderparts,bearingbranchedxrftsoi muchnarrow€rcells
at rnlervas. Standingand rLrnning water,especa ly n the
sprinq,formingconspLcuous bf qht greentLiftsup to 5 cm
ong on sroneserc
4 1 Bulbochaete. Smallp anlswith branched Jilamenls 10-30um
d ameter.Cels havea nel ke ch oroplastresembing that ol
Oedoganium(35), and manybear onq hairswth bulbous
bases.Theygrow on other. gae,stones,woodwork,etc,
s t . n d i n go u t s t i f i l yU. s u . l l yn s l o w l y fo w l n g o r s t Lwl a t e r .
4 Ta . t w o c e l l s ; 4 1 bh, a bt s k e i c h .
42 Cladaphora. Filaments !p to 100um across,Lrsually branched
c€llswith reticLr ate ch oroplastsPanlsoftenl.rgeard ro!gh
1(jthe toLrch. freqLrently covercdhatheprphytes. Common.
usuallyaltached1ostrcks,stonesor orherhardsu{acc: in
strllor runnrng.,araier s verylrouble.ome lo pond owners.rs
rt raprdlygrows nto skciirsafd lanqlesseveralrnelresorq.
'blanket
a n d I s k n o w n t o t h e ma s w e e d ' 4. 2 b .h a b i t s k e l c h .
Co(a n speces form furryba ls up to the slzeof tenns bals.
whrchrollaroundon the bottomof shalow lakesand poo s,
ond arerecorded fromvarlouspartsof Br lain.
F amentous algaeareofl€nfoundwh ch hav€the ce
.tta.rLne af Cladophorabut . re !nbrafchod Thesemay be
ong eithetto Cladopharaot Rhi2aclaniun,and dec d ng
vvhlchis oftend ificult.
39

il
 l- hlnrnnhrrna:ro

sheetlikeor bag'likegre€na gae

F amentoLrs.
Cells1 20gm across.havng an ax le chloropastIn
1 3 Prasiala.
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 sev€iil ce ls
wrde (43b.smaler scae). or expanded into a sheel(43c.
natur.lsize) AqLratic or subaeral. glow ng on rocksIre_
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 stoutc€ntra.x s as hasthe r€ atod
Dtaparnatdra (no 0)- and considerab y smallerand sofl€r
lrar Cla(lophota (no.12) conr.l]o1l In slandng or ruin n.J
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.
4 5 CltaetaDl)ata. Branched filamenlsgrovvng fto woollylLrlls
or balls(45b. x10). fromwhiclr projectong colouressha rs
Ce ls Lrpto 20UmacrossCommonas af ep phyte01water
plants,or on strcksoTstones,som€tmesencrusted wtlrl
crystals oi calc!m carbon€te
.16 Entercnnrpha. Plantbodylub! ar. ho ow (45b,c. raiLr3L
s ze).(rp101 crn w de and I 5.m or rnorelong.composedol
cels wilh thrckwa ls and paretiilchloroplasts (46a).Some
llmesveryconspicuous f oat n9 n masses on the surfaceoi
slow riversand canals,or cntrnged wlth largcrvr'atcrplanls,
and mny be abundanlrn brackish water.
4l Tetraspan.PL)rhata hacaLrse ol lhe macroscopc plant bod as
ir forms(47b.si qhr y €n nrged).bLrttheseareof muc age
contalnlnqcellsof Chlanydorroras 1ype.havingpscudocLl!a
(|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 dia-
meler,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
al and growsor"rdanrprocks,formrngpatches
is sLrbaer
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.'hilelhe 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 rcptesentatlveof the small numberof fila

mentousdesmidswhich arelound in boOgVpoolsetc.The
filamentsarecylindrical,5-40um in diameter,0nd sur'
foundedby a layerof muciage.
Desmidiumis a 3i.r|ilatgenus.but the filamentsusuallyhave
a toothedoulirneand aremostiiequentlyI'lanetLrlarLncross

52 Mesotaenium.A smal)cylindrlcaldesmid,8-30um diameter.

with a flat chloroplastlikeMaugeotiE.ltis padioularly
common n the je y I ke coverng of wet rocksdown which
w:rer trickles.and rs usuailyaccompanied by b ue green
aLgaeoi varlousspecies-Cyhndrocystis)s aralt et small
desmidwh ch is veryslmiarbul rhishastwo separate
stellatechloropasts.
5 3 Pleurctaeniuftt.Atad shapeddesmd up to 1 mm in length.
found in boggyplacesand upon wet iccksdown which
waterruns.The wsvy outlinenearthe centreof lhe cell ls
5l
 Chlorophyceae
: Greenalgae
Desmids
54 Closteium.A ctescent-shaped
desmidlound commonly;n
ponds,lakesend slow rivers,as we as in bogs.Someof the
specieshavelargeand conspicuous cellsreachingnearly
1 mm in length,whrleothers.parti.ularly the planktonlc
ones,may be much mores ender and a most straight.
55 CasnatiLln. El ipi.al ot angulllrin out ine. but without
spinesor orherprocesses. A big and d ff colt genus,parilcu
larlycommonin boggyp aces.but a few socciesarefound
n water bodiesof a ltype$ l0 200ulofq.
56 Staurastrum. Eachhalfcell is trianguar in end view,with
threecorners, splncsor arms.Cejs varyup to 130umin
length,and arecommonin thc planktonof lakes.
5l Micrastetias.Cells\tety I at ard eaf- or plate llke. ova in
outline.with the edgesvarolrslycut of frssured. Up to
350pnlonq A ' i d ooo.Jr d b r ,11r.
58 Xanthidium.Cells atna-rlentedwith varioLrscombinationsof
sp res, but not trlaFgular ir (rld v ew as Srarrrstrum.
10-2009m long. Found in acidrcor bogoypoolsetc.
59 Fraslrrm.C€llssomewhatilattcned,tr!t not to sucha degree
as t. l,4icrastetias, ar.dhavlng angulzr obes.while the ends
areoflendeeplyrolched.Ce ls 10 200[m long.Acidc pools

A note on desmia|s
Onlya few to:erantmembersof thisgrouparefound in the
h6rdcalcareous walersof the southand eastof Britain.Ihe
vasl majorltyareconfinedto districlsof acldjcrocksand soft
water.andwhile someof thesellve in the planktonof akes,
mostarefound in hoggypools.wherethereis oftenan
abundance of speciesand ind viduals.A ratherold but still
manycolorredplaiesis West.W. &
uselulaccount,'.vith
West.G. S..A l\lonograph of the ErrtishDesmidiaceae. 5
volurnesFay Society.London,1904-1923.
 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 Voungcellsattachthem-
selvesto 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,r€sembling
Mrcrcspata(39). but diff€ringin 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
vaL t,4. , .oL) d
63 ^ b,!1.r q.ea' dn 6 ed
especiay n slagnanlor slowlyr!nningwater.Planicoeno-
ihroughout(50-200um).regularly
cytrc.ol eventhrckness
branched, afd wth no crosswalls NurneioLSsma grean
chloroplasis.
63a.end of a f amenti63b,antheridunr
(malecell)and two oogonia(femalecells).

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,

65 Mallanlanas.Like OcrroDDnas.bLrt.overed all over with

glassysc.l€sof s ica,overl.ppinglka roofriles Somespecies
a so h.ve long s;|.a sp fes. rl one or b.rh ?ndsor ell over
(as illusrfaled).
Cells5 50um ofq Fartycornmon Ln
puddles, drlches,ponds€nd lakes.especia l'r'jn sp ng.
 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
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 .
a c r o s sC. o m m o n
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
resilrgs\d0r M.n,, -efli:,c,i.l rhc airr!sotlryceae p:od!ce
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 -
m e f t s , 5 - 1 0 0 u m d r a m e t e rw , 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
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
1 1 TabellariaA. dlatamlatmlng ilat zig-zag fitamenlsas jus-
trated,or elseradia colon€slikerhoseofAstetionela\76)
The characterislic seplaexiendparlway acrcssthe cetlsin
girdleview and show up as heavylnes. Lenglhof cells,Llp
to 100umor more.11a.pal al a zig zagchainof cells.he d
togetherby mucragepads,in girde view.The bro\ir'n
chloroplasts haveonly beendrawnin the uppercet. 71b.
valveview of one of thesecclls.N,4orc common n ihe less
calcareouswaterc o{ the forth and west.
12 D/arom€. Anotherdiatomwhich formsf laments, straightor
zrg'zag.Cellsup to 70Umlong.wtthoutseprain girdleview,
un ikethe lastgenus-In va ve vicw (72a)ihey varyfrom
lrneario broady lanceolate, but arerecognised by their
rlreguar transverse abs.Commonin waterbodresof a I
types.72a,valveview.c eanedfruslule;72b.girdleview of
livingf:ament.
Metidian.fhis has .el s llke Diatama (up to 100gm tong),
but wedge-shaped, .nd iormscharacterist c fan-shaped
co onies.Comrnon, especlallyn sprlnq,rn ponds,brooksand
rivers.73a. two cleanedfrustules. glrde vicwj 73b.another
in va ve view; 73c,g rdlevlew ot |ving colony
14 SynedtaA,langnarrowdialom.not tormingcha ns.occur-
r ng in tha freestate(ol1enplankronc) or atiachedto a sub,
5 l r o t , r b . d p c do r m r r r, l dr - r . r o r ^ 1
rdo g.o o- n Ce c
"tir
up to 500umlong.Common.74a,valvcview of cleaned
frustue: 74b,liv ng co ony.girde view.
15 fbab a R- or Dl a.r'd'.In\ol\F\rc^.bL',. s(rpio
150gm long) form longf at f iitrnentous colonies, benthjcor
planktonic. 75a and 75b showfilamentsof two speciesof
vcry differentappearancc. Conrmonin pon.isano raKes_
76 AsLerianella. Formssrar-shaped I oatlngco oniesof ce ls up
t o 1 0 0 9 ml o n g ,a n d s c o m m o n i n l a k c T s h e r ei s a t s oa i o r m
af Tabelatia(71) which hasco oni€ss m .r in sizeandshape
b L Lr L o . (e q cr- r^.o ra, do o. rl4 o ,. .di. -pi€
"t
€nd by the knee-likeswelllfgsal lhe centreor eacnce
 l2a

,7
EI

Ww
tsa
74a
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 valv€view 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

B 3 Nitzschia.Car,.r,an..r,anyspi?cies,5 !o moreihan 100um

long Bestd st ngL shedrn Lvcstite JromA/rvl.r/a?nd rts
e es by tfe t./rocir oropl€sls
ar ihc efds ol tlrece . not the
s des Theres a so a brg s Emordspecres, Lrpto 600ltm
long.but LrnrkeGflos/gr?a(S0) ( hasparalcl srdes,rnd
bluntends.83a,c eanedirlslule,83b,liv ng cel, both of a
 19

78b

t,}.

f-l

::-!

82b
\-,9
 Sr/irell€.Largebenthrcdiatoms,valv€view eJJpticalor oval,
girdlev €w reclangular or ,,vedgeshaped.15 200um ong.
Edgeof va ve ottairlormsbaluslrade like'w fg' Pofds,lakes
and rvers 84a.va ve view; 84b.Oirdlev ew.
8 5 Cyntatopleula.FesembIngSr7,rel/aand ioLrndin s;milar
places.but cels nrlch 1a11er. ike bisculs. and lackingrhe
'wing'
ornamental f "\locommon specres,one conslncleO1n
girde view as shown,ihe 01h(-,r cll plrca 30 150um ong.

f rvntnnhrina ea

A smallgroupof flage ates,nrostlybrownto ohvegreen

8 6 Cryplolnooas.AsymmctricaL l\c^rl'shapcd or oval celLs.10
80um ong,with bro\'vn sh chloroplasts, two uneq!alflagela
'tr
and a gulletlinedw th slructrrrescalled chocysts. showing
up as rowsof spots Commonin water bodiesof all types.

l-linnnhrrnoao

A smallgroupol llf!lellales. usuallyarmoured

Ceratturn. Bto'tt..atfiarredand dravr'fout ntocharacterstc
hornsas sho,r'r'n T,ro f a!cllii.one L...jt!.i,n.l the other
rr?nsferse and rn d rlrooveup to 400umlof! s.met me:
common n lskesend pools
8 8 Pefidtniun Nm.aL|ed. h-"mct-rke.brownor colourless. wth
t w o i l a g e l l aI 5. T 0 u m . c r o s sF a i r y c o m m o nn l a k e s a n d
pools.recognisab e bv lumpyshape

Frrnlonnnhrinoeo

A groupof green{lagcllales
'd9 tuglera-Spjndleshapedbody..a r bccomolatteror rhlnner,
wth one JlagelLrm.ljre€nclrlDroplasls ind redeyespot
25-100pm long In allwalerbodcs.especallysIghtlypol]Lrted
ones,son]etrmes colo!r ng fartrrpondsdarkgreen.
9 0 Phacus.Alsahasgreenchloropl.sls. brght red€yespo1.and
singlefage Lrm. but r5 f attcned ik€ 3 lelrf.with a pointed
tail.Lengih Lrp to 100um th.r ln sama habit.tsas Euglena.
9 1 Trachelon)onas. fhe .Jt.i€n chlonrpiasts.re !sua y mask.dby
t h eb r o w nr o u n d
oroval p o t .rp to 2 5 u n r
a c r o s sn w h l c h r t
lves,ihe f ngellumprolfuclra tl)r.ru!lr:r hole Commonn a!
w a r e rb o do s 9 1 . . a c c l i n r r sp o t i 9 l b m o r e h l t h y m a t N -
i €.j, pot openedr. sholaflagellata Insdc
 R hndnnhrroaro
'Fed' a gae (oftenbrownoI blue gr€enin 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
and rocksand in greenhouses, wheTe$o ubl-"til rs coLlecl,
{ormingmucilagino!s masses resembling dropsof b ood or
tomatosauce.Occasona. Cellsareabout10um Lnd amelel
and havea stellatechloropasl.
9 3 Asterocytis(at Chraodacrt'lor) Formsshon filamenlsor
cushlonsof cellsabout10gm across, eachwith a bright
blue-green sle atech oroplastand a centralpyrenoidOften
ep phytic on other a gac, cspocia y Cladophora ard faliy
cornmonin hardwaterd strlcts.
Batacttaspermun.Highlv orq.niscd fl aments.form ng brown
or greenmucila!lnous branchng tufls (lp to severalcm long
on rocksand stonesn streanrs and springs,occasionally in
moLrntain tarns.Branches consst of a cenlralaxis
!sLlaLlV
fromwh ch arisewhorlsof tinYbranches. usLrallyg ving a
beadedappearance. 940. oxls\"vitlr\r\'lrorlsof small br3nches
and two majorones(the'brrds'nesls'ar€reproduct ve
bodes);94b €nd c. srnalbranchos. at a rnaderate a.d a nrgn

9 5 le,rarea.Anotherh thly org.nisediorm Lrplo 10 15.m

long.Plantsarethrckslrands.knobby and sparse y
branched.du I olivegreen.
brown sh ot qreY CommonlV
formslargetuftson slonesin shaLowlasl r vers,€speci'llyln
spring.

(or CyanoPhYceae)
Myxophyceae
Blue-green a qae (whichhrve no rendivdistinguishable
nucleior chloroplasts). Relaledto bacteria
Chrcacaccus.Sph]ti.a or el ptical cel s occLrirng s nglv
or in pairsor fours,occasionallyrnore,dividng in 3 planesat
r ght anges to eachotherand surroLJnd€d by stratiiied
sheaths. Contentsgranular. b !€-greenor brownlsh.Nol
uncon'rmon in bog pooLsand saltmarshes. Ce s up to 50Fm
across,but LrsLraLyhaLfoaa qla(er th s slz€
9l Gloeacapsa.S fia\lat\a Chraocaccus,but cel s in gener:l
muchsmaller, up 10 I unracross,ln grotrpsin w de straiifed
muc lagesheaihs, as shown,sometLmes bilghtred lcrmLng
masseson wet Tocks.
@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
cels )sAphanDcapsa Synechacaccus s anoihergenuswhich
hass nglece ls ke lhascol Aphanothece (not in colone5).
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
likerafts.a smal!one bclfg i Lstraled. Noi uncommonin
ponds,lakes.bogs,slow I vers.
1OA GonphasphaerialC oelasphacrill n) . Smallcells up to 5gm
in d arneter. unitedinto a ho low. roughV spherical. iloating
colony,sometmcs blacksh in appeiranca and oltensur
roundcdby muc age.Colonos reachabout1009ma.ross.
Consplcuousn th"-p .nkton of lakes
101 MicrocystisSmaLl ce s op to 5um n d ametelembedded
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
atlachedby one end 1olargerfilamenlDUs aigaeeic.while
fromthe otherend a chalnot sporess produced. Common.
Thef gureshowsthreep anrsol d Jlerentag€son a f lament
af Cladophora.
143 Asci atoria,Lyngbya.Phorn diun.Ihtee generadrf|cu t to
tell apart.ev€nby 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 foundas s nglefr rmcnts,sometimes Jormrng
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 C,
q*'.\1,
,d ud wG
'egt \,t
,q o"r
'98
 t \ / 1 ., . , ^ ^ t - , , ^ ^ ^ ^
r v ry U P i r y u v d v

104 Anabaena. Planklonic fi arnentous alqaerecoqnisable by lheir

beadedappearance. oftencur V, andsometimes havingthick
wal ed c earer'heterocysts (speciallscd cells)and sa!sago'
shapeddensesporesat inlerv:s. CellsLrpto 10sm across
Commonin the planktonof lakesand ponds.but sometm€s
occLrrring in bogs.The frgur.sshow paftsof two I amentsat
d ffer€ntnragni{ical ons
105 Nosrod Fl amentsI ke thosoot,4raraera.bL.rt a.Jgfegatcd
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,
rolonies!p to severalceftlnr.rres1o5a.Jilamenrs iusidea
youngcolonyi105b,a co ony. nrturaisrzc.
106 Aphanizon)enan. F aJn rl! i.,,rrrewhat I ke thoseol.4rir
barra, but lessbe!dcd,1 ijurn diafireler. 3ggrcgaled
togetherlnro birnclesLp 1.r:jcveramm ofg which flo.t at
tho sLrrface of pondsrfd .kes.som€tmesabundaftly106!.
partsof 3 filamenls- shownq a spore(above)and a heterc
clst lbeio"\,t.1C6b,3 f oatrngcolony,x20
1Ol Gloeotlich!a. Ce s in lapcrn( I amenlswllh a lrelefocyst al
the thickend.F amonlsc uslere.llogclherby the b !nt ends
{ormng sphericaiurry ba s up lo severalml.nd arneter.
lloalingat the surfac€of pondsrnd akes 107:. severai f I
. 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
v€rylargeJloalinqmassesat the slrrfac€ of poolsand lakcsIn
c, r. weather,partrcLriarly
rn autumnThesea.ev€ryco.
s.icLro!s.oflen ap,reirnfgrkcsp t gr0enpaL.ri.
ali favc
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
lAB Tolypothrix.I6isfEmentous form hasbranches ol a charac-
lerislictype, as shown. usually marked by hetefocysls. lt
occurc among olher water plants. The cells are aboul 10um
broad.108a,filamenlwth characteristic branch:108b,end
of a filament.
Scytonemais sim:tlatIo Talypathrix,brlthe shealhsate
rnuchwiderand t growson wet rocksor soll surfaces
109 Fivula a.IhetaperincfiamentsareLrpto 12um In drrmeter,
and aremuchbranched. with heteroavsts al the basesol the
branches. These filamenls are uniled 1o lorm tough hem-
sphericacoloniesseveral mm in d ameter, especially
conspicuous on stonesn mo!ntaingtreams, but alsooccur-
ring on reeds and other stems in poo s. 109a, colonieson a
stone. natural size | 109b. part of a branched filament; 109c.
filaments more highly magnif ed.
Calorhrx hasfilamentslike Rivulatia,but is much less
branched,and the tjlamenlsoccur slngly or in tuits Iather
thancorones.
I 10 Sr/gonema. The frlam€nls branchirregularly. and usuallytorm
dark furry masses on damp rocks, Tha cells are rounded,and
I e severaabreastin lhe o der pa(s, ils shown.Helerocysts
scatte.cd. but arenot regularly at the basesof branchesThe
cells varv flom 3 to 30um in diameter, but of coursethe
o der parts of the plant arevery much wider thanthis.110a,
pad of who e planr,x 20j 11Ob,tip of a plantshowing
rrregular rows of cellssurrounded by mucrlage.
Notes
Notes
 reading
Further

with the algaein !h s book€t yotr

Afler becomlngfaBrillar
may wanl lo learnmore.Thereis a largespecalisl Lteratufe
dealng wnh a gal ldentiicalion.Fotunatelyun ke manv
groupsoi p anlsand animas, freshwater algaearernosty
so that.lor examplc,
world w de in theirdistfibLtion, Amencan
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
Cambridge, 1927

For a generallntroduclion:
Round. F. E. The Biology of the Algae EdwardArnold'
London.1973

t'rYoafi clesg vc helpan collectlonand examl

Thefo o\^rlng

Lund.J W. G., 1S61.The aLllae of the MalhamTarndrstrct

FieldStudies,1(3). B5-119 (l-lcrothe hinlson co cclion
appearaftefthe reierences.)
Lund.J. W. G.,1960.The m croscopical examination of fresh
watet-Praceedingsaf the Sacietvfor Watet and
Treatn)ent
(2). 109 144.
Exatuinatian.9

lndispcnsablelor the seriousstudenli

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 Publicatio.s ate aho available

P,lnrd n Enshndror Fd Maieslyt slaiorarvO,rce bvM.Corq!odri pr rteB. Lrd, Lon.rol

s M 7 e 5 2o d r a 7 5 1 sK 3 0 r r / 7 7 M c c a 3 s e