Süßwasserflora von Mitteleuropa, Bd 7: Rhodophyta and Phaeophyceae [English]

About this book

Language: English

Volume 7 of the series Süßwasserflora/Freshwater Flora of Central Europe covers the freshwater red algae and brown algae of this region. Freshwater red algae can be found in running waters, in lakes and ponds, on wet soils and sometimes also in hot sulphuric springs. The small group of freshwater brown algae occurs in rivers and lakes. Several freshwater red and brown algae are included into the red lists of threatened species.

The freshwater Rhodophyta are a rather small and systematically heterogeneous group. From a total number of about 200 freshwater red algal species, which were described, only one third is found in Europe representing nine orders and various life forms.

Phaeophyceae, mainly found in the sea, cover a wide range of size from tiny thalli to huge marine kelps. In freshwaters, only seven species were described worldwide. All freshwater phaeophytes are small-sized, and appear as dark brown crusts or as tiny cushions on hard substrata. Some taxa can be found in clear and clean waters, others prefer brackish habitats.

Previous floras of Central European freshwater red and brown algae were published in this series by Pascher and Schiller in 1925, and by Starmach (1977) in the Flora Slodkowodna Polski [Fresh Water Flora of Poland]. Since then, no further identification keys were issued covering these groups of Central Europe. This book is intended to fill that gap and to aid both the algologists as well as applied researchers to efficiently and correctly identify European freshwater red and brown algae using updated nomenclature. Detailed descriptions of all taxa are given and high-quality drawings and photographs of the species facilitate their identification.

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Biography

Pertti Eloranta (born 1943) Emeritus professor in limnology, University of Helsinki, Finland (1989-2006). PhD-degree in University of Turku 1970 (major in botany), assistant, senior assistant and docent in botany and hydrobiology at the University of Jyväskylä 1970-1989.

Janina Kwandrans (born 1952) Associate Professor at Institute of Nature Conservation, Polish Academy of Sciences, Krakow, Poland (2007-present) Assistant, senior assistant, adjunct in The Karol Starmach Institute of Freshwater Biology PAS, Krakow, Poland (1983-2004), in Institute of Nature Conservation, PAS (2004-2007); PhD-degree (Botanical Sciences) at WACadysACaw Szafer Institute of Botany, PAS, Krakow, Poland, (1987); Habilitation (Biological Sciences) at WACadysACaw Szafer Institute of Botany, PAS, Krakow, Poland (2007)

Elsa Kusel-Fetzmann (born 1932). Studied biology, geology, palaeontology, mineralogy at the University of Vienna from 1950-1956. The interests in mires, lakes and rivers resulted in a PhD on algae. Assistant at the Viennese Institute of plant physiology between 1956 and 1977. In 1963, habilitation in plant physiology, ecology and hydrobotany. Lecturer for more than 30 years in the fields of plant anatomy, systematics and ecology of marine and freshwater algae, sewage treatment and limnology. Appointed as associate professor and head of the newly established department of hydrobotany in 1977. Founder of the Viennese culture collection of algae (about 800 strains). Retired since 1998.