In the Phycological Departament of the W. Szafer Institute of Botany, Polish Academy of Sciences in Cracow, material essential for the proper assignment of the algal flora found in Poland have been gathered. Among them is the collection of original publications and separata (or their copies) concerning the contemporary and fossil algae as well as the bibliography on the Polish algal flora. On this basis, the indices of taxa found in Poland belonging to all prokaryotic and eukaryotic systematic groups of algae, initially in the form of files, now stored on computers, are elaborated. After publication of the bibliographies (Sieminska 1990, Sieminska and Pajak 1995), successive indices will be issued. The one concerning the blue-green algae mentioned in literature up to 1980 has already been published (Sieminska 1995), a continuation (up to 1990) is already for print and so is the fascicle concerning diatoms (total, up to 1990). Each index contains the list of Latin names of the genera and species given in alphabetical order. Latin names of the lower systematic units are placed below, also alphabetically, irrespective of their rank. The names of author (authors) usually written next to the Latin of a taxon are omitted because of the fact that they are very often inconsistently cited and sometimes concern different taxa. The taxon name is followed by the numbers of the references in which it has been mentioned in the bibliographies. Next to each number, the symbol of the kind of information is given (in parentheses); drawings and photos, i.e. illustrations (i), complementary remarks concerning size or morphology (u), and description (n) of the new taxon. The data which have been elaborated diligently for more than 40 years thus far and the published indices create a base facilitating floristic and physiographic studies as well as the preparation of monographs, till now non-existing, on the representatives of particular systematic groups of contemporary and fossil algae in Poland. For the phycologists from other countries, the indices provide information on the components of Polish flora, in particular the rarely occurring taxa. The subsequent fascicles will be published - similarly as the first one - simultaneously in English and Polish. The indices, as well as the bibliographies, may be purchased at the publisher office, which is the W. Szafer of Botany P.A.Sc., Cracow, Lubicz 46.
Results of investigations carried out in June 1995 at the same stations as in June 1992 are presented. Only small differences in species composition, biomass and the range of phytobenthos occurrence were observed. Obtained results confirmed that the trends of phytobenthos changes in the Gulf of Gdansk are similar to those in inner Puck Bay, i.e. the existing predomination of brown algae of the Ecto-carpus and Pilayella genera and a decrease of the area of underwater meadows. However, in spite of these changes there still exist natural phytobenthos stands in the Gulf. Therefore, active protection measures will create potential possibilities of reviving the phytocenoses of the Gulf of Gdansk.
Endopsammic algal communities from shallow littoral sediments in a subeutrophic Lobelia lake are presented. The flora in the studied lake consisted of 492 taxa. During the two years of study, the density of algae fluctuated between 0.65x103 and 23.24x103 individuals in 1 cm3 of sand and resulted mainly from growth of cyanobacteria, green algae and diatoms. The poorest communities occurred in spring, the most abundant in summer and autumn. In 1985, cyanophytes dominated (up to 92%) and Aphanotece microscopica in particular; the latter species grew in masses, particularly in summer and constituted more than 50% to 64% of the total quantity. In the next year, greater abundance of green algae, diatoms and desmids was noted, probably owing to the higher concentration of nutrients in interstitial water. The most suitable conditions for algal growth created sediments of flat bottom stabilized by isoetids. Mass development of certain cyanobacteria species resulted from medium trophy of the lake.
Metal sorption capacity of Chlorella kessleri and two strains of cyanobacteria (Aphanocapsa sp., Anabaena flos-aquae) was studied. It was found that among studied organisms, dead cells of C. kessleri were the most effective sorbents of Pb, Cu, Cd and Zn. They displayed the highest cation-exchange (Cd2+/H+) capacity and bound much more Cd and Zn at pH 7 than at pH 4. The optimum pH for sorption of Pb and Cu was 6. At pH 6, dead cells of C.kessleri could bind maximally about 37 mg Cd, 38 mg Zn, 21 mg Cu and 70 mg Pb per g of dry weight. Generally, algal dead cells (0.3 g dry wt dm^3) removed 50-70% of the metal ions from 0.01 mM solutions. A surplus of calcium and magnesium caused a slight decrease of Pb, Cu, Cd and Zn sorption.
International and European standards relevant to algal-based monitoring have been developed by the International Standards Organisation (ISO) and the Comite Europeen de Normalisation (CEN). This work has been given new impetus by the publication of the EU Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC), which requires the use of CEN and ISO standards where available. Standards addressing diatom sampling and analysis, macrophyte survey, algal survey and phytoplankton analysis are all either published or under development by CEN. There is also a standard under development dealing with quality assurance of ecological assessments in the aquatic environment. Together, these standards should ensure that robust data are collected that can be used for intercalibrations between Member States.
The impact of some organotin compounds (10-200 mg dm^3) on the planktonic cyanobacterium Synechocystis aquatilis was studied. The following order of toxicity of organotins tested to the cyanobacterium culture was found: DBTCl>TPTAclTBTCl? TPTCl>TMTCl. Chlorophyll a content in the culture seemed to be more susceptible to organotins than cyanobacterial growth. The inhibition of both parameters increased significantly with the increase of compound doses, time of exposure and decrease of initial culture density. After 96 h exposure, the chlorophyll a content in the cyanobacte-rium cultures of the initial density 56 mg dry wt dm^3 was reduced for 200 mg dm^3 of DBTCl, TBTCl and TPTCl by 70%, 50% and 20% respectively, while in the cultures of the lowest initial density (10 mg dry wt dm-3) by 90%, 75% and 50%, as compared to the organotin free controls.
An account is given of the status of monitoring in a new legal system for environmental protection in Poland. The legal acts such as Environmental Protection Law, Water Law and resulting from it the Ordinance of the Ministry of Environment, which relate to the EU Water Framework Directives (2000/60/EC) were introduced to the Polish legal system. They present the principles by which state monitoring of the environment should operate in Poland and thus the source of information about water quality. The present article deals with continuation of the biological studies for monitoring rivers, including the relevance of a computer programme for this purpose. The article concludes with and assessment of how the quality of Polish rivers will be improved as a result of this legislation.
The subject of the study was to the compare results of phytoplankton and the sediment core analyses from several lakes in Wielkopolska (Western Poland). Species composition of algal assemblages occurring in these lakes changed as would be expected for increasing trophic conditions. Along with progressive eutrophication diatom taxa belonging to genera Stephanodiscus and Cyclotella became replaced by green algae and finally by blue-green algae. The dominance of blue-green algae is attributed to hypertrophic conditions.
This report presents results of the studies conducted in 2002 of eukaryotic algae and cyanobacteria found in the River Dunajec in the area of the newly built dam reservoirs in Czorsztyn and Sromowce. The studies demonstrated that diatoms were the dominant group in both the river (at 74 %) and the dam reservoirs (at 32 %), and that among the diatoms collected, eutraphenthic [van Dam et al. 1994] species usually prevailed. The diatom group, characterized by a broad ecological scale (tolerant), predominated slightly only at Station 3 located downstream from the dam reservoirs. This variation, which was probably connected with improved water quality in this part of the river, was the result of the sedimentation of pollutants in the dam reservoirs. Equally unexpected was the mass development of Didymosphenia geminata in this area. It occupied not only spots in the riverbed of the River Dunajec, but it also spread to the riversides and even to the river arms close to the confluence of the streams flowing from the Pieniny Mountains. The quantitatively dominant species in this area was Cladophora glomerata, which is an excellent habitat for other algae, particularly diatoms. The ultrastructure of its cell and cell wall is of great significance since it reflects the environmental conditions in which it lives. The ultrastructure of the Cladophora glomerata that occurred at different stations did not differ significantly, nor did it indicate the existence of any considerable hazard resulting from environmental pollution.
The reservoir where the studies were carried out was originated by modification of an old oxbow lake of the Vistula River. The most important sources of inflowing waters are industrial waters from ?Pulawy Fertilizer Factory?. The highest variability of concentration, was NH4+-N and also Cl-, Ntot., and PO4-3. Some significant correlations between chemical properties of water and algae (especially green algae and diatoms) were found, which suggested that this phytoplankton was mainly responsible for the biogeochemical cycles in the shallow, strongly polluted reservoir. Another interesting phenomenon was the statistically positive correlation between the density of cyanobacteria and potassium, which suggested that it may play an important role in their abundance.
HP-HPLC (reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography) was used to analyse chlorophyll and carotenoid pigments in cyanobacteria and algae from the Baltic Sea, belonging to different taxonomic groups. The following species were used: Cyclotella meneghiniana - diatom, Oocystis submarina - green alga and Phormidium amphibium - cyanobacterium. Investigations on a favourable method of chlorophyll and carotenoid pigment separation have been carried out. This method allowed to separate the following pigments: lutein and zeaxanthin; diadinoxanthin and fucoxanthin; chlorophyll c1 and c2, into sharp peaks. It could be presumed that the method would be useful and universal in the identification of pigments in other algal and cyanobacteria species and natural phytoplankton assemblages.
The structure, dynamics and chlorophyll a content of lithoreophilous communities of Cyanobacteria and algae in two periodically drying sectors of the stream: in its upper (alpine ), and middle part (forest) zones were investigated. In both sectors the diversity of species was low. After snow melt, in the upper part, the stones were successively colonized by Cyanobacteria (with Chamaesiphon polonicus (Rostafinski.) Hansgirg prevailing), and green alga Klebsormidium rivulare (Kutz.) Starmach, finally obtaining stable and abundant communities. In the middle part of the stream, a spring explosion of Klebsormidium rivulare and species from the Chlorococcales group was observed. They developed temporary, since they disappeared after the June spate. Later this area was colonised mainly by Homoeothrix janthina (Bornet et Flahault) Starmach, Hydrurus foetidus (Villars) Trevisan, and diatoms, coming from a neighbouring non drying part of the stream. The chlorophyll a content in both sectors was low (2 - 55.8 mg m ?2) .
Species composition of the algae as well as frequencies of their occurrence in a food content of the Chironomus larvae were usually showing a distinctive correlation to the plankton algae rather than to the algae from the mud sediments surface. The main food of the larvae was a filtered phyto-plankton matter decomposed by bacteria. In the reolimnian part of the Lagoon with the sedimentation of the dead phytoplankton restricted by a water-flow, there were poor feeding conditions for the benthos. The main factor that restricted the quantitative growth of the chironomids larvae in that part of the Lagoon was largely because of their feeding on the algae from the sediments.
Different light conditions at the open and shaded sites caused by marginal vegetation affected the structure of Cyanobacteria and algae communities, but had no effect on chlorophyll a content. In the open area Hydrurus foetidus (Villars) Trevisan, Homoeothrix janthina (Bornet et Flahault) Starmach, and diatoms (mainly Achnanthes minutissima Kutz. together with A. biasolettiana Grun. and species from the Gomphonema genus ) were the most numerous. In shadow the abundance of Hydrurus foetidus drastically decreased, whereas the diatom biomass index, Achnanthes minutissima and A. biasolettiana showed a tendency to reduce their number. On the contrary, the abundance of green algae and Cocconeis placentula Ehr. var. euglypta Ehr. increased. Chlorophyll a contents of both sites obtaining the highest values in summer - autumn and the lowest in the winter - spring seasons.
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