A preliminary survey of the diversity of soil algae and cyanoprokaryotes on mafic and ultramafic substrates in South Africa

作者：Venter Arthurita^*; Levanets Anatoliy; Siebert Stefan; Rajakaruna Nishanta

来源：Australian Journal of Botany, 2015, 63(3-4): 341-352.

DOI：10.1071/BT14207

• algae
• cryptogamic ecology
• serpentine geoecology
• species diversity

Despite a large body of work on the serpentine-substrate effect on vascular plants, little work has been undertaken to describe algal communities found on serpentine soils derived from peridotite and other ultramafic rocks. We report a preliminary study describing the occurrence of algae and cyanoprokaryotes on mafic and ultramafic substrates from South Africa. Results suggest that slope and aspect play a key role in species diversity and community composition and, although low pH, nutrients and metal content do not reduce species richness, these edaphic features also influence species composition. Further, typical soil genera such as Leptolyngbya, Microcoleus, Phormidium, Chlamydomonas, Chlorococcum and Hantzschia were found at most sites. Chroococcus sp., Scytonema ocellatum, Nostoc linckia, Chlorotetraedron sp., Hormotilopsis gelatinosa, Klebsormidium flaccidium, Pleurococcus sp. and Tetracystis elliptica were unique to one serpentine site. The preliminary survey provides directions for future research on the serpentine-substrate effect on algal and cyanoprokaryote diversity in South Africa.

• 出版日期2015
• 单位西北大学