Great Basin Naturalist Volume 37 Number 3 Article 6 9-30-1977 The algal flora of the campus of Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah Cheng Mou-Sheng Brigham Young University Samuel R. Rushforth Brigham Young University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/gbn Recommended Citation Mou-Sheng, Cheng and Rushforth, Samuel R. (1977) "The algal flora of the campus of Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah," Great Basin Naturalist: Vol. 37 : No. 3 , Article 6. Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/gbn/vol37/iss3/6 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Western North American Naturalist Publications at BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Great Basin Naturalist by an authorized editor of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. THE ALGAL FLORA OF THE CAMPUS OF BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY, PROVO, UTAH Cheng Mou-Sheng' and Samuel R. Rushforth' Abstract.— The algal flora of the Brigham Young University campus is more diverse than previously thought. Sixty-eight genera containing 160 species of Chlorophyta, Euglenophyta, Chrysophyta, and Cyanophyta were col- lected and identified. The greatest number of species was obtained from a small pond in the arboretum, with progressively fewer species obtained in the irrigation canal partly surrounding the campus and in specialized hab- itats in the greenhouses. Taxonomic and ecological studies of algae Methods in the Intermountain West and Utah in par- Several collecting stations were estab- ticular have been rare. The earliest papers lished at selected sites on the Brigham on Utah algae concerned the flora of the Young University campus. Sites were estab- Great Salt Lake (Rothpletz 1892, Talmage lished in the arboretum pond, the irrigation 1900, Daines 1917). This unusual habitat has canal transversing the campus, and in the continued to be of interest to the present Department of Botany and Range Science time and is currently under study by several greenhouses. Phytoplankton, attached algae, biologists and water quality specialists. and algae in the sediments were all sam- early papers on Utah algae were Other pled. In addition several physical and chem- those of Norrington on the algae of (^1925) ical parameters were measured at the the lakes and streams of the Uinta and aquatic sites in order to provide an overall of Utah; Harrison Wasatch Mountains picture of the environment. on the algae of Washington County, (1926) Algae were returned to the laboratory, the algae of Utah; Tanner (1930, 1931) on subsampled, and examined immediately for the algae of Utah Lake; Snow (1932) on nondiatom algae. These were studied using Utah Lake; Kirkpatrick on the biolo- (1934) a Zeiss RA microscope with Nomarski inter- of the Salt Lake; and Patrick gy Great ference phase accessories. Algae were iden- on the diatoms in core samples from (1936) tified using standard reference texts. the of the Salt edge Great Lake. Following study of the nondiatoms, per- The algal flora found on the Brigham manent diatom slides were prepared by Young University campus has been under standard boiling nitric acid tenchiques. Dia- observation for several years, particularly toms were mounted in pleurax diatom for teaching purposes. However, nothing mountant. These slides are in the Brigham has been written concerning this flora until Young University diatom collection. Dia- recently. The most important contribution toms were examined with the same equip- to a knowledge of this flora was made by ment cited above and identified by us, using the senior author of the present paper in a standard reference texts. study during 1971-1972 for the research re- for degree quirement the Master of Science Results (Mou-Sheng 1973). The junior author has continued to collect algae from the campus Sixty-eight genera and 160 species of al- since that time. gae have been identified and described from Department of Botany and Range Sci Jrigham Young University 402 Sept. 1977 Mou-Sheng, Rushforth: Algal Flora 403 the campus. This flora consists of 27 genera strata (Berk.) CI., C. tumida (Breb.) v. containing 36 species of Chlorophyta, 2 Heur., C. twnidula Grim., C. turgida Greg., genera containing 2 species of Eu- Nitzschia hungarica Grun., N. sigma (Kutz.) glenophyta, 32 genera containing 106 spe- W. Sm., and N. tryblionella Hantz. Other cies of Bacillariophyceae, 1 genus contain- species restricted to this locality were Melo- ing 2 species of Chrysophyta excluding sira distans (Ehr.) Kutz., Fragilaria brevist- diatoms, and 6 genera containing 14 species riata var. inflata (Pant.) Hust., Synedra of Cyanophyta. capitata Ehr., Eunotia curvata (Kutz.) Tlie Brigham Young University arboretum Lagerst, Caloneis ventricosa (Ehr.) Meist., pond affords an excellent habitat for the Neidiuni iridis (Ehr.) CI., Goniphonema acu- growth of algae. This pond contains high minatum Ehr., Epithemia turgida (Ehr.) levels of dissolved silica (27-81 PPM), bi- Kutz., E. turgida var. granulata (Ehr.) carbonates, carbon dioxide (8-68 PPM) and Gnm., and Rhopalodia gibba (Ehr.) O. Mull. oxygen (5-12 PPM) which support a high The Brigham Young University botanical population of diatoms throughout the win- greenhouses represent rather specialized en- ter and spring and Chlorophyta (especially vironmental conditions. Thus, several pa- Spirogyra diibia Kutzing, S. jitgolis [Dan.] rameters such as light, water, and temper- Kutzing, S. neglecta [Hass.] Kutzing and S. ature are controlled and demonstrate little porticalis [Muell.] Cleve) through the late fluctuation. The algal flora of the green- spring and summer. houses is dominated by Protococcus viridis The diatom flora of the arboretum pond Agardh, Chlorococcum humicola (Naeg.) Ra- is dominated by Melosira varians Agardh, benhorst, Oscillatoria sancta (Kutz.) Go- Sijnedm parasitica var. subconstricta (Grun.) mont. Amphora normani Rabh., and Han- Hust., S. ulna (Nitz.) Ehr., S. ulna var. siib- tzschia amphioxys (Ehr.) Grun. aequalis (Grun.) v. Heur., Cocconeis pedi- Several species of algae have been co- cuhts Ehr., C. placentula var. lineata (Ehr.) lected on campus only from the green- V. Heur., Anomoeoneis spliaerophora (Kutz.) houses. These include Lyngbya aestuarii Pfitz., Cijmbelki cistula (Hemprich) Grun., (Mertens) Liebmann, L. martensiana Men- Nitzschia linearis W. Sm., N. sigmoidea eghini, Oscillatoria angustissima West and (Ehr.) W. Sm., and Cijmatopleura solea West, O. animalis Agardh, O. cruenta (Breb.) W. Sm. Grim., O. limosa (Roth) Agardh, O. sancta Several species of diatoms, especially of (Kutz.) Gomont, O. tenuis Agardli, Phormi- Navicula, CymbeUa, and Nitzschia have dium inundatum Kutzing, Anabaena varia- been found only in this pond on campus. bilis Kutzing, Tolypothrix penicillata (Ag.) These include Navicula cuspidata (Kutz.) Thur., Sticlwcoccus bacillaris Naegeli, S. Kutz., N. odiosa Wallace, N. placentula var. scopulinus Hazen, S. subtdis (Kutz.) Kler- rostrata Mayer, N. pupula Kutz., N. pyg- cker, and Chlorella vulgaris Beyerinck. maea Kutz., CymbeUa heteropleura (Ehr.) Sixteen genera containing 33 species of Kutz., C. mexicana (Ehr.) Schmidt., C. pro- diatoms have been collected from the soil in Table 1. Number of species of algae on the Brigham Young University campus by algal division and collection locality. Division Collection Locality Arboretum Pond Campus Stream Greenhouses Chlorophyta Euglenophyta Chrysophyta Cvanophyta TOTAL 404 Great Basin Naturalist Vol. 37, No. 3 the campus greenhouses. Hantzschia am- Chlorophyta phioxijs (Ehr.) Grun. and Amphora normani Chlorophyceae Chlorococcales Rabh. are the most common soil diatoms. Chlorococcaceae (Breb.) Grun., Achnanthes lanceolata Nav- Characitim ambiguum Hermann icula tripunctata (Mull.) Bory, Hantzschia Chlorococcum humicola (Naeg.) Rabenhorst amphioxys var. capitata Mull., and Nitzschia Palmellaceae palea (Kutz.) W. Sm. are also quite com- Palmella mucosa Kutzing Sphaerocystis schroeteri Chodat mon. Pinnularia gentilis (Donk.) CI. is the Oocystaceae only diatom restricted to the soil. Chlorella vulgaris Beyerinck The water in the irrigation canal that Scendesmaceae crosses the Brigham Young University cam- Scenedesmus denticulatus Lagerheim S. quadricauda var. quadrispina (Chod.) G. M. pus generally has higher levels of nitrates, Smith alkalinity, phosphates, dissolved oxygen, and Hydrodictyaceae carbon dioxide than the arboretum pond. It Pediastrutn boryanum (Turp.) Meneghini contains near the same number of species of P. tetras (Ehreb.) Ralfs algae but has a lower standing crop due to Ulotrichales Protococcaceae the paucity of filamentous Chlorophyta. Protococcus viridis C. A. Agardh The flora of this stream is dominated by Ulotrichaceae Stepluinodiscus niagare Ehr., Diatoma vul- Stichococciis bacillaris Naegeli gare Bory, D. tenue var. elongatum Lyngb., S. scopulinus Hazen S. subtilis (Kutz.) Klercker Cocconeis pedicuhis Ehr., C. placentula var. Ulothrix zonata (Weber & Mohr) Kutzing eughjpta (Ehr.) CI., Naviciiki tripunctata Chaetophorales (Mull.) Bory, Gornphonerna oHvaceiim (Lyn- Aphanochaetaceae bye) Kutz., and Nitzschia sigmoidea (Ehr.) Aphanochaete repens A. Braun W. Sm. Chaetophoraceae ChaeUyphora incrassata (Huds.) Hazen Species found only in this stream include Stigeoclonium lubricum (Dillw.) Kutzing Chaetophora incrassata (Huds.) Hazen, Dia- Oedogoniales tonia hiemale var. mesodon (Ehr.) Grun., Oedogoniaceae Gornphonerna acuminatum var. coronatum Oedogonium sp. Cladophorales (Ehr.)