Vol. 76, No. 4: 313-320, 2007 ACTA SOCIETATIS BOTANICORUM POLONIAE 313 DISTRIBUTION OF CHARA BRAUNII GMELLIN 1826 (CHAROPHYTA) IN POLAND JACEK URBANIAK Department of Botany and Plant Ecology Wroc³aw University of Environmental and Life Sciences Pl. Grunwaldzki 24a, 50-363 Wroc³aw, Poland e-mail: [email protected] (Received: May 22, 2006. Accepted: May 15, 2007) ABSTRACT The distribution and ecology of Chara braunii Gmellin 1826 in Poland is described, based on herbaria collec- tions, literature data and own investigations. Maps showing the distribution of Ch. braunii are presented, as well as a list of localities with brief descriptions of the habitats. Additionally, some remarks on the distribution limit in the northern hemisphere are given. KEY WORDS: Chara braunii, charophyta, charceae, algae, distribution, fish ponds, ecology, Poland. INTRODUCTION MATERIAL AND METHODS Chara braunii (Chara coronata) is the only one of seve- The maps of the distribution of Chara braunii in Poland ral ecorticated species of the genus Chara occurring in Eu- and Europe were prepared on the basis field investigations rope (Krause 1997) and the only species without cortica- done in 2003-2005, literature data and herbarium collec- tion known from Poland. tions. I have examined the collections of charophytes from Fish ponds are in Poland the only known sites where the following herbaria (acronyms according to Holmgren Chara braunii can be found, and where Ch. braunii someti- and Holmgren 1998) and private collections: Izabela mes build a community: Charetum coronatae Corillion D¹mbska Collection placed in Department of Hydrobiolo- 1957 with Ch. braunii as a characteristic species. Almost gy, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznañ (I.D.); Museum all the presently known localities of Ch. braunii have been of Natural History, University of Wroc³aw, Wroc³aw found in southern Poland (southern Wielkopolska Low- (WRSL, BRSL); Staatlichen Museum für Naturkunde, land, Lower and Upper Silesia, Sandomierska Valley and Görlitz (GLM); authors own collection placed in Depart- Lublin Upland), where fish ponds are relatively common. ment of Botany and Plant Ecology, Wroc³aw (J.U.). Addi- According to D¹mbska (1964, 1966), Karczmarz (1966), tional material of European charophytes from Scandinavia Tomaszewicz (1979), Podbielkowski and Tomaszewicz based on own data and herbaria collections: Botanical Mu- (1996), Pukacz and Pe³echaty (2004), Ch. braunii has in sem, Lund University, Lund (L); Natural History Museum, Poland a northern distribution limit in Northern Hemisphe- Stockholm (S); Botanical Museum, Umeå (UM); Botanical re. However Corillion (1957), Wood and Imahori (1965) Museum, Uppsala (U), have been added by Irmgard Blin- show that Ch. braunii is a cosmopolitan species widely di- dow (Greifswald University, Germany). The determination stributed all over the World between 65° N, and 35° S. The of the specimens has been done by J. Urbaniak and I. Blin- main reason for these contradictory positions seems to be dow based on Krause (1997). a poor investigation status of the past and present occur- The 10×10 km ATPOL grid square system was used for rence of Ch. braunii in Poland. This was probably the rea- the preparation of the distribution map in Poland and for son for which Ch. braunii has been placed on a red list the arrangement of lists of localities. For every locality in of endangered algae in Poland in the category indetermi- the list, the following data are presented: name or locality nate (Siemiñska 1992). of the pond, the coordinates of the locality in the ATPOL So the main aim of this study was to present the details grid system (Zaj¹c 1978), the collectors name and literatu- of the distribution of Ch. braunii in Poland, and to compare re data. it with their distribution limit in Europe, especially in the The geographical distribution in Europe is based on mate- northern hemisphere. Additional some ecological aspects rial found in herbaria (listed above) and literature (Migula of their occurrence in Poland are presented. 1897; Corillion 1957; Langangen 1974; Hollerbach and Pala- 314 CHARA BRAUNII IN POLAND Urbaniak J. mar-Mordvinceva 1991; Palamar-Mordvinceva and Tsarenko rillion 1957; Wood and Imahori 1965), Africa (Corillion 2004; Compére 1992; Bruinsma et al. 1998; Cambra et al. 1957) and Saudii Arabia (Hussain and Khoja 1999). 1998; Langangen et al. 2002; Zhakova 2003; Borisova 2005). The distribution in Poland The distribution of Chara braunii in Poland is presented RESULTS on Figure 5. Description of the species The plant is small to medium size, robust, fresh green to LIST OF LOCALITIES brownish green when found in the muddy bottom; transpa- rent and richly branched. Plants are entirely ecorticate (Fig. AD grid square: Prov. Lubuskie. 74 Tuplice, fish pond 1). The main axis slender up to 1200 µm in diameter. The (Pukacz and Pe³echaty 2004). stipulodes occur in a single whorl and are well developed. AE grid square: Prov. Dolnol¹skie. 79 Podgórzyn near Branchlets 6-10 in a whorl, straight and occasionally incu- Jelenia Góra, fish pond (Schröder 1928). rved; segments 4-6, the last one often reduced with 1 or BD grid square: Prov. Dolnol¹skie. 98 Radzi¹dz, fish more small end cells forming tiny terminal corona (Fig. 2). pond Jeleni (Schröder 1928). Bracteoles slightly longer as the oospore. The species is BE grid square: Prov. Dolnol¹skie. 08 ¯migród, fish monoecious and richly fertile; oogonia are situated above pond Kogut (D¹mbska 1963). 21 Goliszów, pond near the antheridia. The oospore is dark brown or black; mem- the village (D¹mbska 1966). 22 Niedwiedzice, fish pond brane smooth to slightly granular (Figs 3 and 4). nr. 17, leg. I. D¹mbska, 1963 (I.D.); Niedwiedzice, fish pond nr. 6, leg. I. D¹mbska, 1963 (I.D.). 23 Ma³a Raszo- General distribution wa pond nr. 7, leg. I. D¹mbska, 1963 (I.D.). 29 Trzebni- As may be seen in the Table 1, Chara braunii is one of ca, pond leg. B. Schröder, 1896 (GLM). the 33 different species of the genus Chara that can be fo- CD grid square: Prov. Dolnol¹skie. 91 Stawno, fish und in Poland. According to Corillion (1957) and Wood, pond S³oneczny, leg. I. D¹mbska, 1961 (I.D.); Stawno, Imahori (1965) who summarized the world and European fish pond Jezuicki, leg. I. D¹mbska, 1961 (I.D.); Ruda distribution of charophytes, Ch. braunii belongs to cosmo- Milicka, fish pond S³upicki, leg. I. Dambska, 1961 politan species. In the southern part of Europe, the species (I.D.); Ruda Milicka, fish pond Jaskó³czy (D¹mbska can bee found in Greece, Albania and the Iberian Peninsu- 1963); Ruda Milicka, fish pond Jaskó³czy, leg. J. Urba- la. The species is known from Asia: (Siberia, Kazakhstan, niak, 2003 (J.U.); Ruda Milicka, fish pond Jaskó³czy, India, Pakistan, Japan, China, Philipines and Indonesia leg. J. Urbaniak and K. Kuriata, 2005 (J.U.). 92 G¹dko- (Isle Lombock maximal altitude 2400 m a. s. l.) (Braun wice, fish pond Sza³wia, leg. K. Kuriata, 2005 (J.U.); and Nordstedt 1882; Corillion 1957; Pal et al. 1962; Wood G¹dkowice, fish pond Jasny Dolny, leg. K. Kuriata, 2005 and Imahori 1965; Imahori 1954; Fushan and Yaoying (J.U.). 94 Dêbnica, fish pond Dêbnicki Du¿y, leg. I. 1994; Sviridenko 2000); Australia and New Zeland (Zane- D¹mbska, 1964 (I.D.); Dêbnica, fish pond zimochów, veld 1940; Corillion 1957), North and South America (Co- leg. I. D¹mbska, 1964 (I.D.). Fig. 1. Ecorticated branchlet with oogonia and antheridia of Chara braunii. Vol. 76, No. 4: 313-320, 2007 ACTA SOCIETATIS BOTANICORUM POLONIAE 315 Fig. 2. The last reduced segment of branchlet forming tiny terminal corona. DF grid square: Prov. l¹skie. 72 Pszczyna (Schröder 1926). 76 Zator, fish pond south of the fish farm Przy- rêb near Zator, leg. I. D¹mbska, 1963 (I.D.); Zator, fish pond in the fish farm Bugaj, leg. I. D¹mbska, 1963 (I.D.). 81 Go³ysz, fish pond Wyszni VIII, leg. I. D¹mb- ska, 1960 (I.D.); Go³ysz, fish pond Byczek Wielki, leg. I. D¹mbska, 1960 (I.D.); Go³ysz, fish pond Wyszni VI, leg. I. D¹mbska, 1960 (I.D.); Go³ysz, fish pond M³yñski, leg. I. D¹mbska, 1960 (I.D.); Go³ysz fish pond Okr¹g³y Dol- ny, leg. I. D¹mbska, 1960 (I. D); Go³ysz, fish pond Ba- ¿yniec Dolny, leg. I. D¹mbska, 1960 (I.D.); Ochaby, fish pond Spo³eczny, leg. I. D¹mbska, 1960 (I.D.); Ochaby, fish pond Odyniec, Rakowski? leg. I. D¹mbska, 1960 (I.D.); Ochaby, fish pond Rakowski, leg. I. D¹mbska, 1960 (I.D.); Ochaby, fish pond Olszyniak, leg. I. D¹mb- ska, 1960 (I.D.); Ochaby, fish pond Szyszkowski, leg. I. D¹mbska, 1960 (I.D.); Ochaby, fish pond Kara, leg. I. D¹mbska, 1960 (I.D.). 82 Landek, fish pond Staw Ksiê- ¿ok Ma³y I, leg. I. D¹mbska, 1960 (I.D.); Landek, fish po- nd Feruga, leg. I. D¹mbska, 1960 (I.D.); Landek, fish po- nd Zabrzeski, leg. I. D¹mbska, 1960 (I.D.). DF grid square: Prov. Ma³opolskie. 69 Podgórze near Kraków leg. (?) 18. (WRSL). Fig. 3. Oospore of Chara braunii. FF grid square: Prov. Podkarpackie. 02 Stale, fish pond in forestry Stale. (Karczmarz et al. 1974). 03 Grêbów, CE grid square: Prov. Dolnol¹skie. 21 Kronice, fish pond, leg. I. D¹mbska, 1964 (I.D.). 60 Pustynia, pond pond Wrzosowy (Schröder 1928); Kronice, fish pond (D¹mbska 1966). Wrzosowy, leg. I. D¹mbska, 1961 (I.D.); pond near Kro- GE grid square: Prov. Lubelskie. 70 Drozdówka, pond nice, (Schröder 1926; Schröder 1928). Prov. Opolskie. 86 (Karczmarz 1966). Marsza³ki, pond Marsza³ek, leg. I. D¹mbska, 1963 (I.D.).