FRUSTULAR MORPHOLOGY AND TAXONOMIC AFFINITIES OF NAVICULA COMPLANATOIDES (BACILLARIOPHYCEAE)1

Live and prepared cells of the marine pennate diatom Navicula complanatoides Hust. were examined with light and electron microscopy. It has narrowly lanceolate valves (26–55 μm long, 4–5 μm wide) and girdles 10–24 μm in depth. Striae are parallel at the center of the valve (24–28 in 10 μm), becoming slightly convergent toward the apices. Electron microscopy revealed that the external valve surface presents a longitudinally ribbed appearance (20–28 parallel ribs at its maximum width), whereas internally, rectangular areolae are occluded by ricae. The raphe slit lies in a narrow axial area, and one side of the raphe sternum is deeper and folds over the other, obscuring the internal opening. Internally, the central virga on one side of the raphe and two virgae on the other are somewhat broader. A conspicuous pore (stigma) is present between the two broadened virgae. The girdle consists of valvocopulae, copulae, and pleurae. There are 16–20 bands per cingulum. The valvocopulae and copulae are hollow tube-like structures, with inner and outer portions contrsting in morphology. They decrease in diameter in an abvalvar direction. There are four pleurae. These are flat bands which facilitate overlap of the epicingulum and hypocingulum. Fundamental features of the valve and girdle reveal the distinctness of this species within Navicula. The areolae, external longitudinal ribs, and raphe structure suggest affinities with Pleurosigma, Gyrosigma, and Haslea. It is hypothesized that they share a derived state which indicates a recent common ancestor for these taxa. N. complanatoides and related species of the Naviculae microstigmatacae are distinctive enough to merit their own genus within the Naviculaceae.     

OBSERVATIONS ON NAVICULA ULVACEA,A RARE FOLIOSE MARINE DIATOM1

Navicula ulvacea (Berkeley ex Kütz.) P. T. Cleve, a marine colonial blade-forming diatom originally discovered in Scotland was collected at North Rustico, Prince Edward Island, during winter 1971. It formed dense stands of Porphyra-like fronds, ranging up to 60 mm long × 20 mm wide. These occurred under ice-covered water on rocks 1–2 m below zero tide. Comparisons made at the light and scanning electron microscope level compared favorably with original Aberdeen material. Clonal cultures established from single cells at first also formed blades, but rarely more than 10 mm long. In numerous serial subcultures made since 1971 no further blades have been formed. Instead, growth consisted of well-separated cells or short filaments scattered over the bottom and sides of the vessels. Older cultures developed prostrate sheets of filaments, embedded in a mucilagenous matrix and occasional bubble-like eruptions. Results of the cultures suggest that N. ulvacea probably occurs in a prostrate form in nature, perhaps more commonly than in the blade form. Literature records since the original collection in 1844 are brought together but are considered doubtful. A discussion on nomenclature is included.     

Observations on the valve structures of diatoms of the genus Plagiodiscus and on some associated species of Surirella

The validity of the separation of the diatom genus Plagiodiscus from Surirella has been investigated by light and scanning electron microscopy of the two original constituent species of Plagiodiscus, P. martensianus and P. nervatus, and of S. gemma, the species of Surirella which has been generally thought to have most in common with Plagiodiscus. On the basis both of the general valve structure and of some rather unusual features which are described here for the first time, Plagiodiscus is confirmed as a genus separate from Surirella.
Other species of Surirella which have features in common with Plagiodiscus and Surirella gemma, namely Surirella neumeyeri, S. baldjickii, S. bertillonii, S. foliata, S. contigua and S. gemmoides have been examined in greater or lesser detail as material has permitted; the systematic position of these organisms is briefly discussed.     

VALVE AND BAND MORPHOLOGY OF SOME FRESHWATER DIATOMS. IV. OUTER SURFACE MUCILAGE OF NAVICULA CONFERVACEA VAR. CONFERVACEA1

The development of the mucilage on the outer surface of Navicula confervacea (Kütz.) Grun., a raphed, filamentous diatom, was studied with scanning electron microscopy. This nonstructural cell wall material, present on the surface after critical-point drying and absent after acid cleaning, was of two types: strands and papillae. Strands were associated with the raphe system, areolae, elongated pores of the mantle, and all girdle sutures. Organic papillae were a common feature of valves, valvo-copulae and pleurae, but their origin and distribution could not be explained since they often occurred between the obvious openings in the frustule. Strands from the raphe and areolae may function in attaching terminal cells to a substrate and adjacent cells to each other. Other strands of the girdle arise from sutures during cell enlargement and continue to lengthen and intertwine until the individual frustules within a filament are obscured. Strands from sutures might originate from the advalvar row of pores of the girdle bands since these pores lie along the suture, but direct observation of this was not made. Secretion between, the bands also cannot be ruled out. Although mucilaginous papillae may sometimes occur at random on the entire surface of frustules, there is also a distinct, narrow multiseriate row of them around the edge of valves without marginal spines.     

FUNCTIONAL VALVE MORPHOLOGY IN SOME SURIRELLA SPECIES (BACILLARIOPHYCEAE) AND A COMPARISON WITH THE NAVICULACEAE1

On the basis of results of stratigraphic and comparative morphological studies on the diatom frustule, the Surirellaceae is generally assumed to be the endpoint of the evolution of the Pennales. The present study shows that a line of development, based on frustule construction and which parallels the search for optimum design of comparable elements in engineering, can be traced from the Naviculaceae to the Surirellaceae. In both cases lightweight construction is achieved through economy of material and energy expenditure. This leads to structural stability and in the case of the diatom valve, a larger area for metabolic exchange. From the functional-morphological point of view, three construction principles can be distinguished in the genus Surirella: 1. valves with pennate costal framework, raphe keels and fibulae (Surirella gemma group); 2. frustules where all supporting elements are in the form of corrugations, with raphe keel and fibulae (Pinnatae, Fastuosae, Surirella striatula group); and 3. as in 2, but with true alae with alar canals (Robustae) instead of keels with fibulae.     

WALL MORPHOGENESIS IN COSCINODISCUS WAILESII GRAN AND ANGST. I. VALVE MORPHOLOGY AND DEVELOPMENT OF ITS ARCHITECTURE1

The morphology of the valve of Coscinodiscus wailesii and the development of its siliceous architecture, studied in the SEM and TEM, is compared with valve formation in Thalassiosira eccentrica (Ehrenberg.) Cleve. Though the areolae-architecture of these two species differs in such that the cribrum is proximal and the foramen distal in T. eccentrica, and in C. wailesii the cribrum is distal and the foramen proximal, the formation of their complex loculate system is similar, displacing a centrifugal growth pattern with respect to the valve, and a proximal to distal, sequentially. During base layer formation a hitherto undescribed rib system outlines the prospective areolae. The vertical differentiation is in principle the same as in T. eccentrica and also the cribra are formed centripetally in relation to the areolae in both species. The location of the cribra at the proximal or distal side, therefore, seems to be of minor importance for the sequence of silica deposition. Variation in girdle bands is discussed with respect to cell division. The prophasic nuclear migration from the interphase position to the girdle bands, where mitosis is performed, seems to be necessary for triggering the formation of the unilateral cleavage furrow that later forms a cleavage ring with excentric position. The divided nuclei migrate with the ingrowing cleavage furrow to the center of the newly created protoplasmic surfaces to initiate valve formation.     

硅藻在河流健康评价中的应用研究进展

Diatom, as a kind of autotrophic photosynthetic eukaryotic algae, is an important primary producer in aquatic ecosystem, and can reflect the average status of water environment. As the bio-indicators of the environment, Nitzschia communis, Navicula minuscula, and Gomphonema parvulum can indicate the eutrophication of waters, whereas Gomphonema angustum, Epithemia adnata, and Diatoma moniliformis can indicate the oligotrophication of waters. Cyclotella bodanica, Neidium affine, and Eunotia exigua are all the eosinophilic species that can indicate waters acidity, Aminutissimum nodusa can indicate water’s Cu concentration, and Synedra ulna can indicate the Zn concentration in waters. Some other diatoms can also indicate water’s contamination. This paper reviewed the research progress on the applications of diatom and diatom indices in river health assessment, pointed out the related existing problems, and put forward some future research directions, e.g., further perfect the classification and identification of diatoms, broadly carry out the researches of diatom indices upon different areas and conditions, pay more attention to the screening of diatom bio integrality indices, and establish a benchmark which suits for the assessment of water quality.