Algal Flora of Egyptian Soils 1. The occurrence of Cyanobacteria and Algae in some habitats

Abstract

The culturing of reclaimed soils (from Burg El-Arab and Modiriya El-Tahrir areas) and old soils of Nile Valley (from Dakahlia , Giza and Luxor areas) on Myre's, Chu's No 10 and Beijerinck's artifiial media contributed to the isolation and identification of 78 algal taxa related to 31 genera belonging to Cyanophycophyta (52.6 %), Chlorophycophyta (28.2%), Xanthophycophyta (8.9 %), Bacillariophycophyta (7.7 %) and Euglenophycophyta (2.6 %). No single region contains all taxa recorded in the investigated soils. Although, each soil had its own characteristic algal flora and edaphic factors , they participated mostly in the production of Chlamydomonas komma Skuja, followed by Amorphonostoc punctiforme (Kütz.) Elenk., Stratonostoc linckia f. spongiaeforme (Ag.) Kütz, Calothrix elenkinii Kossinsk., Hantzschia amphioxys f. capitata O. Mull., Chlorocloster raphidioides Patch., Chlorella vulgaris Beij. and Scenedesmus bijugatus (Turp.) Kütz. The edaphic properties showed that slightly alkaline to alkaline pH reaction favoured the prevailence of members of Cyanobacteria in the investigated soils. The representation of iron-tolerated taxon Chloridella ferruginea Pasch. between the yellow green algae recorded in Dakahlia emphasized the relativley high level of iron in this soil. The present work added 38 new taxa to Egyptian algal flora. However, full descriptions as well as expressive illustrations and / or photos of the new reccords will be the subject of a future publication.

Novel green algal isolates from the Egyptian hyper‐arid desert oases: a polyphasic approach with a description of Pharao desertorum gen. et sp. nov. (Chlorophyceae, Chlorophyta)

“…The few existing studies have mainly depended on morphological identification and life‐cycle data using taxonomic monographs of aquatic habitats for species identification (e.g., Salama and Kobbia , Kobbia and Shabana , El‐Otify and Mahalel , Shaaban et al. , Ibraheem , Mansour and Shaaban , Saber ). It is now accepted that light microscopy has limitations for accurate species recognition and delimitation, especially of morphologically simple coccoid algae, which are common in soils (Fučíková et al.…”

“…Documentation of the biodiversity of desert green algal communities in North Africa, and in particular the Egyptian hyper-arid desert habitats, is particularly poor. The few existing studies have mainly depended on morphological identification and lifecycle data using taxonomic monographs of aquatic habitats for species identification (e.g., Salama and Kobbia 1982, Kobbia and Shabana 1988, El-Otify and Mahalel 2000, Shaaban et al 2000, Ibraheem 2003, Mansour and Shaaban 2010, Saber 2016. It is now accepted that light microscopy has limitations for accurate species recognition and delimitation, especially of morphologically simple coccoid algae, which are common in soils (Fu c ıkov a et al , Leliaert et al 2014, Leliaert and De Clerck 2017.…”