Chara zeylanica J.G.Klein ex Willd. (Charophyceae, Charales, Characeae): First European Record from the Island of Sardinia, Italy

Abstract

The first record of a species belonging to the genus Chara L. subgenus Chara R.D.Wood section Grovesia R.D.Wood subsect. Willdenowia R.D.Wood from Europe is presented here, thus challenging the interpretation of its distribution pattern as an intertropical group of charophytes. The morphological characters of the specimens, as well as the results of a phylogenetic analysis, clearly identified them as Chara zeylanica J.G.Klein ex Willd. Although the subsection Willdenowia has yet to receive a thorough taxonomic treatment, a discussion of its relationship to other taxa of this subsection is provided despite the lack of a commonly agreed upon taxonomic concept. The ecological conditions of the Sardinian site of C. zeylanica are presented. Moreover, the status of and threats to this taxon, and hypotheses regarding potential pathways through which it reached Europe, are discussed.

Macrophytes in Inland Waters: From Knowledge to Management

“…A different case is the report on Chara zeylanica in Sardinia by Becker et al [ 7 ]: the new population, in fact, is not only the first one in Europe, but—according to the scenario presented by the authors—also a possible case of “range-shifting”; in other words, the species could be shifting its distribution (in this case northwards), probably due to climate change [ 8 ].…”

Biodiversity, Ecology and Distribution of Mediterranean Charophytes in Southern Italy

“…Characeae (Charophyceae, Charales), hereafter referred to as charophytes, are a worldwide distributed group of macrophytes that comprise several species colonizing different Mediterranean aquatic habitats [1]. They derived their common name of "stoneworts" [2] from the stony external texture that several species acquire as a result of encrustation of their surface, mainly with calcium carbonate [3], and they are included in a number of red lists [4][5][6], since they represent the most endangered group of macrophytes [3,7,8] and one of the most threatened groups of organisms in Europe [1,9,10]. Many of the habitats dominated by charophytes are also of community interest [7] according to the Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC [11], and their conservation is thus considered under the Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC [12].…”