The distribution and ecological factors of aerial algae inhabiting stoneworks in Korea

Abstract

The physico-chemical and environmental factors of stoneworks were examined from March 2009 to October 2010, and aerial algae living on 24 stoneworks in Korea were identified. Fifty aerial algae were found in 24 stoneworks. Of the 50 taxa, 30 taxa were cyanophytes, 16 taxa were bacillariophytes, 3 taxa were chlorophytes, and 1 taxon was a xanthophyte. Nine species, including Aphanocapsa rivularis, which is known to only live in aquatic conditions, inhabited both aquatic and aerial environments. Synechococcus aeruginosus, Scytonema coactile var. thermalis, S. coactile var. minor, Stigonema ocellatum f. ocellatum, and Oscillatoria boryana were newly recorded in Korea. As a result of a correlation analysis between algae and the physico-chemical and ecological environmental factors, the taxa were divided into the bryophyte group, the humidity group, and the dry group. Although the bryophyte group was included within the humidity group, it was separated from the dry group. Taxa in the bryophyte group including Nostoc commune which was distributed in more humid areas than those in the humidity group. However, dry group taxa including Chroococcus pallidus were distributed in lower humidity than that of the two other groups. Correlations among other environmental factors were tested to identify other factors that could substitute for humidity and light intensity. As a result, tree distance, water distance, and plant coverage were replaceable environmental factors.

Unexpected High Diversity of Terrestrial Cyanobacteria from the Campus of the University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa, Japan

“…A total of 105 partial 16S rRNA gene sequences were obtained, and they were divided into 30 generic types of six main cyanobacterial order clades [ 40 ]. This means that the terrestrial cyanobacterial diversity at the University of the Ryukyus campus is more diverse than in locations from other surveys, including in India [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ], South Korea [ 21 , 22 ], the main Haiwaiian islands [ 14 ], Brazil, and Mexico [ 12 , 13 ].…”

“…The diversity distribution of particular cyanobacteria on monuments in urban regions are thought to be related mostly to environmental conditions of the climate, such as water availability and air circulation, and to the position and orientation of the hard surface [ 43 ]. Correlations among other environmental factors have been tested to identify other factors that could substitute for the effects of humidity and light intensity [ 22 ]. To examine such environmental factors, it is likely that selecting a few sampling points in the Nishihara campus of the University of the Ryukyus should be enough due to the very high diversity of terrestorial cyanobacteria at this location.…”

“…There has been much research on the effects of light and humidity on the growth of epilithic cyanobacteria [ 20 ]. From mat populations that form dominating crusts on the surfaces of buildings, roadside walls, rocks, stoneworks, and monuments in South Korea, it was shown that they contained a high diversity of terrestrial cyanobacteria [ 21 , 22 ]. In Japan, terrestrial cyanobacterial studies have been limited; while, globally, 102 species of cyanobacteria have been reported from surfaces of wet soil, rocks, or tree trunks, and 19 species from terrestrial or aerial habitats, in Japan, only Scytonema ocellatum has been reported from dry soil ([ 23 ], in Japanese).…”

A study of newly recorded genera and species of aerial algae in the order Chlorococcales (Chlorophyta) from the Hongcheon-river, Korea

“…Analyses of physico-chemical environmental factors, such as the surface temperature of the substrates, light intensity, and humidity, were conducted on all the sampling dates (Song et al 2012). The temperature was measured Guiry (2014), 6 species of the genus Spongiococcum were reported, but only S. tetrasporum has been accepted taxonomically in this genus.…”

The C20 highly branched isoprenoid biomarker – A new diatom-sourced proxy for summer trophic conditions?

“…Specifically, G. acuminatum is an opportunistic diatom taxon, which thrives in nutrient-poor lake ecosystems. The species is sometimes found in aerial habitats (Song et al, 2012) in dry evaporative lake conditions (Pinilla, 2010) and has been reported as abundant in shallow water and habitats with high light exposure (Bothwell et al, 1993;Michelutti et al, 2001). In particular, it is generally related to rich macrophyte growth and calm water (Michelutti et al, 2001).…”