The elusive planktonic freshwater chrysophyte Bitrichia longispina: a first record for Scottish lochs and comparison with the commoner species, Bitrichia chodatii

摘要

Chrysophyte or golden algae are greatly under-recorded in the UK, despite their widespread dominance across nutrient-poor lakes in Northern Europe (Ptacnik et al., 2008). They are particularly good indicators of oligotrophic waters as, unusually for algae, chrysophytes can supplement their nutrient supply through consumption of bacteria. It is unclear whether the apparent scarcity of chrysophyte algae is due to limited taxonomic understanding of this group or because the UK lake environment is different (e.g. prevailing Atlantic climate or impacted waters) and consequently confines their distribution.