Article Algological Studies 141, p. 3–9 Published online October 2012 Chara contraria Braun ex Kütz. (Characeae): A new record for Bangladesh Nasrin Jahan Diba1, Sabrina Naz2* & Shah Md. Golam Gousul Azam3 1, 2 Department of Botany, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi-6205, Bangladesh Department of Soil, Plant, Environmental and Animal Production Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Faculty of Agriculture, Via Università, n°100, 80055, Portici (Naples), Italy; 3 With 2 figures and 1 table Abstract: Chara contraria is described and illustrated for the first time from Bangladesh. This charophyte was collected in a rice field with a soft mud substrate. Keywords: Chara, Characeae, New record, Taxonomy, Habitat, Bangladesh Introduction The charophyte, Chara contraria grows in freshwater all over the world but occasionally has been found in other habitats (saline or lime rich lakes, etc.) (Olsen 1944). Dekere (2003) designated this species as cosmopolitan in the northern hemisphere (Europe and North Africa), being particularly prevalent in all countries around the Baltic Sea. Chara contraria was reported by Pal et al. (1962) from Burma, India and West Pakistan (currently Pakistan). This communication provides a comparative account of various features of Chara contraria, including those of the gametangia, from different the various habitats. This represents the first report of this taxon from a fresh water habitat (a rice field) in Bangladesh. *Corresponding author: drsabrina_naz@yahoo.com © E. Schweizerbart’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, Stuttgart, Germany DOI: 10.1127/1864-1318/2012/0074 eschweizerbart_xxx www.schweizerbart.de 1864-1318/0074 $ 2.00 4 Nasrin J. Diba, Sabrina Naz & Shah Md. G. G. Azam Materials and methods Specimens were collected from Fotepur beel Charghat, Rajshahi, near Sardah Railway Station (24° 20ʹ 13ʹ N, 88°45ʹ 09ʹ E). Plants were collected by hand, agitated underwater to remove the bulk of loose detritus and stored for transportation in a plastic vial containing paddy field water. The value of the pH of the paddy field water was determined by using a digital pH meter (Model-HANNA instruments, Hi 98107). In the laboratory, specimens were washed with distilled water, preserved in Transeau’s solution (Transeau 1916) and also preserved as dry herbarium specimens. The herbarium sheets have been lodged in the Department of Aquatic Ecology at the University of Rostock in Germany. Fresh specimens were carefully teased out and arranged in distilled water in a white tray. Photomicrographs were made at 10x and 25x magnifications under a Reichert (Nr.309209) microscope with the help of Vivitar V3200 camera. Chara contraria Braun ex Kütz. 1845 (Fig. 1. A–L; Fig. 2. A–D) Synonyms: Chara vulgaris var. vulgaris f. contraria (Braun ex Kütz.) Wood; Chara vulgaris var. contraria (Braun ex Kütz.) Moore. Common name: Opposite stonewort. (Groves & Webster 1924, 36, Pl. 33, Figs. 1–9; Wood & Imahori 1964,1965, 92, Icon 7; Pal et al. 1962, 103, Fig. 243; Mann 1994, 413, Fig. 2; Krause 1997, 83, Fig. 26; Langangen & Leghari, 2001, 63; Dekere 2003, 89, Figs.4.7.1:A–F) Plant monoecious, small, height 3–10 cm, slightly incrusted, grass green; stem diameter up to 600 μm; branchlet and internodes height 2–4 cm; internodes as long as branchlet; very long, whip-like, ecorticate branchlet ends; cortex diplostichous, tylacanthous; spine cells single, globose, variable in length; anterior bract cells well developed, unequal, as long as oogonium, sometimes curved; posterior bract cells papillous; bracteoles as long as oogonium; stipulodes two tiered, short in both rows, blunt, 243–301 μm long and 100–129 μm wide; branchlets number 8 with 4–7 segments, upper 2–3 segments ecorticate, the length of ecorticate segments as long or longer than the corticate segments; plants richly fertile, gametangia conjoined, present on the lowest (1–2) branchlet nodes; unripe oogonium, oogonium 215–501 μm long (including corona), 93–257 μm wide, convolutions 10; corona 46–86 μm long, 96–143 μm wide; oospores ripe and dark brown with 8 low ridges, hard, enlarged (572 μm long, 486 μm wide), with granulate membrane; antheridium 265–458 μm in diameter. Material studied and locality: Collection Number C 1, January 9, 2004. Fotepur beel Charghat, Rajshahi. Rice field, attached to soft mud. Comment: Langangen (2002), using a specimen collected in Alaska, USA, designated the characteristics of Chara contraria as having a tylacanthous cortex, together with spine cells and small stipulodes, posterior papillous bract-cells and anterior bract-cells and bracteoles as long as the oogonium. The plant was richly fertile, but no eschweizerbart_xxx Chara contraria: A new record for Bangladesh 5 Fig. 1. Chara contraria Braun ex Kütz. A. Habit. B, E. Enlarged stem node with oospore. C. Upper portion of a plant. D. Transverse section of stem. F. Stem node with rhizoid. G. A fertile branchlet. H. Stipulodes with spine cells. I. Middle part of a branchlet with node. J, K. Gametangia with bract cells and bracteols. L. Root node. Scales = 0.2 mm. eschweizerbart_xxx 6 Nasrin J. Diba, Sabrina Naz & Shah Md. G. G. Azam Fig. 2. Chara contraria Braun ex Kütz. A. Habit. B. Mother oospore. C. A whorl with stipulodes. D. Gametangia (Unripe oogonium). Scales = 0.2 mm. ripe oospores were reported. Similar observations were made using the present material. It was richly fertile plant but in the whole population unripe oogonium was found and ripe oospores were present only on enlarged stem nodes (Fig. 1B, E & Fig. 2B). As noted by Langangen (2002), observations on the entire current collection did not allow for the distinction between oospores and mother oospores. General: Chara contraria has much in common with C. vulgaris, but C. contraria has a tylacanthous cortex. Normally both species are thickly incrusted. Monoecious (Langangen & Leghari 2001). Risk of confusion: Chara contraria can be difficult to distinguish from C. vulgaris, the latter of which has an aulacanthous cortex, is richly branched and has long bracteoles, giving it a “bushy” appearance. Transitional forms of C. contraria and C. vulgaris occur. Chara vulgaris is also a freshwater plant but is rarely encountered in Baltic States (Dekere 2003). Distribution: Chara contraria is cosmopolitan (Corillion 1957). It is ubiquitous in Europe (Austria, Belgium, the Balkan States, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greenland, Holland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland (Olsen 1944, Hollerbach & Krasavina 1983, Moore 1986, Dekere 2001, eschweizerbart_xxx Chara contraria: A new record for Bangladesh 7 Sinkevièienë & Jurgilaitë 2001, Zviedre 2008, Caisová & Gabka 2009). In the Americas, it has been reported from coastal regions and from one inland locality in the Arctic Circle of Alaska (Langangen 2002) and Canada (Mann 1994) and from Argentina (Cáceres 1975). In Asia it has been reported from Burma, China, India (Dixit 1935, Pal et al. 1962), Pakistan (near Campbellpur, Peshawar, Chakwal, Dhok, Subedar and Quetta) (Faridi 1955, Pal et al. 1962). South America: Argentina. It has been recorded from Oman (Hossain et al. 2003), North Africa and South Africa, and Australia (Groves & Webster 1924) Ecology: The natural habitats of the charophytes can be divided into two main types : brackish and fresh water, the latter of which includes lakes, smaller sheets of water and streams (Olsen 1944). Chara contraria occurs in lakes and in smaller bodies of water (Olsen 1944). Braun (1876) stated that this charophyte grows widely in swamps, clay pits, peat pits and ditches and old excavations rather than in large lakes. However, Sonder (1890) reported it as particularly occurring in the rather deep water of large lakes and Holtz (1903) commented that it may prefer growing in both large and small water bodies. During the present study, Chara contraria was found in a fresh water rice field attached to soft mud. Caisová & Gabka (2009) reported this alga in calcium-rich fresh reservoirs, with a sandy or muddy benthos, and fish keepers, and even occasionally in brackish ecosystems in the Czech Republic. Chara contraria appears to be restricted to alkaline water (Stroede 1931, Olsen 1944, Mann (1989), presumably a result of observed elevated Ca levels (e.g. Mann 1989). The pH of the rice field of the current investigation was neutral (between 7.2–7.3). Table 1. Gametangial and oospore features of Chara contraria from different habitats. This study 2004 Oogonium Dekere 2003 650–900 μm long Less than 600 μm in diam. – – 215–501 μm long 93−257 μm wide Convolutions Corona Oospore 10 46–86 μm long 96–143 μm wide 572 μm long – 486 μm wide Langangen & Leghari 2001 600–1000 μm long 400–550 μm wide – 150 μm long 250 μm wide 600 μm long 400 μm wide Oospore color Dark brown Black Black Antheridium 265–458 μm in diam. Fresh water 400 μm in diam. Brackish water 350 μm in diam. Fresh & Brackish water Habitat eschweizerbart_xxx Mann 1994 906 (845–1009) μm long 573 (525–628) μm wide 11–12 116 μm long 614 (587–649) μm long 423 (391–433) μm wide Dark Brown to black 385 (361–453) μm Slightly brackish 8 Nasrin J. Diba, Sabrina Naz & Shah Md. G. G. Azam This charophyte has also been reported from slightly brackish waters (Crooked lake, Saskatchewan, Canada; Mann 1994). It also grows in the Baltic Sea, experiencing a salinity range of 0–8 psu, restricted to shallow water (0 and 1 m) with a variable benthos (soft mud, silt, sand and gravel) (Dekere 2003). Chara contraria can flourish well in water ranging from fresh to brackish (Table 1). In addition, it has been found in water at various altitudes; up to a height of 2000 m (Olsen 1944, Migula 1900) or 3700 m (Braun & Nordstedt 1882). Acknowledgements We thank Anders Langangen for his valuable comments, cordial help and suggestions regarding the identification of this taxon. References Braun, A. (1876): Characeen (Armleuchter-Gewächse). – In: F. Cohn (ed.), Kryptogamen-Flora von Schlesien. Erster Band. Gefäss-Kryptogamen, pp. 353–411. Braun, A. & Nordstedt, C. F. O. (1882): Fragment einer Monographie der Characeen. Nach den hinterlassenen Manuskripten A. Brauns hrsg. von Dr. O. Nordstedt 1882: 1–221. Abh. Kgl. Akad. Wiss. Berlin. Cáceres, E. J. (1975): Novedades carologicas argentinas I. 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Manuscript received November 22, 2011, accepted August 31, 2012 eschweizerbart_xxx eschweizerbart_xxx