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
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1864-1318/0074
$ 2.00
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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
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Chara contraria: A new record for Bangladesh
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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.
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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,
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Chara contraria: A new record for Bangladesh
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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
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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
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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.
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