A preliminary survey of the diversity of soil algae and cyanoprokaryotes on mafic and ultramafic substrates in South Africa
Arthurita Venter A C , Anatoliy Levanets A , Stefan Siebert A and Nishanta Rajakaruna A B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom, 2520, South Africa.
B College of the Atlantic, 105 Eden Street, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, USA.
C Corresponding author. Email: 10066551@nwu.ac.za
Australian Journal of Botany 63(4) 341-352 https://doi.org/10.1071/BT14207
Submitted: 25 August 2014 Accepted: 2 February 2015 Published: 21 April 2015
Abstract
Despite a large body of work on the serpentine-substrate effect on vascular plants, little work has been undertaken to describe algal communities found on serpentine soils derived from peridotite and other ultramafic rocks. We report a preliminary study describing the occurrence of algae and cyanoprokaryotes on mafic and ultramafic substrates from South Africa. Results suggest that slope and aspect play a key role in species diversity and community composition and, although low pH, nutrients and metal content do not reduce species richness, these edaphic features also influence species composition. Further, typical soil genera such as Leptolyngbya, Microcoleus, Phormidium, Chlamydomonas, Chlorococcum and Hantzschia were found at most sites. Chroococcus sp., Scytonema ocellatum, Nostoc linckia, Chlorotetraedron sp., Hormotilopsis gelatinosa, Klebsormidium flaccidium, Pleurococcus sp. and Tetracystis elliptica were unique to one serpentine site. The preliminary survey provides directions for future research on the serpentine-substrate effect on algal and cyanoprokaryote diversity in South Africa.
Additional keywords: algae, cryptogamic ecology, serpentine geoecology, species diversity.
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