Gonatozygon aculeatum Hastings and Cosmarium quadratum Ralfs ex Ralfs were recorded for the first time in the freshwater algal flora of Turkey. | Turk J Bot 31 (2007) 153-156 © TÜB‹TAK Research Note Two New Records for the Freshwater Algae of Turkey Bülent fiAH‹N* Karadeniz Technical University, Fatih Faculty of Education, Department of Biology Education, 61335 Sö¤ütlü, Trabzon - TURKEY Received: Accepted: Abstract: Gonatozygon aculeatum Hastings and Cosmarium quadratum Ralfs ex Ralfs were recorded for the first time in the freshwater algal flora of Turkey. Key Words: Desmids, new record, Turkey Türkiye’nin Tatl›su Algleri ‹çin ‹ki Yeni Kay›t Özet: Gonatozygon aculeatum Hastings ve Cosmarium quadratum Ralfs ex Ralfs Türkiye’nin tatl›su alg floras› için ilk kez kaydedilmektedir. Anahtar Sözcükler: Desmid, yeni kay›t, Türkiye Introduction Among aquatic micro-organisms, desmids (a group of unicellular green algae) lend themselves particularly well to the assessment of water quality and nature conservation value, not only because of their specific ecological demands but also as their species-specific regional distribution patterns are well known compared to those of many other groups of micro-organisms (Coesel, 2003). Turkey is rather unique among the European countries in that it still contains rich freshwater areas. The country has 906,118 ha of lakes, 18,000 ha of dam lakes and a water network 145,000 km long (Ertan & Morkoyunlu, 1998). A number of lakes, pools and rivers are situated in high mountain areas, offering good conditions for the development of a rich desmid flora because they are largely ecologically intact and remote from the industrial and agricultural centres of Turkey. High mountain areas, with relatively high precipitation, potentially offer suitable desmid habitats. In particular, there are a number of high mountain lakes in the Eastern Black Sea region of Turkey. Among numerous floristic papers about desmids from European countries there is relatively little information about Turkey’s desmids. In Turkey, the first specialised taxonomic studies on desmids were .
