The book represents the Desmidiales study from the Great Smoky Mountains
National Park (GSMNP), which is the largest contiguous preserved natural
area East of the Rocky Mountains. This place is notable especially diverse
flora caused by topographical and geological diversity. This variety is
charcteristic of a group of Chlorophyta, namely the order Desmidiales.
Therefore, the waters in GSMNP, with their generally low pH, as well as
oligotrophic conditions in freshwater habitats and most of the substrata,
represent a great potential with regard to desmid diversity. However, the
most characteristic desmid habitat (peat bogs) is not very well represented
in the park.
Many various habitats were studies by authors, aquatic and subaerial
habitats (rock surface, waterfalls, drip walls, soil, ponds) and several
sampling methods were used to collect these algae.
The treatise gives an overview about the taxa published from that area.
Total of 125 desmid taxa were found in the GSMNP, which are listed in Table 1.
The finder and the date of finding are presented in that table too, and the
taxa are showed as a new record, which is found in the present study for
the first time or found previously but not published so far. In addition
to new records for the area, one species (Mesotaenium testaceovaginatum) is
described as new one.
The study gives description about all the 125 taxa with the specification of
the habitats. The illustrations of the presented species are shown in
6 plates, and 3 photos are published about the new taxon.
I can recommend this book, which gives a comprehensive representation of the
Desmidiales flora found on the studies area. This useful book gives
description and illustration of the presented taxa, which has a great
importance at a hardly determinable group of algae.
G. Fehér
Acta Botanica Hungarica 51(1-2) (2009)