The twenty-nine peer-reviewed contributions to this impressive volume sweep the entire range of current research on diatoms - from the taxonomy of freshwater and marine diatoms, the fossil record of both terrestrial and marine habitats, planktonic diatoms, potential of diatoms and ostracods as bioindicators, application of diatom assemblages to climatic reconstructions, the use of molecular tools in phylogeny, tracing the threat of invasive and potentially toxic diatoms to the highlights of the diatom collection of Józef Pantocsek.

The wide range of topics covered herein delineates the equally wide range of research interests of Prof. Horst Lange-Bertalot. The papers were contributed by friends and colleagues on the occasion of his 75th birthday which was celebrated during the 5th Central European Diatomologists Meeting (=25th German-speaking Diatomologists Meeting) in Szczecin, Poland, in February 2011.

Many of the authors have benefited from Prof. Lange-Bertalot´s profound knowledge of diatoms in general, and his floristic skills in particular. The impact of his work on diatom research has been extraordinary, with important implications for ecology (from water pollution to climate change), biodiversity and conservation sciences. This has been due in large part to the breadth and depth of Prof. Lange-Bertalot’s research record in four areas: evaluation of water quality using diatoms, floristics with a focus on Europe, floristics with a worldwide perspective, and synthetic work to organize and integrate these other studies. This tremendous volume honors Professor Horst Lange-Bertalot, one of the pre-eminent diatom taxonomists.

This volume is of great interest for all researchers working on diatoms and their impact on biodiversity, conservation sciences and ecology in general.

Prof. Horst Lange-Bertalot is a worldwide renowned diatom taxonomist, though his scientific activity began with “plant physiology stage”. During his “diatom period” he has been dealing with various issues associated with these algae. At the beginning studying the heavily polluted rivers, Main and Rhein, he raised the question how changes in diatom assemblage composition could be applied to riverine water quality assessment, and developed a system that is still used for this issue. He realised the importance of correct identification of diatom species for habitat quality assessment therefore he began to study the taxonomy of diatom taxa that are important in water quality evaluation. He set standards for diatom iconography involving high quality light and scanning electron microscopic microphotographs.

This volume has been made as a spontaneous response to Prof. Horst Lange-Bertalot’s 75th birthday on the part of his friends and colleagues. Prof. Lange-Bertalot’s wide range of interests is mirrored in the wide range of topics delineated in 29 peer-reviewed papers of this volume. In the preface Prof. Lange-Bertalot’s life is presented along with his curriculum vitae and list of publications.

The first 19 papers are about the taxonomy of new and reinvestigated species described from various freshwater and marine habitats. We can get to know new species belonging to genera Navicula sensu stricto, Hippodontia, Eunotia, Naviculadicta, Pleurosigma, Adlafia, Fragilariforma, Caloneis, Fragilaria, Geissleria, Toxonidea, Pinnularia from various parts of the world spanning from Amazonia and northern part of USA through Galicia and South Shetland Islands to Borneo and India. Taxonomy (holotype, isotype, type locality, etymology), descriptions with light microscopic and in most cases SEM micrographs, comparisons with related species distribution and ecology are provided for the species. Reinvestigations of Gomphonema occultum, Pliocaenicus costatus, Nitzschia abbreviata, Diatoma moniliforme and several Surirella species have had interesting results. For Cyclotella atomus var. marina a new combination has been proposed based on morphological observations on populations found in Mexican waters. Licmophora species from a Mediterranean hypersaline coastal lagoon and Planothidium species from coral sands off Réunion and Rodrigues Islands are also described in this part of the book.

This volume contains not only studies on recent species, but papers on taxonomy and distribution of fossil diatoms. New species are described from Pleistocene deposits of Lake Baikal, as well as Eurasian and North American Late Cretaceous sediments. Khursevich and Kociolek have developed a preliminary list of fossil diatoms mainly from freshwater habitats including 328 taxa of Thalassiosirales, Stephanodiscales, Paraliales, Aulacoseirales, Melosirales, Coscinodiscales and Biddulphiales. According to distribution data authors could suggest when invasion, regional differentiation and extinction events had happened.

Changes in diatom assemblages can mirror environmental changes. Moreover, Bak and Szlauer-Łukaszevska found the taxonomic composition and structure of diatom and ostracod assemblages to be useful and complementary indicators of ecological conditions in Odra river mouth. These waters were shown to be strongly eutrophic with temporal and spatial variations in salinity and with a slightly alkaline pH due to the mixture of Odra river and Baltic Sea causing high biodiversity of diatoms and ostracods. Jasprica et al. investigated the environmental parameters influencing planktonic diatom community structure in the lower Neretva River estuary (Adriatic Sea).

Solak et al. review data published on diatoms in aquatic systems of Turkey including identification of neglected geographical and research areas. They provide the list of diatoms most commonly reported from Turkish rivers, lakes and reservoirs.

Diatom record could be applied for palaeolimnological studies. Diatom assemblage of a sediment core spanning the past 11,400 years from Northern Californian Medicine Lake was appropriate for building the history of the lake including variations of water level in associated with climate changes.

Molecular methods are useful in investigating diatoms. Using photosynthetic and ribosomal genes Medlin et al. could show the phylogenetic position of genera Fragilaria and Synedra sensu stricto and new genera separated from them. Lang and Kaczmarska studied diatoms from trans-Pacific crossing ship ballast water tanks and from associated ports applying genetic method besides SEM characterisation. In this way they could illustrate the limitations of benefits of using mid-ocean exchange as a sole means of ballast water management.

The last paper presents the work and collection of a diatomist prominent similarly to Prof. Lange-Bertalot. József Pantocsek used photomicrographs and accurate drawings to document diatoms. All his publications have been made available on the web. This book has the benefit that it demonstrates diatoms in various points of view. It is illustrated by a number of figures and good qualityLMand SEM photographs. It can be recommended to everyone interested in wide range of topics associated with diatoms. The real value of the book is that we can get to know two great diatomists.

M. DULEBA

Acta Botanica Hungarica 54 (3-4), 2012