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Molecular, morphological and ultrastructural characteristics of Prasiola crispa (Lightfoot) Kützing (Chlorophyta) from Spitsbergen (Arctic)

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Abstract

It is commonly known that seabirds, along with cyanobacteria, play a key role in the enrichment of nutrient-poor polar terrestrial ecosystems. In habitats particularly enriched with nitrogen and phosphate ions, ornithogenic vegetation with Prasiola crispa and unique species composition develops. However, no studies have examined the potentially different impacts associated with seabirds on the morphological, ultrastructural and molecular diversity of P. crispa. For that purpose, the present study analyzed four populations from the Hornsund Fjord area (West Spitsbergen) collected in the vicinity of planktivorous or piscivorous colonies and individual nests of seabirds. The morphological variability of P. crispa was studied using fresh samples, and it was documented with light microscopy as well as transmission and scanning electron microscopy. Populations were investigated by molecular analyses based on rbcL and 18S rRNA sequences. The differences in features measured were subjected to statistical analysis. This study provides new data concerning the macro- and submicroscopic structure and molecular diversity of P. crispa with regard to differences in humidity and the quantity of biogenic nutrients deposited by seabirds. Molecular research provided the first data about P. crispa from Spitsbergen. Birds’ diet is relevant for the quantity and quality of the provided nutrients, especially nitrogen compounds (planktivorous species) and phosphorus (piscivorous birds). Climate changes influence the quantitative structure of the colony, clearly favoring piscivorous birds. This, in turn, causes changes in the environment and vegetation. The obtained data on the P. crispa population may be compared with potential changes in the future.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Richard Ashcroft for language revision. The authors thank the Chief Editor and the anonymous reviewers for valuable remarks on the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany and Plant Ecology, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, pl. Grunwaldzki 24a, 50-363, Wrocław, Poland

    Dorota Richter & Jacek Urbaniak

  2. Institute of Biology, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Kożuchowska 5b, 51-631, Wrocław, Poland

    Jan Matuła

  3. Department of Biotechnology, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, ul. Kładki 24, 80-822, Gdańsk, Poland

    Małgorzata Waleron

  4. Institute of Biology, University of Jan Kochanowski, Świętokrzyska 15, 25-420, Kielce, Poland

    Joanna Czerwik-Marcinkowska

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  1. Dorota Richter
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Correspondence to Dorota Richter.

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Richter, D., Matuła, J., Urbaniak, J. et al. Molecular, morphological and ultrastructural characteristics of Prasiola crispa (Lightfoot) Kützing (Chlorophyta) from Spitsbergen (Arctic). Polar Biol 40, 379–397 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-016-1966-2

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