Introduction and Rationale for Vol II

Abstract

Research on chrysophycean algae (classes Chrysophyceae and Synurophyceae; hereafter referred to as “chrysophytes”) has continued at a steady pace since the publication of the first Atlas of Chrysophycean Cysts (Duff et al. 1995). All chrysophytes produce an endogenously formed siliceous cyst (also known as a stomatocyst, or a statospore in some of the older literature). These microscopic resting stages may be highly ornamented and sculptured, and it is generally accepted that most cyst morphotypes are species specific. Because of their siliceous nature, stomatocysts are often very well preserved in sedimentary deposits, where they can be used by paleoecologists to reconstruct past environmental conditions. A major deterrent to the use of chrysophyte cysts was that many cyst morphotypes were undescribed. Duff et al. (1995) was the first attempt to synthesize the taxonomy of chrysophyte cysts, using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and standard taxonomic procedures. With the description of new cyst morphotypes over the last 6 years, the publication of this second volume of the Atlas was clearly desirable.