Snow algae blooms often form green or red coloured patches in melting alpine and polar snowfields worldwide, yet little is known about their biology, biogeography, and species diversity. We investigated eight isolates collected from red snow in northern Norway, using a combination of morphology, 18S rRNA gene and internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) genetic markers. Phylogenetic and ITS2 rRNA secondary structure analyses assigned six isolates to the species Raphidonema nivale, Deuterostichococcus epilithicus, Chloromonas reticulata, and Xanthonema bristolianum. Two novel isolates belonging to the family Stichococcaceae (ARK-S05-19) and the genus Chloromonas (ARK-S08-19) were identified as potentially new species. In laboratory cultivation, differences in the growth rate and fatty acid profiles were observed between the strains. Chlorophyta were characterized by abundant C18:3n-3 fatty-acids with increases in C18:1n-9 in the stationary phase, whilst Xanthonema (Ochrophyta) was characterized by a large proportion of C20:5n-3, with increases in C16:1n-7 in the stationary phase. In a further experiment, lipid droplet formation was studied in C. reticulata at the single-cell level using imaging flow cytometry. Our study establishes new cultures of snow algae, reveals novel data on their biodiversity and biogeography, and provides an initial characterization of physiological traits that shape natural communities and their ecophysiological properties.

• Klíčová slova
• 18S rRNA, ITS2 rRNA, fatty acids, imaging flow cytometry, microalgae, phylogeny,
• MeSH
• Chlorophyceae * MeSH
• Chlorophyta * genetika   MeSH
• fylogeneze MeSH
• lipidy MeSH
• mikrobiota * genetika   MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Norsko MeSH
• Názvy látek
• lipidy MeSH

Seasonally slowly melting mountain snowfields are populated by extremophilic microalgae. In alpine habitats, high-light sensitive, green phytoflagellates are usually observed in subsurface layers deeper in the snowpack under dim conditions, while robust orange to reddish cyst stages can be seen exposed on the surface. In this study, uncommon surface green snow was investigated in the High Tatra Mountains (Slovakia). The monospecific community found in the green surface bloom consisted of vegetative Chloromonas cells (Volvocales, Chlorophyta). Molecular data demonstrated that the field sample and the strain isolated and established from the bloom were conspecific, and they represent a new species, Chloromonas kaweckae sp. nov., which is described based on the morphology of the vegetative cells and asexual reproduction and on molecular analyses of the strain. Cells of C. kaweckae accumulated approximately 50% polyunsaturated fatty acids, which is advantageous at low temperatures. In addition, this new species performed active photosynthesis at temperatures close to the freezing point showed a light compensation point of 126 ± 22 μmol photons · m-2 · s-1 and some signs of photoinhibition at irradiances greater than 600 μmol photons · m-2 · s-1 . These data indicate that the photosynthetic apparatus of C. kaweckae could be regarded as adapted to relatively high light intensities, otherwise unusual for most flagellate stages of snow algae.

• Klíčová slova
• biodiversity, cryoflora, environmental sample, fatty acids, fluorometry, vegetative stages,
• MeSH
• Chlorophyceae * MeSH
• Chlorophyta * fyziologie   MeSH
• fotosyntéza fyziologie   MeSH
• nízká teplota MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Slovenská republika MeSH