Diatom assemblages from Sphagnum bogs of the World.

This book is the first in the series of volumes that will be devoted to the Eurasian Sphagnum bog diatoms. Sphagnum bogs are unique ecosystems. The main ecological drivers in these systems are Sphagnum mosses. They originate under organic, acidic conditions with low content of available electrolytes. Diatomological studies of the Sphagnum bogs of Russia and adjacent countries began in the 1950s. However, these papers include the floristic information on only a few dozen smaller bogs. Large-scale floristic, taxonomic and biogeographic investigations have not been conducted so far, although this gap has been reduced by a few recent studies. Diatom assemblages from Sphagnum bog Nur, situated in the northern mountainous region of Mongolia, are subject of the study. Nur is a unique ecosystem in Mongolia because it is the only known large Sphagnum bog throughout this region. There are no earlier studies on the algal flora of this ecosystem. A total of 242 diatom taxa, belonging to 48 genera have been identified from samples taken from different habitats of this bog. Light and scanning electron microscope analyses resulted in the description of one new genus, Boreozonacola, and 18 new species from the genera Pinnularia, Stauroneis, Naviculadicta, Fragilaria, Eunotia, Boreozonacola, Caloneis, Chamaepinnularia, and Neidium. Additionally, 11 new taxonomic combinations are suggested. Species treatments include descriptions, synonymies, size dimensions, and relevant literature. For some species historical information is also provided.