The Charophytes (Characeae, Charophyceae) of the Caucasus
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: This first inventory of the charophytes of the Caucasus region was compiled based on records from published references, online sources, a review of herbarium collections, and our own field collections. The documented Caucasian charophyte flora includes 27 species from six genera: 18 Chara species, 6 Nitella, 2 Tolypella, and 1 species each of Lamprothamnium, Nitellopsis, and Sphaerochara. Chara uzbekistanica, C. virgata, and C. contraria var. hispidula are newly recorded for the Caucasus. The high species richness of the genus Chara, the much less diverse genus Nitella, and a few species of Tolypella and Sphaerochara in the Caucasian charophyte flora are typical traits of Palearctic charophyte floras. In total, there are 10 species recorded in Armenia, 16 in Azerbaijan, 18 in Georgia, and 16 in the mountainous region of the North Caucasian Federal District of Russia. Most of the species have wide distributions; none are endemic to the Caucasus. One of the most commonly recorded species in the region, C. gymnophylla, is a usual feature of the Mediterranean and West Asia. The Caucasian charophyte flora can be described as unsurprising from a large-scale perspective, considering its species distribution ranges. However, the association of species makes the region specific at the scale of West Asia when comparing it to its large neighboring areas.
Source: Plants
Authors: Roman E. Romanov, Liubov V. Zhakova, Andrey N. Efremov, Galina Yu. Konechnaya, Olga N. Boldina, Dmitry F. Afanasyev, Tatiana V. Akatova, Denis G. Melnikov
Institutions: Russian Academy of Sciences, Zoological Institute, Komarov Botanical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Ulyanovsk State Pedagogical University, Ulyanovsk State Pedagogical University Named After I. Ulyanov, All-Russian Research Institute Fisheries and Oceanography, Don State Technical University, Caucasian State Natural Biosphere Reserve named after Kh.G. Shaposhnikov
Language: English
Subfield: Plant Science
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,258
OpenAlex ID: W4411211647