Sphaerochara canadensis (Charophyceae): A circumpolar species with a high temperature optimum.

ABSTRACT: Sphaerochara canadensis, an aquatic macrophyte belonging to the Characeae, is described as a species with a circumpolar distribution and occurs in the polar (to boreal) zonobiomes, suggesting that it is cold-stenothermic. A recent report of an occurrence in Lake Wolfgangsee, Austria, contradicted this assumption, prompting this study to investigate the species' physiological adaptation capabilities and, consequently, ability to survive in non-polar environments. Field measurements at Lake Torneträsk, Sweden, indicated that S. canadensis is more adapted to low light compared to the co-occurring charophytes, with water temperatures in the lake ranging from 10 to 12°C during the experiment. Cultivation experiments also revealed clear temperature effects on growth, photosynthetic performance,

SUBMITTER: Bohm J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12718439 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature