Ulva flexuosa subsp. pilifera (Chlorophyta, Ulvophyceae) from the Wielkopolska region (West Poland): a new observation of the ultrastructure of vegetative cells

Abstract

Ulva flexuosa subsp. pilifera previously known from northern Poland, from the channel near Szczecin and ponds near Łódź, has recently been found in the Malta Reservoir in the Wielkopolska (West Poland) region. Specimens collected in the Wielkopolska region were examined in detail, also under a transmission electron microscope (TEM). The morphometric analysis of Ulva thalli (both young and mature specimens) was performed in order to study the differences in the ultrastructure of vegetative cells. Rectangular cells in young thalli measured from 32.21 - 55.81 μm to 20.24 – 35.12 μm, and they formed clear longitudinal rows, while cells in the mature specimens ranged from 25.09 – 47.66 μm to 18.90 – 31.56 μm. This study indicates that vegetative cells of the mature thalli show tendency towards distortions of both the longitudinal and transverse cells arrangement. This distortion is determined by the development of possible carbonate calcium crystals on the thalli surface. The ultrastructural analysis (TEM) confirmed that the structure and placement of thylakoids is genus/species specific.