Debarya glyptosperma (De Bary) Wittrock 1872 (Zygnemataceae, Chlorophyta) as a possible airborne alga : a contribution to its palaeoeocological interpretation
This paper reports the fi nding of Debarya glyptosperma zygospores in xeric grasslands far from the natural habitat of algal species. This fact suggests that this species is an airborne alga and this has not been reported before. What is more the discoidal shape of the zygospores may dispose this taxon among the Zygnemataceae family towards air dispersion. This new information may assist in assessing it as an indicator of limnic conditions. However, the simple discovery of Debarya without any accompanying algal taxa and/or other water plants should not be conclusively interpreted as proof of the existence of water bodies because the zygospores might originate from distant transport
