Szekessy Vilmos (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 58. (Budapest 1966)
Kol, E.: Snow algae from the valley of the Morskie Oko Lake in the High Tatra
ANNALES HISTORICO-NATURALES MUSEI NATIONALES HUNGARICI Toraus 58. PARS BOTANICA 1966. Snow Algae from the Valley of the Morskie Oko Lake in the High Tatra By E. KOL, Budapest From a cryobiological point of view, the High Tatra is one of the most interesting areas of the Carpathians. Although we are far from having complete informations on the cryovegetation of the High Tatra, investigations up to now rendered results which show that the snow vegetation of this mountain chain is highly interesting and includes a number of rarities. According to literature, J. BÜCHHOLZ (1783) was the first to observe red snow in the High Tatra in 1751. A. J. CZLRBESZ (1772) mentioned red and green snows. However, the microorganisms causing theses coloured snows were at that time still unknown and it was only in the second half of the last century that the snow algae of the High Tatra were placed under the lenses of the microscope. In that period, papers discussing the coloured snow of the High Tatra were published one after the other: T. CHALTJBINSKI (1879) writes of a red snow; J. ROSTAFINSKI (1881) records red and yellowish green snow, describing also the microorganism of the latter; and I. GYŐRFFY (1927 a) mentions differently coloured snows from the Tatra. At the beginning of the present century, A. SCHERFFEL (1910, 1914) described a number of microorganisms, collected by I. GYŐBFFY, from the snow of the High Tatra. In 1926, I. GYŐBFFY (1927 a, b) found in the Kepy valley of the Béla Tatra, at 1340 m a.s.l., green snow, caused by immense masses of Koliella tatrae (KOL, in GyŐBFFY) HINDÁK. Subsequently, numerous papers, concerning the snow vegetation of the High Tatra,were published: KOL (1927, 1928, 1949a, b, 1965), W.H. PARYNSKY (1951), F. POSPISIL (1950), J. SIEMINSKA (1951 a, b, 1956) and K. STARMACH—B. KAWECKA (1965). The cryovegetation of a snow field above the Morskie Oko Lake The present paper discusses the cryo vege tational community found in the snow samples collected by the author in the valley of the Morskie Oko Lake of the High Tatra, on 13 September, 1965. At that time, there still lay a snow field of many square meter expanse and of several m depth at 1500 m a.s.l. below the Mieguszowiecki Peak, on the slope opposite to the tourist house, in the valley of the Morskie Oko Lake. On the surface of the snow and on its side adjacent to the cliff wall, there was black snow along the thawing edges. The surface of the snow was hard and icy, the cryovegetational crust could hardly be scraped off even by a spoon. The upper layer was full with various kinds of debris, rubble, and stones. The snow field lay in the direction of the avalanches and falling rocks originating from the adjacent cliff walls and snow patches above it, which explains the presence on the surface of the snow of numerous cryoxenous microorganisms inhabiting the rocky surroundings. The cryovegetation of the High Tatra belongs to the III, or upper cryovegetation-type, composed mainly of cryobiont species. In the cryovegetation of the snow 11 Természettudományi Múzeumi Évk. 196G.
