G. Fekete szerk.: Studia Botanica Hungarica 9. 1974 (Budapest, 1974)

Vida, László: Diatoms from a brooklet affluent to Arax river (Armenian Republic, USSR)

Studia Bot. Hung. IX. 1974. Diatoms from a brooklet affluent to Arax river (Armenian Republic, USSR) László VIDA ABSTRACT: (Diatoms from a brooklet affluent to Arax river (Armenian Republic, USSR) - The paper describes a sample taken from a saline mountain brooklet affluent to Arax river (Armenian Republic, USSR). The material was sampled from floating over the water surface cca 500 metres from the source, and due to its secondary origin gives an aspect of the interesting diatom vegetation of the uppermost section of the brooklet. Enumeration of the 70 taxa found in the sample is given with remarks on some of the more interesting forms. Author reports a short, estimating method that might substitute for quantitative analysis when searching for patterns of distribution. In September, 1971, the author of the present paper received a water sample of about 0, 5 cubic centimetres by the courtesy of the Botanical Department of the Hungarian Natural History Museum. The material was coUected by I. MILKOVTTS, in the same month, from a mountainous district named Nor sky Massiv, 8. kilometres to the east of Yerevan, at an altitude of 2000 metres above sea level. The sample had been examined originaUy from the point of algal fungi by H. GÖNCZÖL, it was found to be entirely uninteresting in that respect but proved of conspicous richness and variety concerning its diatom material; it was subsequently placed at the author' s disposal who therefore is greatly indebted to both of the above researcher workers

. The peculiar environment of origin of these few drops of water, the unusually rich and diversified material justify the publication of the examination of the sample, the reporting of data from a botanically and mainly algologically imperfectly known territory motivates that purpose even more. LOCALITY OF SAMPLING The material in question was sampled from a brooklet-like small watercourse with its source about 5 kilometres from the river Arax. The river here is surrounded - according to MILKOVTTS'

s report - with azonal, climate-born semideserts. The soil is highly basic and the macrophytous vegetation, represented by a single plant or two per square metre, is definitely of halophylous character. The fundamental rock is of volcanic origin and from its depths juvenile waters well up very densely, at every one or