Abstrakt
Galdieria sulphuraria (Cyanidiales) is a worldwide acclaimed thermoacidophilic red microalga with a limited distribution due to special conditions required for growth and metabolism. Until now, the alga was almost exclusively restricted to acid geothermal environments around the world.
However, we have found this species on the surface of a burning coal spoil heap in central Europe. It is the first record of G. sulphuraria in this type of habitat.
A rbcL phylogeny confirmed that the population of this extremophile belongs to the continental European lincage and we consider Italian geothermal sites as a potential source of Czech G. sulphuraria. The dispersal of unicellular red microalgae is far from fully understood and the discovery of Galdieria in another region of Europe on a relatively newly established anthropogenic site allows us to understand better the distribution patterns and dispersal abilities of this ecologically important algal group.
In addition, we have also analyzed the phylogenetic position of Galdieria strain CCALA 965 isolated from a highly acidic site without geothermal activity in the Czech Republic and confirmed it to belong to the species G. phlegrea, until now known only from Italy.