Freshwater Algae from Loch Skeen, 26th May 2002

Loch Skeen lies in a glacial hanging valley in the Scottish Borders area: the Tail Burn which drains it cascades into the Moffat Water, forming a waterfall called the Grey Mare's Tail. The area is popular with tourists, and a steep but well-constructed path leads up the side of the waterfall to the loch.

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(many algae are illustrated elsewhere in the pages, and are not reproduced here)


Loch Skeen Plankton

Chrysophyta

 Dinobryon

Diatoms:

Asterionella  

Gyrosigma  

Aulacoseira (Melosira) ambigua  

Nitzschia sigmoidea  

Tabellaria fenestrata  

Tabellaria fenestrata var asterionelloides  

Tabellaria flocculosa  

Chlorophyta

Botryococcus  

 

Closterium kutzingii  

Closteriopsis  

Euastrum didelta  

Gloeocystis
 

Hormidium 5.5µm.
 

Micrasterias sol  

Mougeotia 11µm.
 

Oedogonium 8µm.
 

Pediastrum boryanum  

Spirogyra
 

Spondylosium  

Staurastrum ?hirsutum  

Staurastrum lunatum  

Staurastrum ?planctonicum  

Xanthidium antilopeum  

Zygnema  

Zygnemopsis  

Blue-greens:


Anabaena  

Merismopedia  


Periphyton

Chlorophyta:

Gomphonema
= dominant
Mougeotia 14µm.
 
Oedogonium
 
Pediastrum boryanum
 
Spirogyra 32µm.
= dominant
Ulothrix 28µm.
 
Zygnema
 
 
Diatoms:
Tabellaria flocculosa
 
   

2: Tail Burn:

Rhodophyta:

Lemanea
 
   
Chlorophyta:

Bulbochaete
 

Geminella
 
Hormidium
 
Microspora 14µm.
 
Mougeotia 22µm.
 
Mougeotia 28µm.
 
Oedogonium 6µm.
 
Oedogonium 14µm.
 
Pediastrum
 
Spirogyra 32µm.
 
Ulothrix 25µm.
 
Zygnema 22µm.
 
 
Diatoms:

Asterionella
Cymbella
 
Gomphonema truncatum
 
 
Blue-greens:

Oscillatoria 3µm
 
 

 



Small Tributaries of Tail Burn (ditches), at L. Skeen end

 

1: Hormidium 5.5µm.    
     
2:
Fragilaria  
  Hormidium 5.5µm.  
 

Microspora 17µm.  

     
3:   Hormidium 5.5µm.  
     
4: Draparnaldia
  Microspora 8µm.  
  Ulothrix 11µm.  
     
5: Hormidium 5.5µm.  
  Scaly Ulothrix 8µm.  
     
6: Binuclearia 8µm.  
  Mougeotia 11µm.  
     
7: Mougeotia 8µm.   
     
Small tributary cascading over rockface,
by path near main waterfall
  Eunotia minor  
  Hannaea arcus  
  Mougeotia 8µm.  
  Mougeotia 22µm.  
  Oedogonium 11µm.  
  Oedogonium 28-35µm.  
  Spirogyra 28µm.  
  Synedra ulna  
  Tabellaria flocculosa  
  Zygnema 25µm.  
     
Back to Samples by Location

John Kinross,
page updated 14/12/2019