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How to interpret the results
Indicator taxa
Good quality streams
Scroll to
Cyanobacteria
Diatoms
Golden-brown algae
Green algae
Iron bacteria
Red algae
Yellow-green algae
Cyanobacteria
Ammatoidea
(Homoeotrichaceae)
Tapering to fine, colourless hairs
Factsheet
Calothrix
(Rivulariaceae)
Filament contains heterocytes
Factsheet
Chamaesiphon
(Chamaesiphonaceae)
Blue-green, grey, whitish or reddish - no organelles
Factsheet
Coleodesmium
(Microchaetaceae)
Filament contains heterocytes
Factsheet
Cyanothece
(Synechococcaceae)
Cell wall is smooth and featureless
Factsheet
Dichothrix
(Rivulariaceae)
Filament contains heterocytes
Factsheet
Homoeothrix
(Homoeotrichaceae)
Filaments do not contain heterocytes
Factsheet
Lyngbya
(Oscillatoriaceae)
Cells shorter than wide
Factsheet
Microcoleus
(Phormidiaceae)
Fine colourless hairs absent
Factsheet
Nostoc
(Nostocaceae)
Filaments composed of regular cells occasionally interrupted by specialised cells
Factsheet
Phormidium
(Phormidiaceae)
Most cells are as long as or longer than wide
Factsheet
Placoma
(Hydrococcaceae)
Cells lack organelles
Factsheet
Pseudanabaena
(Pseudanabaenaceae)
Most cells are as long as or longer than wide
Factsheet
Rivularia
(Rivulariaceae)
Filament contains heterocytes
Factsheet
Scytonema
(Scytonemataceae)
Filament contains heterocytes
Factsheet
Stigonema
(Stigonemataceae)
Branch points roughly equal
Factsheet
Tolypothrix
(Microchaetaceae)
Filament contains heterocytes
Factsheet
Wilmottia
(Phormidiaceae)
Most cells are as long as or longer than wide
Factsheet
Diatoms
Achnanthes cf inflata
(Achnanthaceae)
Chloroplasts visible inside cells are brown
Factsheet
Cocconeis placentula
(Cocconeidaceae)
Central raphe
Factsheet
Cymbella
(Cymbellaceae)
Rotational symmetry of cell face outline is 360 degrees; one end is a reflection of the other
Factsheet
Diatoma
(Fragilariaceae)
Chloroplasts visible inside cells are brown
Factsheet
Didymosphenia
(Gomphonemataceae)
Rotational symmetry of cell face outline is 360 degrees with one end broader than other
Factsheet
Diploneis cf elliptica
(Diploneidaceae)
Central raphe
Factsheet
Encyonema
(Cymbellaceae)
Rotational symmetry of cell face outline is 360 degrees; one end is a reflection of the other
Factsheet
Epithemia
(Rhopalodiaceae)
Rotational symmetry of cell face outline is 360 degrees; one end is a reflection of the other
Factsheet
Eunotia
and relatives (Eunotiaceae)
Rotational symmetry of cell face outline is 360 degrees; one end is a reflection of the other
Factsheet
Fragilaria
(Fragilariaceae)
Chloroplasts visible inside cells are brown
Factsheet
Frustulia
(Amphipleuraceae)
Central raphe
Factsheet
Gomphoneis
(Gomphonemataceae)
Rotational symmetry of cell face outline is 360 degrees with one end broader than other
Factsheet
Gomphoneis
(Gomphonemataceae)
Cells are joined by long stalks made of jelly
Factsheet
Gyrosigma
(Pleurosigmataceae)
Rotational symmetry of cell face outline 180 degrees, with the ends being opposite reflections of each other
Factsheet
Melosira varians
(Melosiraceae)
Chloroplasts visible inside cells are brown
Factsheet
Meridion cf circulare
(Fragilariaceae)
Rotational symmetry of cell face outline is 360 degrees with one end broader than other
Factsheet
Nitzschia
(Bacillariaceae)
Rotational symmetry of cell face outline 180 degrees, with the ends being opposite reflections of each other
Factsheet
Pinnularia
(Pinnulariaceae)
Central raphe
Factsheet
Rhoicosphenia cf curvata
(Rhoicospheniaceae)
Central raphe
Factsheet
Rhopalodia
(Rhopalodiaceae)
Rotational symmetry of cell face outline is 360 degrees; one end is a reflection of the other
Factsheet
Stauroneis cf anceps
(Stauroneidaceae)
Central raphe
Factsheet
Surirella
(Surirellaceae)
Raphe on edge of cell
Factsheet
Tabellaria flocculosa
(Tabellariaceae)
Chloroplasts visible inside cells are brown
Factsheet
Ulnaria
(Fragilariaceae)
Raphe absent
Factsheet
Golden-brown algae
Chrysocapsa
(Chrysocapsaceae)
Cell contents (chloroplasts) are brown or golden-brown
Factsheet
Green algae
Bracteacoccus
(Chlorococcaceae)
Cells containing membrane-bound organelles
Factsheet
Bulbochaete
(Oedogoniaceae)
Branch points roughly equal
Factsheet
Chaetophora
(Chaetophoraceae)
Filaments are one cell wide
Factsheet
Characium
(Chlorococcaceae)
Cell outline elongated with basal holdfast
Factsheet
Draparnaldia
(Chaetophoraceae)
Branch are markedly unequal
Factsheet
Elliptochloris
(Prasiolales incertae sedis)
Cells containing membrane-bound organelles
Factsheet
Interfilum paradoxum
(Klebsormidiaceae)
Cells containing membrane-bound organelles
Factsheet
Klebsormidium
(Klebsormidiaceae)
Cell wall is smooth and featureless
Factsheet
Microspora
(Microsporaceae)
Cell walls composed of overlapping pieces
Factsheet
Mougeotia
(Zygnemataceae)
Cell wall is smooth and featureless
Factsheet
Nitella
(Characeae)
Structured as a main axis with whorls of branches at nodes
Factsheet
Oedogonium
(Oedogoniaceae)
Chloroplasts visible inside cells are green or yellow-green
Factsheet
Parallela
(Palmellaceae)
Colony comprised of cells in flat sheets or skeins; cells lack contrictions
Factsheet
Schizochlamys
(Tetrasporaceae)
Approx. spherical cells embedded in a mass of jelly
Factsheet
Sirogonium
(Zygnemataceae)
Cell wall is smooth and featureless
Factsheet
Spirogyra
(Zygnemataceae)
Cell wall is smooth and featureless
Factsheet
Stigeoclonium
(Chaetophoraceae)
Filaments are one cell wide
Factsheet
Tetraspora-like colonies
(Tetrasporaceae)
Approx. spherical cells embedded in a mass of jelly
Factsheet
Ulothrix zonata
(Ulotrichaceae)
Cell wall is smooth and featureless
Factsheet
Iron bacteria
Iron bacteria (eg
Leptothrix
) (Comamonadaceae)
Blue-green, grey, whitish or reddish - no organelles
Factsheet
Red algae
Audouinella hermanii
(Acrochaetiaceae)
Filaments are one cell wide
Factsheet
Batrachospermum
(Batrachospermaceae)
Branch are markedly unequal
Factsheet
Chroodactylon
(Stylonemataceae)
Filaments are one cell wide
Factsheet
Yellow-green algae
Vaucheria
(Vaucheriaceae)
Branch points roughly equal
Factsheet