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Cyanoprokaryotes are probably the oldest organisms with plant metabolism. However, their cell structure and type of asexual reproduction prove their eubacterial origin. They are able to colonize all possible biotopes, including very extreme environments (thermal springs up to 80 °C, rocks in extremely hot or cold deserts in both the tropics and Antarctica, hypersaline lakes and marshes, biotopes in volcanic regions, and other harsh habitats).
This book was written for identification and standardization of known, morphologically and ecologically distinguishable European Cyanoprokaryotes that have been described from natural populations. In the introductory part only data important for identification practice are therefore included. At the end of this chapter we append a list of this basic literature, which comprises all the necessary detailed information. We have selected accurate drawings of described species.
About the author
Jirí Komárek, born 1931, studied botany (spec. phycology) at the Masaryk University in Brno and Charles University in Prague (at Prof. Fott), Czech Republic. He completed scientific education at Profs. Bourrelly (Paris), Lund (Windermere) and Starmach (Krakow). Later he worked in the Institute of Hydrobiology (ecology), Inst. of Microbiology (physiology, biochemistry) and in the Inst. of Botany of the Academy of Sciences CR. From 1991 he was professor of phycology at the University of South Bohemia and the first director of Botanical Department of Faculty of Sciences. He was specialized in diversity, ecology and taxonomic classification of coccal green algae and cyanobacteria. He participated in several tropical or polar expeditions and projects, published over 300 scientific papers and several monographs. Recently, he prefers the "polyphasic approach" (combined molecular, cytomorphological, ecological and biochemical criteria) for evaluation of cyanobacterial diversity.
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(..) Das Werk erfreut aber dennoch mit einer ungeheuren Fülle von Fakten und neueren Befunden. Es wird daher für alle , die sich intensiv mit den so vielfältigen und interessanten Cyanobakterien befassen, eine unentbehrliche Arbeitshilfe sein. Mikrokosmos (..) We can recommend this well-illustrated manual for algologists who wish to develop their skills in identifying freshwater Cyanobacteria. It is indispensable for algologists, botanists, and biologists as a new complementary book of the Süsswasserflora von Mitteleuropa series. We recommend it also in university education. Acta Botanica Hungarica
