A SUBTERRANEAN ALGAL FLORA 



GEORGE T. MOORE 



Director of the Missouri 



Washington University 

 and JOANNE L. KARRER 



>/ Botany of 



Teaching 



Washington 



That there exists a subterranean algal flora, independent of 

 the terrestrial flora, is a possibility which has seemed so remote 

 that little, if any, attempt has been made to investigate this 



subj 



Many of the earlier writers upon the algae, including 



Ehrenberg (Mikro 



referred to the algae of the 



and Gre 



1856, discussed somewhat in detail the diatoms 



greens 



obtained from the soil adhering to the roots of dried plants in 



herbaria. 



Robbins, 2 in an account of the algae in some Colorado soils, 



r 



lists about a dozen blue-greens, one diatom, and two unicellular 



obtained from cultures inoculated with soil. In 

 this case, however, as in all previous accounts, there is no indi- 

 cation that the various forms were not immediately derived from 

 the surface or within a very short distance of the surface of the 

 soil. Robbins removed any loose debris on the surface but the 

 sample consisted of not more than the first three or four inches 

 of earth and included any forms which might have originated 



terrestrially. These 



sam 



were 



c> 



)les, after being thoroughly mixed, 

 led water and an amount correspond- 

 ing to 10 gms. of soil drawn off and distributed over the surface 

 of sterile quartz sand in flasks. Adequate precautions against 

 contamination were observed throughout. 



More recently Miss Bristol 3 has reported upon the vitality 

 of algae from old stored soils, but from her account it is obvious 



1 Gregory, W. On the presence of Diatomaceae, Phylolitharia, and sponge spicules 

 in soils which support vegetation. Am. Jour. Sci. and Arts II. 21 : 434-437. 1856. 



2 Robbins, W. W. Algae in some Colorado soils. Colo. Agr. Exp. Sta., Bull. 



184: 24-36. pi. 1-4- 1912. 

 8 Bristol, B. M . On the retention of vitality by algae from old stored soils. New 



Phytol. 18: 92. 1919. 



Ann. Mo. Bot. Gard., Vol. 6, 1919 (281) 



