396 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



the Marchantiaceae type of antheridium occurs. The author considers, 

 therefore, that the mode of development of the autheridium cannot be 

 used as a systematic character. The abnormal structure in Corsinia is 

 regarded as a reversion, and the mode of development in the Junger- 

 manniacese is the older phylogenetically. 



Characeee. 

 Monograph of Characeae.* — A MS. by the late A. Braun, edited 

 by O. Nordstedt, gives a monograph of the species of Characeae, in- 

 cluding several forms not previously published. There are here 

 enumerated 70 species of Nitella, 8 of Toh/pella, 1 of Lamprothamnus, 

 3 of Lychnothamniis, and 60 of Chara. In Tolypella nidijica Braun 

 describes, in the mature cells, the original rows of chlorophyll-gi'ains 

 as being no longer clearly distinguishable, theii* locations being inter- 

 rupted by large, clear, disk-shaped bodies, which, when the chloro- 

 phyll grains are removed, are seen to be thickenings of the cell-walls. 



Fungi. 



Physiology of FungLf — Gaston Bonnier and L. Mangin discuss 

 the results of their studies on respiration and transpiration in plants 

 without chloroj)hyll. 



Throughout their experiments they found that the volume of 

 oxygen absorbed is greater than that of the carbonic acid produced. 

 Contrary to the results of some other experimenters, they find that, 

 for a given species, there is no sensible variation with a varying tem- 

 perature, and they ascribe the different result to a neglect by others 

 of the consideration of the phenomena of true fermentation. Differ- 

 ences in hygrometric conditions have a sensible influence on the 

 intensity of the respiratory j^henomena. Diffused light diminishes 

 the resjjiratory activity, and the intensity is greater for the rays of 

 higher than for those of less refractive power. In examining into the 

 question of transpiration they placed the fungi under conditions in 

 which the quantity of water absorbed was very nearly equal to that 

 transpired. After having verified the considerable influence of an 

 elevation of temperatui'e and a depression of the hygrometric con- 

 ditions, they made an inquiry into the influence of diffused light, 

 which resulted in the demonstration that transpiration is greater with 

 diffused light than in darkness. 



Fungus Parasitic on Sponges.J — J. Dufour has examined the 

 black patches which are formed on skeletons of the oflficinal sponges 

 which have been in use for some time, and in presence of which they 

 often become useless. He finds the appearance to be produced by a 

 minute fungus which disintegrates the fibre of the sponge, blackening 

 it and producing quantities of dark spores. He assigns this form to 

 the genus Torula as a new species, T. spongicola. The spores are 

 round or suboval, • 004 to • 007 mm. in diameter. The cell-membrane 



♦ Abhandl. K. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, 1882 (7 pis.). See But. Centralbl, xiii. 

 (1883) p. 41. 



t Comptes Rendus, xcvi. (1883) pp. 1075-8. 



X Bull. Soc. Vaud. Sci. Nat., xviii. (1882) pp. H4-7. 



