Genus Frustulia was chosen for this work due to the continuity of the previous research of our phycological group. Using molecular techniques, it was found that a number of morphologically defined species of diatoms is cryptic species complex, which may have limited dispersal. The aim of this study was to: 1) evaluate the diversity of the genus Frustulia in northern Europe by molecular methods and classify found species in the phylogenetic context of related species; 2) find out if it possible to identify the isolated species in natural samples by using morphological characters. There have been analyzed 234 strains by molecular methods. Isolated ones were in four clades. 86 % of the strains belonged to a generic complex F. crassinervia-saxonica. Two strains were identified as species F. gaertnerae and F. septentrionalis. The last line was not described yet so it was labeled as F. sp. This line is closely related to the species F. maoriana, which is considered to be endemic in New Zealand. Phylogeny of the genus was created based on a dataset of four molecular markers. Published morphometric data were then compared with 264 cells photos taken by scanning electron microscope. There was done surveillance comparison of the results of the analysis of quantitative and qualitative characters with...

Diatoms are crucially important to the global ecosystem due to their role in regulating the world’s carbon and silicon cycles, and their production of large amounts of organic material in aquatic environments. They are thought to comprise ca. 100,000 species, although some estimates suggest that there could be over a million. Despite their importance and high species diversity, little is known about their phylogeny due to technical issues that hinder the reconstruction of their relationships. However, owing to a new technique that allows for DNA to be amplified from a single isolated cell, it is possible to explore diatom relationships with extensive taxonomic sampling. This thesis aims to demonstrate that the integration of molecular data and morphological characters can provide a new paradigm for future phylogenetic and taxonomic studies of diatoms, especially among closely related and taxonomically complex groups. To achieve this, I examined common species from two naviculoid diatom genera, Frustulia and Navicula using sequence data from three molecular markers (rbcL, atpB, 18S), traditional and fine-scale morphological characters, and frustule shape. The molecular markers rbcL and atpB evolved at a similar rate and performed well at reconstructing species-level phylogenies, whereas 18S was more conserved and best used for resolving relationships at higher taxonomic levels. Hidden diversity was uncovered in what have traditionally been thought as well-circumscribed taxa, and three new species were described. The methods used here show promise for the future of diatom systematics.

Recent use of molecular methods to revisit taxonomically problematic diatom species revealed severe limitations of morphological species concept. Characterization of diatom species which was based solely on the morphology of their frustules often generated too broad species boundaries which inevitably lead to wrong conclusions about their ecology and distribution. Widespread opinion that many diatom species are cosmopolitan generalists resulted in a theory that dispersal of diatoms is not limited by geographical distance. However, a number of recent studies showed that dispersal of diatoms is governed by the same rules which matter for macroorganisms. Proposed master thesis addresses the topic of diversity and dispersal in diatom species complex Frustulia rhomboides sensu lato in Europe and New Zealand. Results suggest that: (1) although revealed molecular variability in this complex shows clear ecological and biogeographical signal, it is not correlated in morphology. This is another support to general need for adoption of different species concept in diatoms. (2) A considerably uneven ratio in species diversity of genus Frustulia found in ecological similar habitats in Europe and New Zealand supports the idea that diatom dispersal is limited and stressed the need for studies dealing with biogeography.

A traditional species concept of diatoms is based on morphological characters of their siliceous boxes. A multidisciplinary approach to defining species of diatoms has revealed the hidden diversity within the traditionally defined species. But the newly recognized species are morphological variable and indistinguishable by the naked eye. Recent studies showed that different morphotypes show different ecological preferences. This master thesis focuses on the morphology of natural populations of the diatom species complex Frustulia rhomboides which contains both the traditional and the cryptic species, and it engages how the morphology reflects the effects of environmental conditions. Landmark methods of geometric morphometrics were used in order to analyze the morphological variability of diatom frustules of this species complex within various peat bog habitats in the Czech Republic. Selected environmental parameters were measured and the species composition of diatom communities present in the samples was investigated. These data were used to analyze the relationship between the environmental conditions and the cell shape variability within the complex. The analysis revealed the main trends of morphological variability related to different environmental conditions. Two morphotypes characteristic...