Priority species include Chara strigosa A. Braun 1847, a boreo-alpine relict that has become rare to very rare in Europe. In Switzerland, it occurs only in the Jura (f. jurensis) and the central eastern Alps (f. typique). At present, and in the absence of any further knowledge of the true taxonomic nature of the 2 Helvetic populations, the jurensis form is therefore considered synonymous with the typical form of Chara strigosa.
The project presented here aims to provide information on the genetic and phenotypic variability of Chara strigosa in Switzerland, and its systematic positioning, by carrying out analyses on specimens from different populations of Chara strigosa and supposedly closely related species. It requires the collection of fresh samples from known stations in Switzerland.
This study is being carried by Delphine Ruffio (University of Strasbourg) under the coordination of Aurélie Boissezon (national Characeae expert) and in collaboration with Yamama Naciri and Charles Pouchon for genetic analyses and bioinformatics processing (CJBG phylolab).
Project partner(s)
Project leader - team
Aurélie Boissezon
(HEPIA),
Patrice Prunier
(HEPIA)