New Rotalge in the Hunsrück: Scientists reveal treasure of nature!

New Rotalge in the Hunsrück: Scientists reveal treasure of nature!

The Hunsrück-Hochwald National Park is a real natural jewel and impresses with its diverse flora and fauna. Researchers have now made a sensational discovery in the mossy streams of the park: a previously unknown Rotalge. This discovery is not only remarkable because it is a new way, but even a new genus, informed Dorothee Killmann from the University of Koblenz. The Rotalge is also a crucial indicator of excellent water quality.

The new algae species occurs both in the north Vosges, the Palatinate and in the high Venn, and was known in the national park under the misleading name "Vogesen-Froschlaichange". After a comprehensive examination of the DNA samples, however, it became clear that the original label was not correct. "It was a real discovery!" Killmann commented on the results. Your team, consisting of Eberhard Fischer and other scientists, has extensively described the algae and gave her the name Hoefkenia Hunsrueckensis. This name honors the merits of Ulrike Höfken, which was largely committed to setting up the national park in 2015.

scientific meaning and history

In August, the scientific description of the Rotalge was published in the journal "Diversity". The discovery of a new genre and species is an extraordinary event for Central Europe. It is already the second newly described species from the Hunsrück-Hochwald National Park and illustrates the enormous nature conservation importance of this area. Killmann pointed out that the adventure to discover this algae reflects the passion for nature and science to a fully extent. As early as 2015, she and the botanist Leh had identified a new type of braid in another part of the park, the Verrucaria Hunsrueckensis-the Hunsrück Warzenlichte.

The research work was revealing. Killmann explained that her initial assumption that they had discovered the Vosges-Froschlaichangele soon turned out to be wrong. "When we took a closer look at the rehearsals, it turned out: something is wrong". Due to the additional DNA analyzes, the actual origin of the algae came to light. It turned out that the real Vogesen-Froschlaichaldge can only be found in western France and Northeastern Spania.

The treasures of the national park

The Hoefkenia Hunsrueckensis is not only a new way, but also the proof that the national park is an important habitat for numerous species. Killmann not only described the park as a home of the new Rotalge, but also as a retreat for a variety of other types of algae. "There are very different biotopes in the smallest space that offer many habitats for impressively many ways," she continued. Remarkable species also include mosses, lichens as well as animals such as the black woodpecker and the wildcat.

The Rotalge will be presented on November 6th as part of a festival colloquium in the National Park (Bunker Erwin, Börfink). Ulrike Höfken and the Rhineland-Palatinate Environment Minister Katrin Eder have already promised their participation, which the event also enhances. This discovery lies in the high areas of the Hunsrück, where the park extends. Around 90 percent of the approximately 10,000 hectares are in Rhineland-Palatinate, while 10 percent are anchored in Saarland. The area impressively shows how valuable and worth protecting our natural resources are, such as localo.de reported.