What we really know about the dormancy, reproduction, and germination of charophytes and the new method of ECO-IN-VITRO-CULTIVATION

This paper aims to provide information on previous basic research by charophyte experts mainly in the field of reproduction, dormancy, and germination of oospores. Therefore, published information, the author’s PhD thesis and further new results have been combined to summarise the state of knowledge for Characeae of permanent and temporary water bodies. The understanding and integration of evolutionary, systematic, and ecological knowledge enables the successful establishment of laboratory cultures as well as axenic cultures. The combination of ecological field monitoring and species-specific background knowledge led to the new cultivation method of ECO- IN-VITRO -CULTIVATION as shown for Chara hispida . This paper is dedicated to two experts of the Characeae research who passed away too early. Tim Steinhardt, the best oospore lab colleague and Andrzej Pukacz with whom I had the talk of transferring field ecology into my Chara cultures during my visit in Poznań, when you wanted to teach me the use of all my properties.