THE DIATOM FLORA OF EPHEMERAL HEADWATER STREAMS IN THE ELBSANDSTEINGEBIRGE REGION OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC

The diatom flora of 15 headwater streams in the Elbsandsteingebirge region of the Czech Republic was studied. This region is dominated by sandstone, but a few areas have a mixed geology with some combination of sandstone, limestone, and granite. Diatoms were collected from a mixture Of Substrates whenever available, including stone, wood, bryophyte, and sediment. A total of 307 diatom taxa were observed, including one species new to science, Chamaepinnularia rexii. Taxa particularly characteristic for the region, or lacking previous indicator status, or rare or otherwise interesting are illustrated and discussed. Abundance weighted means for both pH and conductivity are reported for all taxa which occurred in more than four samples.