Image: CyanobacteriaColl1

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Description: These "jelly balls" are colonies of the cyanobacteria species Nostoc pruniforme ("Mare's eggs"), living in freshwater ponds. (Determination was microscopically confirmed by Professor Dr Ludwig Kies, Hamburg.) Note: Many other single-(or few-)celled organisms also form gelatinous colonies in spherules. A reliable determination is only possible by microscope! The shown species is rather rare today and indicates clean water. Furthermore, my impression is that the trivial name "Mare's eggs" is not exclusively related to the concrete species Nostoc pruniforme, but also used for diverse different spherule algae (?).
Title: CyanobacteriaColl1
Credit: Own work (collage of 4 pictures). Location (partially ex situ): North-eastern Lower Saxony, Germany.
Author: Christian Fischer
Usage Terms: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0
License: CC BY-SA 3.0
License Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0
Attribution Required?: Yes

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