DISTRIBUTION, ECOLOGY AND MORPHOLOGICAL VARIABILITY OF CHARA GLOBULARIS THUILLIER, 1799 FROM LAKE OHRID

Lake Ohrid as the oldest and one of the deepest lakes in Europe, is also known as an aquatic ecosystem which is to be characterized as richest in Charophyta among the ones located in the Balkan Peninsula. Based on previous research, but especially on the present one, Chara globularis takes an important part of the entire Charophyta flora of the lake which is inhabited by 19 Charophyta species in total. The importance of this species is due to its high distribution and abundance which make it respectable contributor in the maintenance of Lake's general metabolism and balance. The most recent investigation on the Charophyta flora of Lake Ohrid have pointed out that there are differences in the density and distribution of this species on different sampling sites. In the same time the species characterizes morphological variability in different parts of the habitus of this species. Regarding the distribution, Chara globularis has been registered in 21 out of 59 sampling localities which have been subject of our investigations.