The research presented in this paper is qualitative in nature and focuses on a number of conversational interchanges that took place either between native and non-native speakers of English or ...interlocutors who came from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds and who were using English as a lingua franca. The aim of the paper is to explore and account for the reasons underlying the ‘misfiring’ and communication problems that characterized these conversations. In my analysis I have relied on the socio-cognitive approach of utterance interpretation that fully acknowledges the role of private and actual contexts in governing the speakers' linguistic choices, as well as on the dynamic model of meaning as proposed by Kecskes (2008, 2009, 2010, 2014), that argues for the dynamic construal of meaning as complex and elaborate work shared in by the speaker and the hearer. Adhering to Kecskes' (2008) view that context, especially the private context, plays both a selective and constituting role in co-constructing the common ground by the participants in conversation, I propose that failure to establish the common ground ('skidding on the common ground') in intercultural conversations can be traced to partial differences or similarities between the private contexts of the interlocutors.
•Misunderstandings in intercultural communication are best addressed from the viewpoint of the socio-cognitive approach to utterance interpretation.•The intercultural nature of the conversations under analysis imposes a 'contrastive' perspective on the problem of misunderstanding.•Failure to establish common ground seems to result from partial differences between private contexts of the interlocutors.
Many charophytes are rare and endangered algae species. All charophyte species significantly contribute to the stability and health of the ecosystems they inhabit. Charophytes survive in their ...habitats thanks to the longevity of the diaspores (oospores and gyrogonites) in the sediment. Many charophyte species have a specific phenology and can sometimes be overlooked in surveys of macrophyte vegetation. We monitored vegetation for three years and collected sediment from a small water body in Serbia to test the hypotheses that (a) Extant charophyte diaspores have promising, yet currently limited application as taxonomic markers, (b) Vegetation data on charophyte diversity may provide different information than data obtained by extracting diaspores from sediments and (c) parallel surveys of vegetation and sediments can provide a more comprehensive view of charophyte diversity compared to traditional annual vegetation monitoring. Diaspores proved to be promising taxonomic characters for charophyte identification. In our study, six taxa could be identified on a species level based on diaspores alone, while one species group (
Chara
spp.) requires further investigation as it could consist of up to four species. Compared to vegetation, the sediment survey provided different information on charophyte diversity and confirmed the presence of the species
Sphaerochara intricata
and
Sphaerochara prolifera
, which were never detected during the vegetation survey. Sediment studies conducted in parallel with vegetation studies provide important insight into the diversity of charophytes and the prospects for their habitat conservation.
Chara gymnophylla is one of the first charophyte species reported for Serbia during the late 19th and the early 20th centuries, and at that time it was the second in terms of the frequency of its ...occurrence in the country. General taxonomic misinterpretations in the past resulted in the concealment of another species, C. squamosa, within the findings attributed to C. gymnophylla. In Serbia, Chara gymnophylla was treated as C. vulgaris var. gymnophylla, and as such was not listed as a species inhabiting the country. Recent improvements in the taxonomic concept for C. squamosa prompted a revision of the rich material of C. gymnophylla, C. vulgaris var. gymnophylla, C. vulgaris var. nitelloides, and C. rohlenae, deposited in the BEOU collection. The revision process was conducted concurrently with fieldwork and the collection of new material. Our study confirmed the presence of C. squamosa in Serbia for the first time. Based on numerous revised samples from the BEOU collection, as well as recently collected specimens, the species? continuous presence in Serbia since 1976 was confirmed. Chara squamosa and C. gymnophylla were thus added to the list of Characeae species inhabiting Serbia, and categorised as Critically Endangered according to the criteria outlined by IUCN. An overview of the biogeography, ecology and taxonomy of C. squamosa in Serbia is provided, particularly in relation to C. gymnophylla. The BEOU charophyte collection proved to represent a valuable and relevant resource for critical taxonomic revisions. The results presented in this study strongly encourage further studies on C. squamosa and C. gymnophylla distribution in the Balkan region and wider area in order to gain a deeper understanding of the species? ecology and the further improvement of their taxonomic concepts.
Aerophytic phototrophs, colonizers of different substrates exposed to air, among which are rock substrates in cave habitats, are in general not sufficiently investigated and studied. From the ...ecological point of view, seasonal/temporal variations and parameters that influence aerophytic phototrophic communities through seasons still remain largely unknown. Seasonal analysis of phototrophic microorganisms from biofilms developed at entrances of Samar and Jezava caves in Eastern Serbia was performed four times a year. All identified phototrophic representatives were assigned to a certain division or group. The relationship between documented groups and different measured, determined and observed ecological parameters was illustrated using principal component analysis (PCA). A high diversity of cyanobacteria and algae was observed as a result of seasonal sampling: 141 taxa in Samar and 61 taxa in Jezava Cave. Cyanobacteria were dominant in both caves (coccoid forms prevailing) and were followed by Bacillariophyta. Bacillariophyta were positively correlated with light intensity and sites where seeping water was present, and cyanobacteria with water content in biofilm, Chl a and relative air humidity. Higher diversity of phototrophs was documented in December and March, and lower in May and August in both caves with Chl a values having the same trend as the diversity of phototrophic microorganisms. This was especially the case with biofilms in which diversity was more prone to seasonal changes and where Cyanobacteria dominated. Only 24 taxa were documented during all four seasons in Samar Cave (Cyanobacteria, Bacillariophyta and Chlorophyta representatives) and three in Jezava Cave (Cyanobacteria only).
Chara baueri is one of the rarest charophytes worldwide. It had been considered extinct in Europe for more than a century, from the 1870s to 2006, when it was rediscovered in Germany. The current ...distribution of this species is limited to a few localities in Europe (Germany, Poland and Russia), and one locality in Asia (Kazakhstan). We present a new finding of Chara baueri, to be a significant contribution to the species ecology and biogeography, and helping to review and update the current scarce knowledge. Chara baueri was discovered in Serbia and monitored for two vegetative seasons in 2018 and 2019, along with the associated macrophyte vegetation and water quality parameters. The morphology and ecology data of the species are presented comparatively with the literature data and the biogeography is critically reviewed. The population in Serbia is the first verified record of Chara baueri in southern Europe. Considering the recent findings and the knowledge accumulated in these records, Chara baueri was very possibly never extinct at all, but overlooked in Europe for the entire 20th century. We suggest that waterfowl migrating from the northern parts of Europe should be considered as the important spreading agent of Chara baueri in southern regions.
Charophyte species delineation is regularly based on a set of thallus morphological characteristics, but considering pronounced phenotypic plasticity, difficulties and doubts commonly occur in Chara ...species determination. DNA barcoding may contribute to solving these challenges. Here we characterize Chara contraria with an unusual set of morphological characteristics, and specimens morphologically resembling Chara connivens collected in Serbia, by describing their morphological traits and analysing matK barcoding results. Our results indicated that dioecious Chara specimens, tentatively determined as Chara "connivens" based on morphological traits, were genetically more closely related to C. globularis. These Chara "connivens" specimens formed a sister group to a monophyletic C. globularis cluster, suggesting that it may be neither C. connivens nor C. globularis. We strongly encourage further barcoding of C. "connivens" samples from freshwater, in order to find out if there are consistent genetic differences between the dioecious freshwater C. "connivens" and monoecious C. globularis. Barcoding of matK placed the monoecious Chara specimens, which based on morphological characteristics initially were determined as C. virgata, into the C. contraria group. This indicates that the microscopic traits which commonly are used for Chara species determination sometimes are misleading. In general, our study challenges the commonly used phenetic species concept in Charophyte taxonomy and illustrates the importance of molecular approaches to evaluate the validity of morphological characteristics of the plant thallus in species delineation.
Due to life in extreme environments, cyanobacteria and algae from cave biofilms that form at the entrances or deep inside the cave around artificial lights are of increasing interest to many ...scientists. It is well-known that many phototrophic microorganisms are first to colonize exposed substrata and produce the organic matter on which other biofilm constituents relly. Many studies dealing with phototrophic microorganisms from biofilms focus on the diversity and community composition of cyanobacteria and algae, while quantitative assessments are rarely implemented. Biofilm sampling was conducted in Degurić and Vernjikica Cave located in Western and Eastern Serbia, respectively. Ecological parameters (temperature, relative humidity, light intensity) and distance from the entrance were measured. Additionally, chlorophyll content, as well as biofilm parameters (water content, organic and inorganic matter) were determined. The abundance of phototrophic microorganisms was assessed on microscope slides which contained 1 mg of biofilm that was dehydrated for a short period of time and homogenized prior to slide preparation, and then rehydratated. The biomass of recorded cyanobacterial and algal taxa was calculated by applying geometric approximations and standard mathematical formulas. In Degurić Cave, at the sampling site where the highest biomass was documented, the higher diversity, water content and chlorophyll values were also recorded, while in Vernjikica Cave a high content of organic matter was documented. According to the multivariate analyses performed, the biomass of simple trichal Cyanobacteria, Bacillariophyta, and Xanthophyta was positively correlated with the content of organic matter in biofilm and light intensity, while coccoid and heterocytous Cyanobacteria and Chlorophyta showed a positive correlation with water content in the biofilm, relative humidity and distance from the entrance. The total biomass was positively correlated with the chlorophyll content, organic matter and light intensity, and negatively with the distance from the entrance.
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