Abstract

OLIVA-MARTINEZ, María Guadalupe; GODINEZ-ORTEGA, José Luis  and  ZUNIGA-RAMOS, Catriona Andrea. Biodiversity of inland water phytoplankton in Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodiv. [online]. 2014, vol.85, suppl., pp.S54-S61. ISSN 2007-8706.  https://doi.org/10.7550/rmb.32706.

Inland water phytoplankton is represented by 15 000 species worldwide, 1 025 of which are found in Mexico, almost 6.8% of all continental algae, and 33.8% of Mexico's continental algae. Mexican algae belong mainly to the classes Bacillariophyceae (31.9%), Cyanophyceae (18.24%) and Chlorophyceae (17.4%). Most species are cosmopolitan; others have tropical and nearctic affinities. The best represented species are found in the central and S-SE regions of the country (> 100). Few taxa are found in the N and NE regions (< 2). There are no studies or records from 8 northern and 4 central and S-SE states. The discovery of new species in Mexico was made by Europeans and Americans. Mexican scientists started describing species in 1933, but it was not until the late 20th and early 21rst centuries that a larger number of species was described. The survival of this important community in Mexico is threatened by the absence of information on phytoplanktonic algae, a low level of endemism, and the pollution of aquatic environments. Different phytoplankton species have been used as food supplements, antioxidants, for bioremediation and biofuels, but production in Mexico is still very limited.

Keywords : microalgae; phytoplankton; taxonomic composition; distribution; habitats.

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