Flora of the Blue-green Algae of the Netherlands. 1. The Non-filamentous Species of Inland Waters

Book excerpt: The Netherlands are a small country, characterized by a largediversity of fresh to slightly brackish, oligo- to hypereutrophicstagnant and flowing inland waters. This diversity is reflected ina remarkable richness of phytoplankton species with blue-greenalgae as an important component. Identification of phytoplanktonfrequently brings on serious problems, due to the scarcity ofup-to-date floras.This book, written by an acknowledged Dutch phytoplankton expert,presents a new and critical approach to the identification ofphytoplankton of The Netherlands.For the first time 95 species belonging to 23 genera ofnon-filamentous blue-green algae known to occur in the plankton ofDutch inland waters are treated in a single flora; including onegenus and 15 species new to science. Nomenclature is according tomodern insights and in agreement with international rules. Over500 original black-and-white photographs of Dutch material havebeen carefully selected to show all the details necessary forlight-microscopical identification. To further facilitateidentification a key to the species is provided and every speciesis compared to similar forms. Its ecology and occurrence indifferent water types are indicated in the accompanying text.Finally, all relevant literature references are given.This unique flora will be the standard for identification ofnon-filamentous blue-green algae not only in The Netherlands butalso in the whole temperate-zone of the northern hemisphere, formany years to come. It will be very useful for taxonomists as wellas ecologists interested in the diversity and identification ofthis interesting group.