Freshwater Algae: Identification and Use as Bioindicators

Algae are widely present in freshwater environments, such as lakes and rivers, where they are typically present as micro-organisms – visible only with the aid of a light microscope. Although relatively inconspicuous, they have a major importance in the freshwater environment, both in terms of fundamental ecology and in relation to human use of natural resources. This book considers the diversity of algae in freshwater environments and gives a general overview of the major groups of these organisms (Chapter 1), methods of collection and enumeration (Chapter 2) and keys to algal groups and major genera (Chapter 4). Algae are considered as indicators of environmental conditions (bioindicators) in terms of individual species (Chapter 1) and as communities (Chapter 3).