Microbial Mats in T H E Inland Saline Lakes of Spain

The Iberian Peninsula possesses a particular richness of inland saline lakes which mainly occur in three endorheic regions in Aragón, La Mancha and Andalucía. The distribution of benthic microbial mat communities in these lakes is described and related to the ionic composition, salinity fluctuations, inundation period and sediment features. It was found that the cyanobacterium Microco1eu.s chthonoplastes is the most widespread species that occurs under a whole range of environmental conditions among which e.g., high Na+, high Mg2+ and high pH. The species composition and the annual cycle is described in more detail for four different mat types. Finally, the scientific and naturalistic values of the microbial mats in inland lakes are discussed. We propose that the presence of interesting microbial communities should be used as an important element for wetland conserva-