Fitoplancton de dos lagunas de los humedalesde Xeresa y Xeraco (Valencia, España).

Abstract

VILLENA, M. J. & ROMO, S. 2001. Phytoplankton from two lakes of Xeresa and Xeraco wetlands (Valencia, Spain). Bot. Complutensis 25: 179-189. Phytoplankton composition from two Mediterranean Coastal lakes located in Xeresa and Xeraco wetlands (Valencia, Spain) were studied. These wetlands from the Comunidad Valenciana have an important ecological and botanical value for the Iberian Peninsula, although nowadays they are threatened by turistic and agriculture development. The study lakes are characterized to be shallow (Zmax: 3 m), oligohaline, water transparent, mesotrophic and peat lakes, which are covered by sumerged macrophytes. The phytoplankton observed was similar in both lakes, with cosmopolitan species and abundant small-size microalgae. This size structure is relevant for the maintenance of the complex food-webs of these shallow la 179 M. J. Villena & S. Romo Fitoplancton de dos lagunas de los humedales de Xeresa... kes. The most diverse algal group, in both study lakes, corresponded to chlorophytes. However, the algal abundance and biomasa was overwhelmed by cyanophytes in the lake of Xeresa, but by chlorophytes and cryptophytes in the lake of Cap de Terme.