| The first comprehensive and illustrated account of the freshwater micro-crustaceans (cladocerans, large branchiopods, and calanoid and cyclopoid copepods) of the West Indies, with emphasis in those of Puerto Rico, is presented. A total of 144 cladocerans, 4 fairy-shrimps, 4 clam-shrimps, 1 tadpole-shrimp and some 63 copepods are known for the West Indies. The diversity and distribution of the previously-mentioned groups and of the Ostracoda in the West Indies is summarized. In the second part, I prepared an annotated and illustrated account of the freshwater green algae known from Puerto Rico (Chlorophyta), with emphasis on the Sphaeropleales and Zygnematales. In the third part, Dumontia oregonensis, a cladoceran representing a new family in the Order Anomopoda, is described from pools in Agate Desert, Oregon, USA. Keys and descriptions are provided for the species in the chydorid genera Alona (including Nicsmimovius and Karualona ) and Camptocercus occurring in the coterminous USA and the West Indies. One species of Alona, two of Karualona and two of Camptocercus are described as new. In the last part, I presented the results of a study on the plankton richness and basic limnology of 21 Puerto Rican reservoirs conducted in the winters and summers of 1997–1999. A survey of the phytoplankton in five major wetlands in Puerto Rico was also included. Plankton richness in these reservoirs has more than tripled in the last 48 years. The increase in species richness is in part due to improvements in taxonomy of the planktonic species, but colonization over the last 50 years was considered a main factor. Plankton richness was poorly correlated with factors such as reservoir age, elevation, area and most chemical variables. Water turbidity, pH and alkalinity were significantly correlated with the watershed area, suggesting that human disturbance is an important factor to be considered in future studies. A bibliography on the limnology of the West Indies was included, which is classified by major islands or island-groups. |
