Cyanoprokaryota (Cyanobacteria) in karst environments in Yucatan, Mexico

Abstract

Some water bodies in karst environments of the Yucatan peninsula are rich in tropical species of cyanoprokaryote metaphyton. We present species of Chroococcales and Oscillatoriales from seven different families and identify 14 new records for Mexico where four are described as new species (Asterocapsa xcaamalensis, Chlorogloea halkab, Cyanosarcina caribeana, and Synechococcus socialis). The unique ecological conditions of alkaline wetlands at varying depth levels appear to promote richness of Cyanoprokaryota, an important group representative of the biodiversity in the peninsula. The area is part of the Caribbean subregion and is included among the 25 key sites of diversity worldwide. Of the species documented in this study, 82% have been recorded in the literature for this subregion and half of these species have a circumscribed distribution to the Caribbean.