Las microalgas de Tillandsia multicaulis Steud.(Bromeliaceae) de la Reserva Ecológica “La Martinica”, Veracruz

Abstract

Bromeliads have the ability to retain water in the leaf axils that are known as tanks or phytotelmata; they support complex food webs with all types of organisms from bacteria to small vertebrates. In this paper, we present the first approach to the microalgae living in the tanks of a species of bromeliad at “La Martinica” Ecological Reserve, in Banderilla, Veracruz. The collections were studied in preserved material and cultures. About 60 algae were obtained, belonging to Cyanoprokariota, Euglenophyta, Cryptophyta, Chlorophyta and Bacillariophyta, but only 16 species have been identified. We conclude Tillandsia multicaulis tanks provide suitable conditions for the development of microalgae and the location and morphology of the bromeliad influence the distribution of this biological group. The shortage of individuals did not allow a more precise identification. In the cultures, we could detect species not seen in the preserved material, indicating a much richer flora than the one we could observe directly.