Abstract
SUMMARY The lakes investigated show a great variation in the concentration of dissolved salts, the chloride content ranging from 37 to 5000 parts per million. Nutrient salts are present in Titicaca in about the amounts usually found in fairly rich temperate lakes, and silica is always abundant. The phytoplankton of Titicaca is of the type usually associated with waters poor in nutrient salts. Contrary to what has been found in most lakes, the number of species in the plankton of the Andean lakes examined (with the exception of Lake Poopo) decreases with decrease in the concentration of dissolved salts. One species of Desmid occurs in the plankton and that is found only in the lakes with a high concentration of dissolved salts. It is suggested that something other than nitrate and phosphate may be the factor controlling the distribution of these plants. The density of the plankton population in Lake Titicaca is very low compared with North American lakes. A list of all the algae collected in an identifiable condition is given and this includes descriptions of seven species which do not appear to have been previously described.
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More From: Transactions of the Linnean Society of London: 3rd Series
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