Algae and cyanobacteria in phytotelmata: diversity, ecological aspects, and conservation

Studies on algae and cyanobacteria in phytotelmata have been known since the beginning of the last century, however only since the last 20 years have become more frequent, although in a smaller number than desirable considering the importance of this habitat type. Here, we provide a global overview based on all studies where algae and cyanobacteria have been reported in phytotelmata. In general, we catalog all species of algae and cyanobacteria occurring in this habitat type, as well as providing information on global distribution, ecological aspects involving the main factors that influence the development of algae in plants, algae adaptive strategies, colonization and dispersal, major groups of algae and in which plants these microorganisms occur, as well as conservation data. This is the first comprehensive review devoted exclusively to the study of algae and cyanobacteria in phytotelmata, which is mainly motivated by the advances from studies in recent years. Despite this, further research is still necessary since most of the information on these organisms is concentrated to a single region and to a single plant family.