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4. Geographic distribution of freshwater blue-green algae

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Abstract

The analysis of the currently available data for morphologically unambiguously defined freshwater blue-green algae indicates that besides (sub-)cosmopolitan species, taxa with a more restricted distribution also exist. Many of these have a holarctic or pantropic distribution. It is hypothesized that, besides the distribution of ecological niches, temperature is one of the main controlling factors restricting species to particular latitudinal zones. Furthermore, the presence of species with a regional distribution (endemics) can not be ruled out, indicating that other factors must be considered. The possible role of dispersal capacities and of dispersal rates in relation to the earth history and to the speciation of blue-green algae is discussed.

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  1. Department of Botany (B.22), University of Liège, Sart Tilman, B-4000, Liège, Belgium

    Lucien Hoffmann

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Hoffmann, L. 4. Geographic distribution of freshwater blue-green algae. Hydrobiologia 336, 33–40 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00010817

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