ALGAL DIVERSITY IN, AND THE DESCRIPTION OF THREE NEW DIATOM (BACILLARIOPHYTA) SPECIES FROM, LAKE OF THE CLOUDS, PORCUPINE MOUNTAINS WILDERNESS STATE PARK, MICHIGAN USA

摘要

The Lake of the Clouds, located inside the Porcupine Mountains and two miles away from Lake Superior, is a famous vista site within the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, Michigan. Even though several fishery surveys of the lake were released by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources in the 1940s, no known algal studies have been conducted. The Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park has experienced a relatively low level of anthropogenic disturbance compared to other regions of the Great Lakes, which makes it an appealing site for algal studies. This paper reports the exploratory research done by professors and students at the University of Michigan Biological Station on the algal diversity of the Lake of the Clouds. Water chemistry shows this lake to be slightly acidic and with low nutrients and low conductivity. In this study, fresh samples of algae and cleaned diatom samples were investigated. From the living algal samples, 7 algal divisions were observed. The inventory showed that, based on the number of genera recorded, the Chlorophyta is more diverse than other algal divisions. A total of 78 genera (excluding diatoms) and 29 species of algae were identified from the living samples. Nearly 150 species in 58 genera of diatoms (Bacillar-iophyta) were also recorded from the cleaned samples. Among the diatoms, three species new to science were identified and are described here. These are Brachysira ontonageniana Kociolek & Lowe, B. gatesii Kociolek & Lowe, and Gomphonema porcupiniana Kociolek & Lowe. This rich list of algal taxa is only the first step in exploring the algal diversity, microhabitats, and ecosystem of the Lake of the Clouds. The diversity of algal taxa found in this study suggests that further algal research on the Lake of the Clouds is warranted.