Freshwater Algae of North America: book review
We frequently utilized the first edition of this book for educational purposes, because it provides an excellent summarization of the most important characteristics of freshwater microalgae of the temperate zone (Wehr & Sheath 2003). Thus, we welcome new edition and we expect that it will become the basic guide for phycologists during the next decade.
New edition is a result of fruitful cooperation of a large author collective, mostly composed of top specialists in phycology. It is worthy to buy second edition containing updated references, illustrations, methods and approaches. Moreover, an alteration of species concepts, which is a result of expanding molecular and phylogenetic research during the last decade, is projected there. Some chapters have been added or enlarged (Harmful algal blooms, Habitats of freshwater algae), others were reorganized. Colour images and colorized drawings replaced or replenished black–and–white drawings or photos. Although the quality of colour images varied between chapters, there are mostly high quality microphotographs. Particularly Chapter 10, dealing with Photosynthetic Euglenophytes, contains excellent images which are enough instructive to help beginners with identification of this hyperactive organisms. Colour images of living diatoms in Chapter 16 show overlooked cytology of this algal groups, which makes of this book an exception, because their study is almost exclusively based on dead frustules. Another well illustrated chapters are Chrysophyceae, Synurophyte Algae, Dinoflagellates, Cryptomonads. Finally, a myriad of new electron microscopy (both scanning and transmission) images of good quality have been added to several chapters.
Accepted: June 1, 2016; Prepublished online: June 1, 2016; Published: October 14, 2016 Show citation
