The Blue-Green Algae attempts to assemble a unified picture of blue-green algae as living organisms. It describes the organism's general features of form and structure, cellular organization, cell biology, gas vacuoles, and movements. The book addresses the culture, nutrition, growth, photosynthesis, chemosynthesis, heterotrophy, respiration, nitrogen metabolism, differentiation, reproduction, and life cycles of the blue-green algae. The organisms' freshwater and terrestrial ecology, pathogens, symbiosis, evolution, and phylogeny are also explained. These organisms form a substantial fraction of the biomass in several important types of habitat. Consequently, it is desirable to understand their activities if natural resources are to be conserved and used to best advantage. This book will be useful to students and research workers in this field of interest.

The Netherlands are a small country, characterized by a large diversity of fresh to slightly brackish, oligo- to hypereutrophic stagnant and flowing inland waters. This diversity is reflected in a remarkable richness of phytoplankton species with blue-green algae as an important component. Identification of phytoplankton frequently brings on serious problems, due to the scarcity of up-to-date floras. This book, written by an acknowledged Dutch phytoplankton expert, presents a new modern approach to the identification of phytoplankton of The Netherlands. • treats 95 species belonging to 23 genera of non-filamentous blue-green algae in the plankton of Dutch inland waters including one new genus and 15 new species • nomenclature according to modern insights and in agreement with international rules • 500 original black-and-white photographs show all the details necessary for light-microscopical identification • contains an identification key to the species and comparing every species to similar forms • information on ecology and occurrence in different water types • relevant literature references