Resumo

DRECKMANN, Kurt M.; SENTIES G., Abel; PEDROCHE, Francisco F.  e  CALLEJAS J., Mariana. Diagnostic of the benthic marine phycology in Chiapas. Hidrobiológica [online]. 2006, vol.16, n.2, pp.147-158. ISSN 0188-8897.

The checklist of macroalgae for 17 localities in the coast of Chiapas involves 53 species, including 16 Chlorophyta, 8 Phaeophyta, and 29 species of Rhodophyta. From this list, 32 species grow in estuarine habitats. Floristic affinities between Chiapas estuaries and those from the Gulf of Mexico and north of Quintana Roo, together with the fossil record, suggest an early contact during the Eocene and Miocene. The presence of two red macroalgae (one of them not clearly classified) in the deep benthos from Chiapas off shore, confirm, biologically, the up-welling process detected at the area with physical and chemical techniques. Floristic affinities with the coasts of Oaxaca, Michoacán, Colima, Jalisco, Nayarit and Sinaloa, support the characterization of an area with strong interchange of tropical, sub tropical, and temperate elements. We called this phycofloristic-mosaic. We discuss on the possibilities of integrating theory of island biogeography to future phycological studies in estuarine habitats.

Palavras-chave : Benthic macroalgae; floristics affinities; estuarine phycoflora; Chiapas; mexican Pacific.