Rio Mameyes diatoms in the Rio Mameyes from 1998 to 2001

Survey expeditions of the diatoms of Puerto Rico and other Caribbean islands were conducted briefly in the late 1800's and early 1900's,. However, until now no intensive study of changes in freshwater diatom community over time has been undertaken. In conjunction with other measures of quality of water in the Rio Mameyes, i.e. pH, conductivity, temperature, nutrients, periphytic diatoms have been collected monthly for two years in an effort to detect the effects of disturbances such as hurricanes and human demands on a river ecosystem. Support for this work was provided by grants BSR-8811902, DEB-9411973, DEB-9705814 , DEB-0080538, DEB-0218039 , DEB-0620910 , DEB-1239764, DEB-1546686, and DEB-1831952 from the National Science Foundation to the University of Puerto Rico as part of the Luquillo Long-Term Ecological Research Program. Additional support provided by the University of Puerto Rico and the International Institute of Tropical Forestry, USDA Forest Service.