Algae from experimental pools on the Dead Sea coast, Israel

We studied algal assemblages from 24 experimental pools on the western coast of the Dead Sea, with a salinity gradient from 0.914‰ to 30‰. In 48 samples of periphyton and phytoplankton we found 86 species from 47 genera belonging to six divisions. About a quarter of the species (21) are new for the algoflora of continental Israel and six of them represent the first recorded genera. Taxonomic analysis showed the leading role of two divisions, Chlorophyta and Bacillariophyta, comprising more than 50% of the total species richness, with the green algae prevailing. The large number of species unknown in natural habitats is explained by their survival in the ecologically undersaturated communities of experimental pools.