Freshwater biodiversity of Guam. 1. Introduction, with new records of ciliates and a heliozoan.

Abstract

Inland waters are the most endangered ecosystems in the world because of complex threats and management problems, yet the freshwater microbial eukaryotes and microinvertebrates are generally not well known and from Guam are virtually unknown. Photodocumentation can provide useful information on such organisms. In this paper we document protists from mostly lentic inland waters of Guam and report twelve freshwater ciliates, especially peritrichs, which are the first records of ciliates from Guam or Micronesia. We also report a species of Raphidiophrys (Heliozoa). Undergraduate students can meaningfully contribute to knowledge of regional biodiversity through individual or class projects using photodocumentation.