Temporal variation in phytoplankton community in a freshwater coastal lake of southern Brazil

AIM: The aim of the present study was to study the vertical variation in phytoplankton community in a subtropical coastal lake and to verify the temporal variation of this community following variation in temperature and dissolved nitrogen and phosphorus. METHODS: Sampling of phytoplankton and abiotic variables were performed monthly from June/2009 to January/2011 at four depths from the central part of Peri Lake. The data were analyzed using analysis of variance, correlation and canonical correspondence analysis. RESULTS: Vertical variation in the phytoplankton community and limnological data did not occur but temporal variation was found. The lake was limited by light and nutrients and this light limitation selected the Cyanobacteria species from Sn and S1 functional groups. Phytoplankton community was composed of five groups, with 31 freshwater taxa, in which Cyanobacteria was the most important with 87.7% of total density and Chlorophyta with 11.8%. Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii was dominant during almost the whole study period because when temperature and phosphorus increased and wind speed decreased Limnothrix sp. density was boosted. Different species of Cyanobacteria filamentous showed correlation with variables in different ways, indicating that some species can co-exist, each of them having distinct niches or can compete by the same resource. CONCLUSION: The phytoplankton presented periodicity driven by annual change in water temperature and nutrients availability. Peri Lake's features allow for the occurrence of a vertically homogeneous water column and the dominance of cyanobacterial functional groups adapted to low underwater light and nutrients deficienc

Evaluation of the sampling methods applied to phycoperiphyton studies in the Ratones River estuary, Brazil

AIM: The present study aimed on testing the efficiency of four sampling methods for identification and quantification applied in studies on the biodiversity and spatial-temporal distribution of the phycoperiphyton in the Ratones River estuary; METHODS: The sampling were carried out in three sampling stations along the Ratones River in March and August 2008. The methodologies used for the separation of the periphyton from the sediment were made with the use of sieves and trapping tissue. A removing method through manual agitation and "in situ" analysis was used for epiphytes. To evaluate the efficiency of the methodology for periphyton, data on phytoplankton was included for comparative reasons; RESULTS: The trapping method option was the most appropriate for removing the live specimens from the sediment, and to try to minimize the problems found with the other two methodologies tested. In the case of the epiphytic microalgae the best counting technique resulted from the "in situ" method; CONCLUSIONS: In summary, the results presented here support the difficulties faced in studying phycoperiphytic samples in estuaries, which are shallow and dynamic environments, and for that reason the communities occurring in these areas are constantly influenced by the sediment

Composition of the periphytic diatom community of the Jaú river, Amazonas, Brazil

The periphytic diatom flora of the Jaú River, a tributary of the Negro River, in Amazonia (2º 57' S; 61º49' W) was studied. Algae were collected manually during the high water periods of 1995, 1996 and 1997 and permanent slides prepared from this material were deposited in the FLOR Herbarium of the Federal University of Santa Catarina. Sixty specific and infra-specific taxa were identified, distributed among 16 genuses and 13 families. Eunotiaceae was the best represented family, with 43.3% of all taxa inventoried, followed by Pinnulariaceae with 21.6% and Surirellaceae with 11.6%. Accounting for 20 taxa. Eunotia and Pinnularia were the dominant genuses and showed the broadest morphological variation. Eunotia was the best. The relevant literature for each taxon was reveiwed and discussed.", 'enFoi realizado um estudo da flora perifítica de diatomáceas (Bacillariophyceae) existente no Rio Jaú, tributário do Rio Negro, Amazônia (2º57'S e 61º49'W). As coletas foram realizadas manualmente nas cheias de 1995, 1996 e 1997, e as lâminas permanentes encontram-se depositadas no Herbário FLOR, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina. Foram identificados 60 táxons específicos e infra-específicos, distribuidos em 16 gêneros e 13 famílias. Eunotiaceae foi a família melhor representada, com 43,3% do total dos táxons inventariados, seguida de Pinnulariaceae com 21,6% e Surirellaceae com 11,6%. O gênero Eunotia destacou-se dentre os demais com 20 táxons. Eunotia e Pinnularia foram os gêneros mais abundantes da flora diatomológica e os que apresentaram maior variação morfológica. Para cada táxon identificado foi feita uma revisão de literatura que incluem diversos aspectos ecológicos