Phytoplankton in Coqueiro Lake (Pantanal de Poconé, Mato Grosso, Brazil)

• Main Authors: Sandra Francisca Marçal, Simoni Maria Loverde-Oliveira
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina 2015-05-01
• Series: Biotemas
• Subjects: Biodiversity; Floristic composition; Shallow lakes
• Online Access: https://periodicos.ufsc.br/index.php/biotemas/article/view/2175-7925.2015v28n2p9

Studies on floristic composition are key to understand qualiquantitative changes on phytoplankton assemblages over the year. Spatial-temporal variation in composition, richness, frequency of occurrence, and abundance (semi-quantitative) of the phytoplankton community was analyzed monthly (from April 2002 to May 2003), at 3 stations, in Coqueiro Lake (Pantanal, Mato Grosso, Brazil). We registered 256 taxa, mainly represented by Zygnematophyceae (36%), Chlorophyceae (21%), and Euglenophyceae (14%). The highest abundance occurred at the limnetic station (2), but Bacillariophyceae, Cyanophyceae, Chlorophyceae, and Zygnematophyceae prevailed at the 3 stations. The highest average richness was obtained at the littoral station (3), but this station showed a significantly lower abundance (p < 0.05) than the 2 limnetic stations. The system was characterized for higher contributions of Chlorophyceae in the falling water period, Bacillariophyceae in the low waters, Cyanophyceae in the rising waters and Zygnematophyceae in the high waters, and, on average, the highest richness and abundance were registered in the drought (Aulacoseira spp., Coelastrum spp., Anabaena spp., Aphanocapsa minutissima, Planktolyngbya spp. and Eutetramorus fottii). The attributes of phytoplankton community showed spatial and temporal variations, influenced by the presence of macrophytes, but defined, above all, by seasonal hydrologic changes, caused by the flooding pulse.