First record of Ceratium furcoides (Dinophyta), an invasive species, in a temporary high-altitude lake in the Iron Quadrangle (MG, Southeast Brazil)

Abstract

Dinoflagellates of the genus Ceratium are generally marine organisms, but rare occurrences in freshwater have been observed in Brazil. In this paper we are recording for the first time the presence of Ceratium furcoides, an invasive species, in a shallow, natural intermittent pool formed at a high-altitude at the southern end of the Iron Quadrangle, an iron-mining district of Minas Gerais State (Southeast Brazil). Samples were collected in October and November of 2010 (rainy period). The population density of this organism observed in Lagoa Seca ("Dry Pool") was very low, at most 4 ind L -1. Mountain lakes are extremely vulnerable to atmospheric deposition of organisms, making them valuable witnesses both of the many forms of impact arising from human activities and of the extended global connections that facilitate the dispersion and introduction of new species over great distances. Studies on the population dynamics of C. furcoides in natural tropical systems are still rare and very recent to the brazilian scenario and hence the monitoring of its dynamics and the potential impact on aquatic communities of its becoming established are essential to an understanding of the process of bioinvasion by this species.Keywords: bioinvasion, dinoflagellate, Ceratium furcoides, high-altitude lake, Minas Gerais. Primeiro registro de Ceratium furcoides (Dinophyta), uma espécie invasora, em um lago temporário de alta altitude no Quadrilátero Ferrífero (MG, Sudeste do Brasil) ResumoDinoflagelados do gênero Ceratium são principalmente marinhos, porém existem raras ocorrências em água doce no Brasil. Neste estudo registramos pela primeira vez a ocorrência de Ceratium furcoides, uma espécie invasora em um lago altitudinal natural raso localizado na porção sul do Quadrilátero Ferrífero, uma área de extração mineral no estado de Minas Gerais. As coletas foram realizadas nos meses de outubro e novembro de 2010 (período chuvoso).As densidades observadas para C. furcoides na Lagoa Seca foram muito baixas, com máximo de 4 ind L -1 . Lagos de altitude são altamente vulneráveis à deposição atmosférica, o que os torna importantes testemunhos não só dos múltiplos impactos derivados de atividades humanas, mas também das extensas conexões globais, que acabam por facilitar a dispersão e introdução de espécies. Estudos sobre a dinâmica de C. furcoides em sistemas tropicais naturais ainda são escassos e por isso, o monitoramento de sua dinâmica e dos impactos potenciais em comunidades aquáticas a partir do seu estabelecimento, torna-se fundamental para o entendimento dos processos relacionados à bioinvasão desta espécie.Palavras-chave: bioinvasão, dinoflagelado, Ceratium furcoides, lago de alta altitude, Minas Gerais.

Record of the occurrence of dinoflagellate Ceratium furcoides in a fish farming lake located in the countryside of São Carlos (SP, Brazil)

“…Blooms of dinoflagellates, mainly the genus Ceratium sp., have been observed in some freshwater ecosystems, as described in the works of Nakano et al (1999), Ginkel et al (2001), Santos-Wisnieswki et al (2007), Matsumura-Tundisi et al (2010), Moreira et al (2015) and Almanza et al (2016).…”

Eutrophication strengthens the response of zooplankton to temperature changes in a high‐altitude lake

“…), and exotic species invasions (Moreira et al. ). Therefore, temperature variations and eutrophication might cause more dramatic changes in the zooplankton communities of high‐altitude lakes.…”

“…Recently, high-altitude lakes have been widely studied for their ecological sensitivity to environmental fluctuations (Manca and Armiraglio 2002), such as climate change (Nevalainen and Luoto 2012;Angeler et al 2013), human activities (Garcon et al 2012), and exotic species invasions (Moreira et al 2015). Therefore, temperature variations and eutrophication might cause more dramatic changes in the zooplankton communities of high-altitude lakes.…”

Potential distribution of the invasive freshwater dinoflagellate Ceratium furcoides (Levander) Langhans (Dinophyta) in South America

“…, Moreira et al. ). Similarly, the occurrence of this dinoflagellate was first reported in Argentina and Paraguay for the High Paraná River in 2014 (Meichtry de Zaburlín et al.…”

“…In Brazil, the species was recorded for the first time in the state of Minas Gerais in 2007, and its occurrence was considered to be rare (Santos-Wisniewski et al 2007, Oliveira et al 2011. However, C. furcoides has been recorded in rivers and reservoirs across several Brazilian basins in at least eight of the 26 states of this country, which indicates an ongoing expansion process (Matsumura-Tundisi et al 2010, Oliveira et al 2011, Amazonas et al 2012, M€ uller et al 2012, Nishimura 2012, Bressane et al 2013, Cavalcante et al 2013, Cortez 2013, Jati et al 2014, Moreira et al 2015. Similarly, the occurrence of this dinoflagellate was first reported in Argentina and Paraguay for the High Paran a River in 2014 (Meichtry de Zaburl ın et al 2014), and now it is known to occur in at least five of the 23 Argentinean provinces (i.e., Corrientes, Entre R ıos, Misiones, Salta, Santa Fe; Barreda 2014, Meichtry de Zaburl ın et al 2014, Salusso and Moraña 2014.…”