Ecological status assessment of tropical reservoirs through the assemblage index of phytoplankton functional groups

Abstract

The study assessed the ecological status of water supply reservoirs with different trophic states through the phytoplankton assemblage index (Q index). Integrated water and phytoplankton sampling were collected in euphotic zone of five tropical reservoirs (Upper Tietê river basin, São Paulo, Brazil) in the summer and winter (2010). Biovolume of functional groups was determined, and the Q index was applied at each site of the reservoirs. The composition of functional groups and biomass changed between the reservoirs and between the climatic periods. From upstream to downstream of the basin, the reservoirs showed the following qualification: Ribeirão do Campo (ultra-oligotrophic-excellent to good), Ponte Nova (oligotrophic-good), Paraitinga (mesotrophic-medium), Jundiaí (meso-eutrophic-medium to tolerable), Taiaçupeba (mesotrophic-tolerable to bad). Q index was significantly correlated with trophic state index (r =-0.81). Linear regression showed that Q index tended to decrease with the increasing in TP concentration. We conclude that the phytoplankton assemblage index showed consistently the spatial and temporal variation of the ecological status of different reservoirs in the study period. Our results evidenced that this biotic index can be a useful tool for monitoring and assessment of the ecological conditions of tropical reservoirs.

Phytoplankton succession in the anthropogenic and climate ecological transformation of freshwater ecosystems

“…Algofloristic studies have covered many regions of the world since the middle of the last century (Barinova et al, 2011;Omar & Makhlough, 2014;Xuehual et al, 2019). However, the data accumulated in the scientific literature are mainly related to the certain types of aquatic ecosystems (Santana et al, 2017;Rodrigues et al, 2018;Cupertino et al, 2019). The study of formation and functioning of the patterns of the main autotrophic link in typologically different water bodies under the influence of natural and anthropogenic factors using the basin principle on the example of the Ukrainian Polissia can contribute to the further development of ideas about changes in aquatic communities (Shelyuk & Shcherbak, 2018).…”

Phytoplankton Functional Groups Variation and Influencing Factors in a Shallow Temperate Lake

“…Phytoplankton assemblages are essential evaluating factors for water quality because of their short generation time and rapid response to environmental change (Reynolds et al, 2002;T¨or¨ok et al, 2017). Temporal variation in phytoplankton assemblages is typically related to changing physical, chemical, and biological variables (Calijuri et al, 2002;Santana et al, 2017). Although lack of any essential resource could potentially restrict algal growth, variation of phytoplankton assemblages is predominantly driven by water temperature, nutrients (in particular N and P), and light availability (Gebrehiwot et al, 2017;Reynolds, 2006).…”

The role of ecological groups in the formation of cyanobacterial communities in the ecosystems of the North Azov region (Ukraine)

“…Phytoplankton functional groups have been used to study the impact of changes in the aquatic environment on the physiological, morphological and ecological characteristics of phytoplankton in different rivers, lakes and waters around the world (Becker et al, 2009(Becker et al, , 2010Kruk et al, 2017;Rodrigues et al, 2018). The application of the methods of classifying the functional groups of phytoplankton in aquatic ecosystems provides the key data reflecting dynamics of phytoplankton communities (Santana et al, 2017;Cupertino et al, 2019;Yao et al, 2020).…”