Spatial and temporal variations of Dinophyceae in subtropical reservoirs in southern Brazil

Abstract

Knowledge of dinoflagellate diversity in Brazilian reservoirs is limited, especially in subtropical environments. We investigated as to how nutrients and other environmental variables influenced the biomass of Dinophyceae species in three subtropical ecosystems. The reservoirs Samuara, Faxinal, and São Miguel were sampled fortnightly from 2002 to 2006, and eight dinoflagellate taxa were identified. High temperature was a determining factor for the occurrence of Peridinium africanum Lemmermann. Peridinium umbonatum Stein and P. willei HuitfeldKass required high concentrations of nutrients. P. willei was inversely related to temperature and directly related to nutrients. P. umbonatum Stein var.umbonatum Stein showed the largest range of tolerance toward resources. Durinskia baltica Carty & Cox and Peridinium gatunense Nygaard could be opportunistic, since they did not show any spatial or temporal pattern.

Ceratium furcoides (Levander) Langhans in reservoirs at the Ebro watershed, Spain and Sao Paulo state, Brazil

“…Ceratium abundance was associated with nutrient availability, especially phosphate and nitrate (Cavalcante et al, 2013). Similar results were found by , for dinoflagellates in Hungarian water bodies, and Cardoso et al (2010), in subtropical reservoirs of Caxias do Sul.…”

First record of a bloom of the invasive species Ceratium furcoides (Levander) Langhans 1925 in Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil

“…Regarding Rio Grande do Sul state, the study by Cardoso et al (2010) in four meso-eutrophic reservoirs identified eight species of Dinophyceae. Species of Ceratium, however, were not registered by these authors, so this genus had not, to date, been registered in freshwater reservoirs within the state.…”