Temporal occurrence of Ceratium furcoides (Dinophyceae: Ceratiaceae) during an extreme drought season in Pernambuco state, Northeast Brazil

Abstract

Abstract Ceratium furcoides is an invasive species that has caused ecological imbalance in several reservoirs in Brazil. This study investigates the main factors that may favor the occurrence of Ceratium furcoides blooms in a tropical reservoir from the Northeast Brazil, during an extreme drought season. Samples containing phytoplankton were collected monthly from February to September 2017. Quantitative analysis of C. furcoides was performed and the cell volume was estimated using geometric formulas. Mean bio…