The composition and new records of micro- and mesophytoplankton near the Vitória-Trindade Seamount Chain

Abstract

In spite of the length of the Brazilian coastline, studies of marine phytoplankton species in offshore areas have been largely neglected. Regarding phytoplankton species composition, the aim was to assess biodiversity status, species frequency, and the similarities at different sites along the Vitoria-Trindade Seamount Chain. Phytoplankton net samples were analyzed. One hundred and seventy five infrageneric taxa were identified. They represented four phyla, viz., Cyanobacteria, Bacillariophyta, Dinophyta, and Ochrophyta. Dinophyta was the most diverse, and its genus Tripos the largest contributor. This genus also represented more than half of the most common taxa in the sampled area. Thirty-five new infrageneric taxa were recorded, 12 of which are new reports for Brazil. Neritic stations assemblages were markedly different from those of seamounts and deep offshore. The high species diversity, especially among dinoflagellates can be considered typical of tropical oligotrophic waters. The new records demonstrate the gap in knowledge of phytoplankton biodiversity in Brazil.

Saving the planet with appropriate biotechnology: 3. The high seas solution

“…A plankton survey near the Vitória-Trindade Seamount Chain identified 175 taxa, representing Cyanobacteria (photosynthetic bacteria, some nitrogen-fixing), Bacillariophyta (diatoms), Dinophyta (dinoflagellates), and Ochrophyta (brown and golden-brown algae). The greatest species diversity was seen among the dinoflagellates (Lubiana & Dias Júnior, 2016). These seamounts therefore appear to be hotspots of bacterial and alga-like primary productivity.…”

NUEVO REGISTRO DE LA ESPECIE Cladopyxis hemibrachiata DEL GRUPO DINOFLAGENADO PARA LA RESERVA DE LA BIOSFERA DE SEAFLOWER, CARIBE COLOMBIANO

“…Con respecto a las muestras de fitoplancton analizadas, se encontró que la especie C. hemibrachiata estuvo presente en tres (E1, E7 y E33) de las siete estaciones analizadas, con conteos de 4000 células/m 3 , representando 0.4% del total de especies identificadas pertenecientes al grupo de los dinoflagelados. Esta especie ha sido registrada recientemente para otras áreas, como la cadena submarina Vitória-Trindade en Brasil, cuya presencia fue para la mayoría de las estaciones evaluadas con 9 ocurrencias reportadas (Lubiana y Dias, 2016). En el Golfo de México, Steidinger et.…”