The phytoplankton biodiversity of the coast of the state of São Paulo, Brazil

Abstract

Abstract:The objective of this study is to compile the inventory of nearly 100 years of research about the phytoplankton species cited for the coast of the state of São Paulo, Brazil. A state-of-the-art study on the local biodiversity has long been needed to provide a baseline for future comparisons. This type of data is scattered in old scientific journals and in the so-called "grey literature", and are in need of nomenclature updating. Twentysix publications are considered. The earliest sampling record is from 1913 (?) and the most recent from 2002. This checklist compiled from the literature was complemented with primary data collected between August 2004 and July 2006, recent surveys of the surf-zone of 20 beaches located along the coast and of a mariculture farm at the Cocanha Beach, Caraguatatuba. The complete species list includes 572 taxa: most are diatoms (82%), seconded by dinoflagellates (16%), with a minor contribution of silicoflagellates, coccolithophorids, ebriideans and cyanobacteria. The most investigated areas were: Ubatuba, São Sebastião, Santos and Cananéia. The recent surveys have a broader spatial coverage. The objectives of the studies have changed over the years from purely taxonomic to process-oriented investigations. Therefore, the longest species lists and most first records for the area were published before the 1980's and later publications, even those in which cell counts were performed, mention only the most abundant/frequent species. Electron microscopy was used for the first time in the present surveys, and new records include 38 diatoms, 42 dinoflagellates, 1 silicoflagellate, 1 ebriidean and 2 cyanobacteria. The use and interpretation of this species list require the perception of some constraints. It is not our role to question the identification made by other researchers. On the other hand, the ability to sample, analyze and identify species has evolved over the years and some considerations in this regard are presented.

Variação temporal do microfitoplâncton no Canal Estuarino de Santos (SP)

“…Em uma revisão recente, compilando quase 100 anos (entre 1913 e 2002, e novos dados entre 2004 e 2006) de dados taxonômicos do microfitoplâncton, em águas costeiras do estado de São Paulo, Villac et al (2008) apontam o Sistema Estuarino de Santos como uma das regiões mais estudadas, embora seja notável a descontinuidade temporal e espacial no conjunto de dados. Entre todas as espécies do fitoplâncton, as diatomáceas cêntricas e penadas em cadeia, como Asterionellopsis glacialis, Guinardia striata e espécies de Pseudo-nitzschia, são citadas em 51% a 80% dos estudos.…”

Temporal variability of chlorophyll-a in the São Vicente estuary

“…and Skeletonema cf. costatum, as other chain-forming diatoms, usually increase in abundance during summer neap tides, they are commonly found in this estuarine system (see a list of studies in the review of Villac et al (2008)) and can be considered as estuarine or local mixers (MOSER et al, 2012). Nonetheless, qualitative microscopic data from the second bloom revealed high densities of Thalassiosira sp chains and dinoflagellates such as Alexandrium sp.…”

“…Early studies report summer and winter phytoplankton blooms dominated, respectively, by Skeletonema cf. costatum and Asterionellopsis glacialis (MOSER et al, 2012;VILLAC et al, 2008). Moser et al (2012) reviewed the dynamics of the phytoplankton in Santos bay and concluded that changes in microphytoplankton communities occur mainly in response to episodic changes in wind speed and direction and tides, but the results presented also give evidence of alterations in the temporal patterns of [Chl] and phytoplankton species composition during recent blooms.…”

Caracterização quali-quantitativa do fitoplâncton da zona de arrebentação de uma praia amazônica

“…Dentre os grupos microalgais, as diatomáceas foram as principais responsáveis pela elevada riqueza taxonômica e abundância relativa na área em estudo. Estes organismos estão frequentemente associadas a regiões de frentes oceânicas caracterizadas por uma coluna de água turbulenta e sob efeito de correntes de alta velocidade (Reynolds 1997;Tilstone et al 2000;Smayda 2002), sendo a predominância das mesmas referida para a maioria dos ambientes costeiros do nordeste paraense que sofrem forte influência marinha (Sousa et al 2008;Santana et al 2010;Costa et al 2011;Matos et al 2011;Sodré et al 2011), bem como para outros ambientes do litoral brasileiro (Honorato da Azevedo et al 2008;Villac et al 2008).…”