Influência da heterogeneidade espacial e da escala de tempo na estrutura e dinâmica da comunidade fitoplanctônica em um lago raso subtropical (Lagoa Mangueira, RS)

Abstract

The phytoplankton is formed by very different organisms of polyphyletic origin, composed mainly by autotrophic unicellular beings who are not able to overcome the current (FALKOVISK; RAVEN, 1997). The dynamics, distribution and structure of phytoplankton communities can be explained by a variety of biotic and abiotic factors related to environmental heterogeneity. The principal objective of the present study was evaluate the influence of spatial heterogeneity and the temporal, on the structure and dynamics of phytoplankton in a subtropical shallow lake (Mangueira Lagoon, RS). The study took place in the Mangueira Lagoon (southern Brazil), which is a shallow aquatic ecosystem (Zmax = 7 m) long (90 km long, 3-10 km wide), continuous hot polymictic, considered oligo-mesotrophic, under the direct influence of an adjacent wetland on the north and has its margins inhabited largely by aquatic macrophytes, especially in the south. Samples were taken in the subsurface of the water, quarterly, for two years, in 19 sites, including the pelagic and coastal zones and the southern, central and northern regions of the lagoon, for abiotic and biological analysis. Samples were also collected in short time intervals during 60 days in the pelagic and coastal zones in the south region. The structure of the phytoplankton community was analyzed by measures of chlorophyll a, biomass, richness, diversity of species, descriptors species and functional diversity. Cyanobacteria (e.g., Chroococcus limneticus, Aphanocapsa conferta, Aphanothece smithii, Planktolyngbya contorta) was the most representative group independently of region (southern, central or north) or zones (coastal or pelagic). It was observed a clear spatial pattern to the north of the lagoon, which showed higher values of total biomass and chlorophyll. However, richness and descriptors species showed no clear spatial pattern. The Redundancy Analysis (RDA) showed strong temporal organization of the species as a function of the abiotic scenario, indicating that the high degree of temporal variability due to the local hydrodynamics was the main determining factor of the structure of phytoplankton community in the Mangueira Lagoon during the period of study. The results of the analysis of functional diversity showed that there was no spatial organization considering the forms of life and the size structure of the phytoplankton community during the period of study, although the phytoplankton functional groups had responded to changes in resources, especially increasing its variety and contribution in the months of spring and summer, segregating the north of the lagoon, independently of the studied zones (pelagic and coastal). In short timescale the phytoplankton community from the pelagic area was more equitable than that from the coastal region over time. The contribution of the species Chroococcus limneticus, Aphanocapsa conferta and Aphanothece smithii from the 9th day in the pelagic region and practically the entire period studied in the coastal region indicate that despite the variation in precipitation and wind observed over time, steady-state of the phytoplankton community in environments strongly conditioned by hydrodynamics may occur.