Dinâmica de fitoplâncton e variáveis limnológicas no reservatório de General Sampaio, semiárido do Ceará

Abstract

Temporal fluctuations as those derived from seasonal variations and disturbances, may have an important role in maintaining the structure and diversity of biota. The Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis states that the general characteristics of communities and population dynamics, especially the species richness may change the face of disturbances in ecosystems. Aquatic environments are subject to high temporal variability as a result of interactions between physical, chemical, and biological parameters. Consequently, species composition and relative abundance of populations and communities are subject to frequent rearrangements. This study aimed to evaluate the trophic conditions of the General Sampaio Reservoir, which is situated in the semiarid Ceará State of Brazil. We used the Trophic State Index (TSI) proposed by Toledo et al. (1983), and related it to species diversity, the relative abundance of phytoplankton and the variation of annual rainfall. We obtained climatic and physics data, Secchi disc transparency, total phosphorus, orthophosphate, nitrate, nitrite, ammonia, total nitrogen and chlorophyll a, in parallel to the sampling of phytoplankton for species identification and the calculation of the number counts. There was seasonal variability in the variables that were analyzed for the rainy versus dry climatic periods. Trophic conditions indicated the presence of oligotrophic to eutrophic conditions during the research in this reservoir. This variation facilitated favorable conditions for Chlorophyceae dominance during the rains periods, and for cyanobacteria dominance during the dry periods. Thus, it may be argued that the trophic state and relative abundance of phytoplankton is related to seasonal fluctuations in the hydrology of the reservoir system, which reflects a unique feature of semiarid regions.