Microfitoplâncton de águas costeiras amazônicas: Ilha Canela (Bragança, PA, Brasil)

Abstract

Seasonal and nyctemeral variations of the microphytoplankton were studied at a fixed station (00º46'37.2''S-046º43'24.5''W) on Canela Island (North Brazil) in September and December/2004 (dry season) and in March and June/2005 (rainy season). Samples for qualitative phytoplankton studies were obtained by filtering 400 L of surface water in the surf zone of the island through plankton nets (65 μm mesh size). Field work was carried out during spring tides and samples were collected every 3 hours during a 24-hour period. The collected material was fixed in neutral formaldehyde at 4%. Simultaneously, salinity of the water surface was also measured. Salinity showed significant variation throughout the study period, ranging from 26.1 (June/2005) to 39.0 (December/2004), characterizing the environment as euhaline-polyhaline. A total of 130 taxa were identified, belonging to Cyanophyta (two taxa), Bacillariophyta (115 taxa) and Dinophyta (13 taxa). Diatoms were the dominant group of microphytoplankton at Canela Islan