Seasonal and spatial functional shifts in phytoplankton communities of five tropical reservoirs

Author(s)

Santana, Lucineide Maria ^[1] ; Weithoff, Guntram ^{[2, 3]} ; Ferragut, Carla ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Inst Bot, Nucleo Pesquisa Ecol, Av Miguel Stefano 3687, Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[2] Univ Potsdam, Inst Biochem & Biol, Dept Ecol & Ecosyst Modelling, Potsdam - Germany

^[3] Berlin Brandenburg Inst Adv Biodivers Res BBIB, Berlin - Germany

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: AQUATIC ECOLOGY; v. 51, n. 4, p. 531-543, DEC 2017.
• Web of Science Citations: 3

Abstract

Trait-based approaches have become increasingly important and valuable in understanding phytoplankton community assembly and composition. These approaches allow for comparisons between water bodies with different species composition. We hypothesize that similar changes in environmental conditions lead to similar responses with regard to functional traits of phytoplankton communities, regardless of trophic state or species composition. We studied the phytoplankton (species composition, community trait mean and diversity) of five reservoirs in Brazil along a trophic gradient from ultra-oligotrophic to meso-eutrophic. Samples at two seasons (summer/rainy and winter/dry) with a horizontal and vertical resolution were taken. Using multivariate analysis, the five reservoirs separated, despite some overlap, according to their environmental variables (mainly total phosphorus, conductivity, pH, chlorophyll a). However, between the seasonal periods, the reservoirs shifted in a similar direction in the multi-dimensional space. The seasonal response of the overall phytoplankton community trait mean differed between the ultra-oligotrophic and the other reservoirs, with three reservoirs exhibiting a very similar community trait mean despite considerable differences in species composition. Within-season differences between different water layers were low. The functional diversity was also unrelated to the trophic state of the reservoirs. Thus, seasonal environmental changes had strong influence on the functional characteristics of the phytoplankton community in reservoirs with distinct trophic condition and species composition. These results demonstrate that an ataxonomic trait-based approach is a relevant tool for comparative studies in phytoplankton ecology. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 11/24000-4 - Evaluation of spatial and seasonal phytoplankton community structure and phycoperiphyton reservoirs of different trophic states (Tietê River sub-basin, São Paulo, SP)
• Grantee: Lucineide Maria Santana
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• FAPESP's process: 09/53898-9 - Paleolimnological reconstruction of Guarapiranga Reservoir and diagnosis of water and sediment current quality of SPMR water supply reservoirs facing their management
• Grantee: Carlos Eduardo de Mattos Bicudo
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants