Phytoplankton and water quality parameters in the Patos Lagoon estuary and adjacent marine coast

Study Extent

Phytoplankton and water quality parameters have been continuously sampled since 1993/1994 i.e., the time series comprise over twenty years of environmental and biological data.

Sampling

The following physical water parameters are obtained in situ: temperature (mercury thermometer); salinity (optical refractometer or conductivimeter Yellow Spring, mod. 33 SCT); water transparency (Secchi disk). Surface water is sampled with a bucket and stored in the dark in plastic bottles for the analysis of dissolved inorganic nutrients and chlorophyll-a in the laboratory.

Quality Control

Responsible researchers and the classical methods are the same employed since the beginning of the time series. Thus, methodology influence is minimal. Technical assistance for sampling and nutrient analysis changed during the years, and also of phytoplankton counting (six persons), always under supervision of the responsible researchers. For quality purpose, species listed correspond to quantitative analysis only.

Method steps

1. For phytoplankton counting, samples are stored in ambar glass bottles and fixed with lugol´s solution (2%). Plankton is also concentrated by horizontal tows using a 20 μm mesh size plankton net and stored in glass bottles fixed with fomaldehyde (4%) neutralized with hexamethylentetramine.

1. Alexandrium fraterculus
   rank: species
2. Asterionellopsis guyunusae
   rank: species
3. Aulacoseira granulata
   rank: species
4. Bacillaria paxillifera
   rank: species
5. Binuclearia lauterbornii
   rank: species
6. Campylosira cymbelliformis
   rank: species
7. Campylosira cymbelliformis
   rank: species
8. Cerataulina bicornis
   rank: species
9. Ceratium tripos
   rank: species
10. Ceratoneis closterium
    rank: species
11. Chaetoceros subtilis
    rank: species
12. Coscinodiscus wailesii
    rank: species
13. Dactyliosolen fragilissimus
    rank: species
14. Detonula pumila
    rank: species
15. Dictyocha fibula
    rank: species
16. Dinophysis acuminata
    rank: species
17. Dinophysis caudata
    rank: species
18. Ditylum brightwellii
    rank: species
19. Guinardia delicatula
    rank: species
20. Guinardia flaccida
    rank: species
21. Gyrodinium fusus
    rank: species
22. Leptocylindrus danicus
    rank: species
23. Leptocylindrus minimus
    rank: species
24. Melosira moniliformis
    rank: species
25. Meuniera membranacea
    rank: species
26. Neocalyptrella robusta
    rank: species
27. Noctiluca scintillans
    rank: species
28. Odontella mobiliensis
    rank: species
29. Paralia sulcata
    rank: species
30. Peridinium quinquecorne
    rank: species
31. Polykrikos schwartzii
    rank: species
32. Prorocentrum compressum
    rank: species
33. Prorocentrum cordatum
    rank: species
34. Prorocentrum micans
    rank: species
35. Prorocentrum scutellum
    rank: species
36. Pseudosolenia calcar-avis
    rank: species
37. Rhizosolenia setigera
    rank: species
38. Scrippsiella trochoidea
    rank: species
39. Skeletonema costatum
    rank: species
40. Skeletonema tropicum
    rank: species
41. Stephanopyxis turris
    rank: species
42. Thalassionema nitzschioides
    rank: species
43. Trieres chinensis
    rank: species
44. Tripos furca
    rank: species
45. Zygoceros rhombus
    rank: species
46. Chaetoceros (Hyalochaeta)
    rank: subgenus
47. Chaetoceros (Phaoceros)
    rank: subgenus
48. Akashiwo sanguinea
    rank: species
49. Akashiwo
    rank: genus
50. Alexandrium
    rank: genus
51. Amphidinium
    rank: genus
52. Aphanocapsa
    rank: genus
53. Asterionellopsis
    rank: genus
54. Aulacoseira
    rank: genus
55. Bacillaria
    rank: genus
56. Bacteriastrum
    rank: genus
57. Binuclearia
    rank: genus
58. Campylosira
    rank: genus
59. Cerataulina
    rank: genus
60. Ceratium
    rank: genus
61. Ceratoneis
    rank: genus
62. Chaetoceros
    rank: genus
63. Coscinodiscus
    rank: genus
64. Dactyliosolen
    rank: genus
65. Detonula
    rank: genus
66. Dictyocha
    rank: genus
67. Dinophysis
    rank: genus
68. Diploneis
    rank: genus
69. Ditylum
    rank: genus
70. Entomoneis
    rank: genus
71. Guinardia
    rank: genus
72. Gyrodinium
    rank: genus
73. Gyrosigma
    rank: genus
74. Hemiaulus
    rank: genus
75. Leptocylindrus
    rank: genus
76. Leptolyngbya
    rank: genus
77. Lithodesmium
    rank: genus
78. Melosira
    rank: genus
79. Mesodinium
    rank: genus
80. Meuniera
    rank: genus
81. Microcystis
    rank: genus
82. Neocalyptrella
    rank: genus
83. Nitzschia
    rank: genus
84. Noctiluca
    rank: genus
85. Odontella
    rank: genus
86. Paralia
    rank: genus
87. Peridinium
    rank: genus
88. Planktolyngbya
    rank: genus
89. Pleurosigma
    rank: genus
90. Polykrikos
    rank: genus
91. Proboscia
    rank: genus
92. Prorocentrum
    rank: genus
93. Protoperidinium
    rank: genus
94. Pseudo-nitzschia
    rank: genus
95. Pseudosolenia
    rank: genus
96. Pterosperma
    rank: genus
97. Raphidiopsis
    rank: genus
98. Rhizosolenia
    rank: genus
99. Scrippsiella
    rank: genus
100. Skeletonema
     rank: genus
101. Stephanopyxis
     rank: genus
102. Surirella
     rank: genus
103. Synedra
     rank: genus
104. Thalassionema
     rank: genus
105. Thalassiosira
     rank: genus
106. Torodinium
     rank: genus
107. Trieres
     rank: genus
108. Tripos
     rank: genus
109. Aphanizomenonaceae
     rank: family
110. Aphanothecaceae
     rank: family
111. Aulacoseiraceae
     rank: family
112. Bacillariaceae
     rank: family
113. Ceratiaceae
     rank: family
114. Chaetocerotaceae
     rank: family
115. Coscinodiscaceae
     rank: family
116. Cymatosiraceae
     rank: family
117. Dictyochaceae
     rank: family
118. Dinophysiaceae
     rank: family
119. Diploneidaceae
     rank: family
120. Entomoneidaceae
     rank: family
121. Eupodiscaceae
     rank: family
122. Eutreptiaceae
     rank: family
123. Fragilariaceae
     rank: family
124. Gloeotilaceae
     rank: family
125. Gonyaulacaceae
     rank: family
126. Gymnodiniaceae
     rank: family
127. Hemiaulaceae
     rank: family
128. Leptocylindraceae
     rank: family
129. Leptolyngbyaceae
     rank: family
130. Lithodesmiaceae
     rank: family
131. Melosiraceae
     rank: family
132. Merismopediaceae
     rank: family
133. Mesodiniidae
     rank: family
134. Microcystaceae
     rank: family
135. Naviculaceae
     rank: family
136. Noctilucaceae
     rank: family
137. Nostocaceae
     rank: family
138. Paraliaceae
     rank: family
139. Peridiniaceae
     rank: family
140. Pleurosigmataceae
     rank: family
141. Polykrikaceae
     rank: family
142. Prorocentraceae
     rank: family
143. Protoperidiniaceae
     rank: family
144. Pseudanabaenaceae
     rank: family
145. Pterospermataceae
     rank: family
146. Rhizosoleniaceae
     rank: family
147. Skeletonemaceae
     rank: family
148. Stephanopyxidaceae
     rank: family
149. Surirellaceae
     rank: family
150. Thalassionemataceae
     rank: family
151. Thalassiosiraceae
     rank: family
152. Triceratiaceae
     rank: family
153. Aulacoseirales
     rank: order
154. Bacillariales
     rank: order
155. Chaetocerotanae incertae sedis
     rank: order
156. Chattonellales
     rank: order
157. Chroococcales
     rank: order
158. Conjugatophyceae
     rank: order
159. Coscinodiscales
     rank: order
160. Cyclotrichiida
     rank: order
161. Cymatosirales
     rank: order
162. Dictyochales
     rank: order
163. Dinophysiales
     rank: order
164. Eupodiscales
     rank: order
165. Eutreptiida
     rank: order
166. Fragilariales
     rank: order
167. Gonyaulacales
     rank: order
168. Gymnodiniales
     rank: order
169. Halosphaerales
     rank: order
170. Hemiaulales
     rank: order
171. Leptocylindrales
     rank: order
172. Lithodesmiales
     rank: order
173. Melosirales
     rank: order
174. Naviculales
     rank: order
175. Noctilucales
     rank: order
176. Nostocales
     rank: order
177. Oscillatoriales
     rank: order
178. Paraliales
     rank: order
179. Peridiniales
     rank: order
180. Prorocentrales
     rank: order
181. Rhizosoleniales
     rank: order
182. Surirellales
     rank: order
183. Synechococcales
     rank: order
184. Thalassionematales
     rank: order
185. Thalassiosirales
     rank: order
186. Triceratiales
     rank: order
187. Ulotrichales
     rank: order
188. Bacillariophyta
     rank: phylum
189. Charophyta
     rank: phylum
190. Chlorophyta
     rank: phylum
191. Ciliophora
     rank: phylum
192. Cryptophyta
     rank: phylum
193. Cyanobacteria
     rank: phylum
194. Euglenozoa
     rank: phylum
195. Myzozoa
     rank: phylum
196. Ochrophyta
     rank: phylum
197. Bacillariophyceae
     rank: class
198. Chlorophyceae
     rank: class
199. Conjugatophyceae
     rank: class
200. Cryptophyceae
     rank: class
201. Cyanophyceae
     rank: class
202. Dictyochophyceae
     rank: class
203. Dinophyceae
     rank: class
204. Euglenoidea
     rank: class
205. Euglenophyceae
     rank: class
206. Litostomatea
     rank: class
207. Mediophyceae
     rank: class
208. Prasinophyceae
     rank: class
209. Pyramimonadophyceae
     rank: class
210. Raphidophyceae
     rank: class
211. Trebouxiophyceae
     rank: class
212. Ulvophyceae
     rank: class
213. Bacteria
     rank: kingdom
214. Chromista
     rank: kingdom
215. Plantae
     rank: kingdom
216. Protozoa
     rank: kingdom

The Patos Lagoon at the southern Brazilian coastal plain (Rio Grande do Sul state) is the largest (10,360 km2) choked lagoon in the world stretching in a NE SW direction from the city of Porto Alegre (30°30’ S) to Rio Grande (32°12’ S). In the southern estuarine region, approximately 10 % of total area, a single and narrow inlet connects this lagoon to the Atlantic Ocean. The major tributary rivers at the northern and central areas of Patos Lagoon, and the São Gonçalo channel at the southern area, are significant freshwater sources from an extensive drainage basin. The hydrodynamics of Patos Lagoon estuary is strongly controlled by the discharge of tributary rivers and the action of predominant meteorological factors like winds, rainfall and evaporation.