Composition and species richness phytoplankton in a subtropical floodplain lake: a long-term study

AIM: Phytoplankton species diversity in floodplain lakes is influenced by different conditions imposed by the hydrosedimentological regime of the main channel. This study evaluated the predictors of composition and species richness phytoplankton in the long-term scale, in a floodplain lake directly connected to the Paraná River. We hypothesized that species richness of the floodplain lake is directly related to the degree of connectivity with the main channel. METHODS: Quarterly samplings were conducted between February 2000 and March 2013 (except in 2001 and 2003), under the water surface of the pelagic zone of the lake. Data were analyzed with Spearman correlation, PCA, DCA, ANOVA and regression analysis. RESULTS: We identified 397 taxa with high contribution of rare species (72%). Chlorophyceans and diatoms were the most frequent groups. There was a trend of increasing of diatoms and decrease of cyanobacteria. The DCA showed differences in phytoplankton composition. The highest mean richness values were found in years with high number of days under potamophase. Significant differences between years were detected for total species richness and first axis of DCA. Regression analysis indicated that the predictors of species richness were Zeu and Zmax. CONCLUSION: The species richness phytoplankton of the floodplain lake is directly related to the level of connectivity with the main channel.