Edélti Faria Albertoni

Crescimento e fator de condição na fase juvenil de Farfantepenaeus brasiliensis (Latreille) e F. paulensis (Pérez-Farfante) (Crustacea, Decapoda, Penaeidae) em uma lagoa costeira tropical do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil

The growth relations of the shrimps Farfantepenaeus brasiliensis (Latreille, 1817) and F. paulensis (Perez-Farfante, 1967) were evaluated at Imboassica lagoon, Macae, Rio de Janeiro State, between June 1995 and September 1997, in four periods after events of sandbar opening. This sandbar separated the lagoon from the Atlantic Ocean. Through the evaluation of the weight/length relationships for the two species, significant differences in each interval after the sandbar openings were observed, as much among males and females as among all individuals of the same species. The results indicated that both species presented negative allometric growth in most of the studied occasions. The frequency and abundance of the two species in the lagoon is linked to many factors, among them the season of the sandbar opening, the span of time in which the sandbar remains opened, and the presence of a reproductive stock of adults close to the area when the sandbar is open. Through the analysis of the relative condition factor (Kr), it was verified that usually the conditions inside the lagoon are favorable to the development of both species, with the exception of the occasions when the sandbar opening events happen quickly and close to each other, allowing to conclude that the sandbar openings have an influence on the growth rates and in the general status of the organisms.

Macrófitas aquáticas como indicadores da qualidade da água em pequenos lagos rasos subtropicais, Sul do Brasil

Abstract: Aims: We evaluated the potential of aquatic macrophyte communities as bioindicators in six small shallow lakes. Methods: The sampling was conducted monthly for one year, during which all macrophytes were surveyed, and the water temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, conductivity, total alkalinity, chlorophyll- a , suspended matter, total nitrogen (Nt) and total phosphorus (Pt) were measured. Results: In total, forty-three species were recorded, and there were significant differences in the species richness and limnological conditions among the lakes studied. A canonical correspondence analysis showed that the concentration of nutrients (Nt and Pt), chlorophyll- a , suspended matter, dissolved oxygen and pH were the most important predictors of the distribution of macrophytes. Some emergents were related to the high concentration of nutrients, chlorophyll- a , and suspended matter. Moreover, the most submersed species were associated with environments with low nutrient concentrations and the lowest values chlorophyll-

Feeding ecology and basal food sources that sustain the Paradoxal frog Pseudis minuta: a multiple approach combining stomach content, prey availability, and stable isotopes

In the present study, we investigated ontogenetic diet shifts, feeding strategy, prey preferences, and basal food sources that sustain the Paradoxal frog (Pseudis minuta) based on stomach content, prey availability, and stable isotope (δ13C, δ15N) approaches. The feeding strategy analysis showed that the population can be considered a generalist species with each individual displaying a marked opportunism for different preys. Trophic positions estimated using nitrogen isotopic ratio (δ15N) revealed that tadpoles are primary consumers, but post-metamorphic individuals shifted to secondary and tertiary trophic levels as they increase in body size. A stable isotopic mixing model revealed that most of the carbon (0.61–0.72) sustaining the post-metamorphic P. minuta is derived from the aquatic rather than the adjacent terrestrial environment. This finding suggests that the post-metamorphic P. minuta is strongly dependent on carbon sources that primarily originate in aquatic systems, regardless of the terrestrial or aquatic origins of the arthropods in its diet. Our results indicated that this species is a generalist-opportunistic predator that derives most of their carbon sources from the aquatic environment where it shows preference for aquatic preys with higher individual biomasses.

Distribution and growth in adults of Macrobrachium acanthurus Wiegmann, (Decapoda, Palaemonidae) in a tropical coastal lagoon, Brazil

Macrobrachium acanthurus Wiegmann, 1836 is a Palaemonidae commonly found in Brazilian coastal environments. At Imboassica lagoon, located in the north of the State of Rio de Janeiro, it is found in two stages of its life cycle: as larvae and as reproductive adults. This work had as its goal the evaluation of adults distribution, estimating the weight/length relationship and the condition factor of these adults. After sampling in two regions of the lagoon, one interior and another closer to the ocean, we verified that females are found in a greater proportion close to the ocean, and males are found in greater number in the innermost region, amidst the aquatic macrophytes, suggesting that the fecundation takes place in this last area and the females then travel to the area closer to the ocean to spawn. Total and carapace weight/length relationship exhibited differences between males and females, presenting positive allometric growth. The relative growth of the cephalotorax related to total length showed that it correspond to 53% of the total length in females, and 50% in males. The average condition factor was significantly lower than the expected pattern, demonstrating that the species does not find ideal conditions in the lagoon. This may be attributed to the migration of the adults, to the spawning and/or to the impact caused by the frequent sandbar openings that took place at Imboassica lagoon during the studied period.

Field evidence of the influence of aquatic macrophytes on water quality in a shallow eutrophic lake over a 13-year period

AIM: The main objective of this work is to describe the changes in water characteristics of a shallow subtropical lake, in periods with and without growing of macrophytes, related to periods of clear-macrophyte dominance and turbid-phytoplankton dominance states. METHODS: The study was conducted in Biguas Lake, in the south coastal plain of Brazil (32° 04 43 S and 52° 10 03 W). Samplings were carried out monthly between October 2000 and November 2013. The limnological variables measured in the water column were dissolved oxygen (DO), water temperature, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), chlorophyll-a, total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorous (TP) and suspended material (SM). Data were grouped according to periods with macrophyte growth dominance (MD) and without macrophytes, with phytoplankton dominance (PD), and applied t- tests among TP, TN, Chlorophyll-a and SM. During macrophyte growth we estimated the coverage (%) and biomass variation of plants. RESULTS: Over the 13 years, the lake was well oxygenated, alkaline, and with a temperature variation according to subtropical seasonality. The lower values of all of the limnological variables were verified during periods of macrophyte growth, characterizing periods of clear and turbid waters. CONCLUSIONS: The influence of aquatic macrophytes in improving water quality in this shallow lake during the studied period, reducing nutrient concentrations, chlorophyll-a and suspended material in water, favoring the maintenance of a clear water state, was verified.

Water quality in the lotic area of the Antas river before and after the construction of the Monte Claro hydroelectric plant, south Brazil

AIM: This study characterized the water quality of the lotic areas of the Rio das Antas (Antas River)influenced by the construction of the Monte Claro hydroelectric plant (South Brazil), a run-of-the-river reservoir. METHODS: To assess the water quality, we selected four sampling points based on the results obtained in the water-quality monitoring program performed by CERAN (the Rio das Antas Energetic Company) in the pre-filling (2002-2004) and post-filling (2005-2008) periods. The river flow was monitored during both of the periods. Seasonal samplings were conducted, and alkalinity, chlorophyll a, total and fecal coliforms, conductivity, color, BOD, COD, total phosphorus, nitrate, nitrite, ammoniacal nitrogen, dissolved oxygen, pH, total dissolved solids, suspended solids, sulfates, temperature and turbidity were evaluated. The results were interpreted according to the Brazilian Environmental Councils Water Quality Index, Trophic State Index and CONAMA Resolution 357/05. To verify the occurrence of alterations before and after the plant operation, t-tests were performed. RESULTS: Significant changes in water quality were not observed after the impoundment. The permanence of the characteristics of the natural hydrography was important for maintaining the water quality. The decline of the water quality in a stretch with reduced flow was caused by Burati stream, a tributary containing high concentrations of nutrients and fecal coliforms. CONCLUSIONS:The Monte Claro hydroelectric plant did not alter the water quality of the Antas River. The small reservoir resulting from the plant project favors the maintenance of the water quality of the river and does not favor eutrophication. Attention should be given to Burati stream, a tributary of the Antas River, regarding its high nutrient and coliform content.

Temporal variation in the biomass and nutrient status of Azolla filiculoides Lam. (Salviniaceae) in a small shallow dystrophic lake

AIM: This study determined the temporal variation of the biomass and the concentrations of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus in Azolla filiculoides Lam. in a small (0.5 ha) shallow dystrophic lake located in the city of Rio Grande (Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil). METHOD: Sampling was conducted monthly between November 2000 and October 2001. The macrophytes were collected randomly in three replicates with a circular collector 0.3 m in diameter and subsequently washed with tap water and oven-dried at 60 oC for determination of the dry weight and the nutrient status (i.e., carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus). Primary productivity was estimated by the variation in biomass among successive samples. RESULTS: A. filiculoides was present in the lake throughout the year and occupied between 50 and 80% of the surface area. The biomass values ranged from 34.2 g DW.m-2, recorded in May (autumn), to 170.9 g DW.m-2 in January (summer). The highest rate of primary productivity was 3.3 g DW.m-2.d-1, observed in June. The concentrations of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus in the plant ranged between 403 and 551 g.kg-1, 13.4 and 25.7 g.kg-1 and 0.5 and 1.9 g.kg-1, respectively. The water N:P ratio ranged between 19:1 and 368:1. CONCLUSION: The coverage of the surface of the lake by A. filiculoides throughout the study period and the nutritional status of the plant demonstrate the importance of the cycling of nutrients by macrophytes in this aquatic environment. The higher N:P ratio in the water column, compared with other neighboring environments without macrophytes, shows that the enrichment of the lake may result from the biological N-fixation activity produced by A. filiculoides.

Temporal variation of phytophilous Chironomidae over a 11-year period in a shallow Neotropical lake in southern Brazil

Small and shallow lakes make up most of the lake-covered area in the world, and immature Chironomidae generally constitute the dominant group among invertebrates in these systems, exhibiting a wide distribution and tolerance to various levels of water quality. The changes in trophic features associated with the dominance of different major primary producers (macrophyte and phytoplankton) are reflected in the functioning of these ecosystems and likely in their phytophilous Chironomidae species richness and abundance. These were thus studied in a Brazilian shallow lake over a 11-year period characterized by both clear and turbid water conditions in relation to water quality and dominant macrophytes. The results revealed differences in Chironomidae composition but not in richness associated with clear and turbid waters. The Goeldichironomus genera predominated during all years and for different macrophyte types (freefloating, floating leaf, and submerged). We attribute the variability of Chironomidae assemblages to changes in macrophyte dominance and water trophic status, such as the concentration of nutrients and chlorophyll-a, during the 11-year period. Submerged macrophytes were associated with clear waters and harbored the highest diversity, which emphasized the importance of these environmental conditions for preserving the biodiversity of Chironomidae in shallow lakes.

Aquatic macrophytes of six subtropical shallow lakes, Rio Grande, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

The aim of this study was to document the richness of aquatic macrophytes in six shallow lakes at Federal University of Rio Grande - FURG, Rio Grande, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Qualitative surveys were carried out during 2008. Specimens were deposited at the university herbarium (HURG). We recorded 44 species belonging to 35 genera and 21 families. The majority of species were present all year. The family with highest diversity was Cyperaceae (eight species). Other studies have reported approximately 170 species for wetlands in the south of Brazil. This study documented approximately 25% of these species. The flora of the area should be preserved and monitored.

Potential Carbon Gas Production in Southern Brazil Wetland Sediments: Possible Implications of Agricultural Land Use and Warming

Methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) are greenhouse gases (GHG) important in the carbon cycle that exchanges carbon between ecosystems and the atmosphere. To determine how rice paddy fields and temperature affect the carbon budget, we experimentally estimated CH4 and CO2 concentrations and production in sediments from natural and rice wetlands over a temperature gradient. Moreover, we estimated how much GHG production rates would increase in these ecosystems, according to the IPCC projections for temperature rise caused by global warming. Our results showed that the concentrations and potential production rates of GHG showed no significant differences between natural and rice wetlands, although the accumulation of organic matter and nutrients was higher in natural wetland sediments. However, temperature elevation played a significant role in the rise of gas production rates. According to our results, projected increased atmospheric temperature may promote increases in the rates of production and concentrations of carbon gases. The potential carbon gases production in the scenario of atmospheric warming indicated that CH4 (18.91%) may be higher than CO2 (4.54%), mainly in rice wetlands. This reinforces the importance of natural wetland conservation.