Abstract
Desmids are one of the most representative groups of algae in oligo-mesotrophic aquatic environments. They respond to environmental changes and can be used as indicators of water quality. We evaluated changes in the structure of desmid communities on emergent macrophytes in relation to environmental conditions at a spatial scale in two rivers in a tropical urban basin in the State of Bahia, Brazil. Sampling was carried out every two months for one year at five fixed stations. Changes in the desmid community structure were associated with variations in limnological conditions, which differed between the sampling stations. We observed increases in total phosphorus concentration and conductivity from upstream to downstream, which influenced the changes in desmid community structure. Desmid richness and total density were higher in urban, recreational, and more preserved areas. In conclusion, phosphorus availability associated with land use and urbanization influenced desmid community structure variability in coastal plain rivers.
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The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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Acknowledgements
We thank the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) and Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado da Bahia for their financial support (FAPESB: Project “Flora da Bahia,” 483909/2012). NRS received grants from the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) (308074/2022-0). To the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) for the doctoral scholarship granted to the first author (88882.447860/2019-01). This study was financed by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES), Financial Code 001.
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This study was financed in part by the Conselho Nacional de Aperfeiçoamento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), by Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado da Bahia (FAPESB) and by Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior—Brasil (CAPES).
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The study conception, material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by FdMC, CWdoNM, and CF. NRS contributed to the study design and statistical analysis. GJPR assisted in taxonomic identifications. DMLdS contributed to the chemical analysis. The first draft of the manuscript was written by FdMC, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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de Matos Costa, F., Ferragut, C., Simões, N.R. et al. Spatial variation of periphytic desmid community structure on emergent macrophytes in a tropical urban watershed. Aquat Ecol 57, 747–763 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10452-023-10045-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10452-023-10045-7