Microphytoplankton of Amazon coastal waters: Canela Island (Braganca, Para State, Brazil)

Seasonal and nyctemeral variations of the microphytoplankton were studied at a fixed station (00 degrees 46' 37.2'' S-046 degrees 43' 24.5''W) on Canela Island (North Brazil) in September and December/2004 (dry season) and in March and June/2005 (rainy season). Samples for qualitative phytoplankton studies were obtained by filtering 400 L of surface water in the surf zone of the island through plankton nets (65 mu m mesh size). Field work was carried out during spring tides and samples were collected every 3 hours during a 24-hour period. The collected material was fixed in neutral formaldehyde at 4%. Simultaneously, salinity of the water surface was also measured. Salinity showed significant variation throughout the study period, ranging from 26.1 (June/2005) to 39.0 (December/2004), characterizing the environment as euhaline-polyhaline. A total of 130 taxa were identified, belonging to Cyanophyta (two taxa), Bacillariophyta (115 taxa) and Dinophyta (13 taxa). Diatoms were the dominant group of microphytoplankton at Canela Island. Asterionellopsis glacialis, Dimeregramma minor, Skeletonema sp. and Thalassiosira subtilis were the most frequent and abundant taxa. High salinities favored the occurrence of polyhalobous neritic marine species. Resuspension processes caused by wind and wave surf zone were responsible for exchange between planktonic and ticoplanktonic populations, including species such as Dimeregramma minor, Triceratium biquadratum and T. pentacrinus which represented new occurrences for the Amazon coast.