Abstract
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.
Highlights
Shallow lakes are complex ecosystems strongly influenced by physical, chemical and biological processes arising from the intense sediment-water interaction and the potential impact of aquatic vegetation (Scheffer 1998)
A total of 43 species distributed across 35 genera and families were recorded in the six shallow lakes of the Carreiros campus (Table 1)
The richness of taxa found in this study represents ca. 25% of the aquatic macrophytes listed by Rolon et al (2004) for 146 wetlands in the state of Rio Grande do Sul
Summary
Shallow lakes are complex ecosystems strongly influenced by physical, chemical and biological processes arising from the intense sediment-water interaction and the potential impact of aquatic vegetation (Scheffer 1998). Surveys of biological diversity in aquatic ecosystems are essential protective measures because they identify areas of major conservation value (Thomaz and Bini 2003). The Rio Grande do Sul coastal plain’s low relief and the reduced depth of its water bodies give rise to common, diverse, and dense stands of macrophytes in the littoral zone of the area’s lakes (Vieira and Rangel 1988; Albertoni et al 2005). The objective of this study was to extend current knowledge of aquatic vegetation in this region by surveying the aquatic macrophytes of six shallow lakes during a one-year period
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