Responses of phytoplankton functional groups to the mixing regime in a deep subtropical reservoir

Abstract

The present study was carried out in Faxinal Reservoir, a warm monomictic, meso-eutrophic reservoir in subtropical southern Brazil, with a long-standing, well-stratified condition, low epilimnetic nutrient concentrations, and a relatively clear epilimnion. In this study, we analyzed the dynamics of the phytoplankton functional groups, recognizing their driving forces in Faxinal Reservoir. Samples were taken at monthly intervals from January 2004 to January 2005 in surface waters. According to the reservoir’s mixing regime, three periods were identified during the study: stratification 1 (January–May 2004); mixing period (June–August 2004); and stratification 2 (September 2004–January 2005). The nutrient dynamics were driven by the mixing regime. The H1, F, and C phytoplankton functional groups were the most important in biomass, mainly represented by the N-fixing cyanobacterium Anabaena crassa, the colonial green alga with thick mucilaginous sheaths Nephrocytium sp., and the diatom Asterionella formosa, respectively. Tendencies pointed out by redundancy analysis (RDA) indicated that the mixing regime was the main determining factor of the seasonal dynamics of the phytoplankton community. The dominant functional groups showed a close relationship with the relative water-column stability (RWCS), and also, as a consequence of the mixing regime, with nutrient availability. The study also revealed the important role of physical processes in the seasonal gradient, in selecting for phytoplankton functional groups and, consequently, in the assessment of ecological status. Q index (assemblage index) of water quality based on functional groups revealed ecological status varying from very poor to tolerable in the stratification 1 period and from tolerable to medium in the mixing and stratification 2 periods.