Spatial variation in the composition of benthic algae species in the Itapanhaú River mangrove, Bertioga - SP Edineia Farraboti, João Marcos Miragaia Schmiegelow, Nair Sumie Yokoya

Abstract

The present study aims to characterize the species that make up the benthic algae community of the Itapanhaú River mangrove, Bertioga-SP. The benthic algae community is associated with different substrates, such as pneumatophores, trunks and soil, and is exposed to several environmental factors that can influence its distribution in the mangrove. For the collections, two transects were established 7 km apart, one upstream of the river (Transect A) and the other near the mouth (Transect B); each transect was subdivided into four regions: one on the fringe 10 m from the bank, another at the end of the mangrove 250 m away, and two intermediate equidistant regions. The algae were collected randomly from different substrates. In the laboratory, the algae were identified and specimens of this material are deposited in the Herbarium of the Botanical Institute of São Paulo. Ten species of algae were identified, six species belonging to Rhodophyta and four to Chlorophyta. The taxa found are similar to those cited for other Brazilian mangroves. When comparing the two transects, there was a difference in the richness and distribution of macroalgae: in Transect A, where the average salinity was 13.0±1.9, algae belonging to Rhodophyta predominated, and in Transect B, where the average salinity was 35.9±3.0, algae belonging to Chlorophyta predominated.