Journal
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
Volume 86, Issue -, Pages 81-93Publisher
ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV
DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolind.2017.12.003
Keywords
Environmental degradation; Functional redundancy; Morphological traits; Morphology-based functional groups; Resilience; Semi-arid Brazil
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Funding
- Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES) under the Brazilian programme 'Science without Borders' [173/2012]
- European Social Fund [IF/00919/2015]
- MCTES (Portuguese Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education), through the POPH (Human Potential Operational Programme) [IF/00919/2015]
- MCTES (Portuguese Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education) [IF/00919/2015, UID/MAR/04292/2013]
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The functional diversity of phytoplankton communities was studied in two tropical estuaries subjected to anthropogenic pressure, despite one being environmentally protected. We applied functional diversity indices, analysed the dominant morphology traits and explored morphology-based functional groups. The less disturbed estuary showed slightly higher diversity and functional redundancy, during a wet season (on average 1.3 higher). Functional groups including nuisance species were more abundant in the heavily disturbed estuary. During a dry season, results for both systems were similar. Overall, abundance and functional diversity were higher in the upstream areas, associated with the river runoff containing freshwater species and essential nutrients for algae development. In both systems, diatoms were dominant (> 75% of the community), however, the group included small and larger individuals, and freshwater to cosmopolitan species. This dominance and the change in traits were associated with sufficient nutrient supply, low light conditions, ressuspension and salinity changes, also associated with river runoff. Overall, the different functional diversity approaches enabled us to improve our understanding of the changes occurring in both systems.
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