Phytoplanktonic algae are important in water quality assessment reflecting ecossystem dynamics. Our main purpose was to study the seasonal variation of the phytoplankton community and its relations with physical and chemical parameters of the water and coliforms from Lago das Garças (Instituto de Botânica, São Paulo, SP, Brazil). The samples for the study of the physical and chemical parameters and phytoplankton analyses were collected monthly (January 1997 to March 1998) in three depths (surface, 2 m and bottom). The phytoplankton community was studied taking into account the biomass (chlorophyll-a), density and biological index. The phytoplankton was represented by 214 taxa distributed in nine taxonomic classes. Chemical parameters showed vertical and seasonal distribution whereas the phytoplankton presented a seasonal pattern; four species of Cyanobacteria were dominant mostly in the summer (Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii (Woloszynska) Seenayya & Subba Raju, Sphaerocavum brasiliense M.T.P. Azevedo & C.L. Sant'Anna, Merismopedia glauca (Ehrenberg) Kützing and Merismopedia tenuissima Lemmermann).
eutrophication; phytoplankton; seasonal variation; water quality
