Studies on the phytoplankton community and its relationship to abiotic parameters were carried out at the Igarassu River estuarine area. Plankton collections were made monthly from October/2002 to September/2003 during low and high tides on the same day. We identified 210 species, distributed in five divisions. Bacillariophyta was the most taxonomically diverse with 146 species, followed by Cyanophyta (26 species), Chlorophyta (15 species), Euglenophyta (12 species) and Dinophyta (11 species). The dominant species were Chaetoceros curvisetus Cleve (97.8%, high tide, station 2, April/2003); Thalassionema nitzschioides Grunow (93.67%, low tide, station 3, August/2003); Microcystis aeruginosa Kützing (88.37%, low tide, station 2, May/2003); Rhizosolenia hebetata (Bailey) Gran (87.52%, high tide, station 3, February/2003); and Thalassiosira rotula Meunier (84.18% high tide, station 2, June/2003). Microphytoplankton density was related to rainfall, with a bloom at the end of the rainy season. Higher species diversity and evenness were related to low tide and dry season. The phytoplankton community was structured by the marine flux during the dry season in the Igarassu River estuary with the presence of neritic and oceanic species. In the rainy season the community was structured by the freshwater flux, with the dominance of the Cyanophyta Microcystis aeruginosa Kützing.
microalgae; plankton; diversity; seasonal variation; tropical estuary
