Periphytic algal flora of the lower Doce river basin after ore tailings flow, Espírito Santo State, Brazil: Sampling design and methods

Flora de algas perifíticas da bacia do baixo rio Doce, após a passagem de rejeitos de minério, Estado do Espírito Santo, Brasil: Delineamento amostral e métodos

ABSTRACT

The present work aims to describe the sampling design and the methods used in the series “Periphytic algal flora of the Lower Doce River basin (Espírito Santo State, Brazil) after ore tailings flow”. This series will present the biodiversity of periphytic algae registered during the Aquatic Biodiversity Monitoring Program, Environmental Area I, carried out in the Lower Doce River basin three years after the passage of the ore tailings from Fundão dam (Mariana, Minas Gerais). Samples from the periphytic community were collected monthly, between October/2018 and February/2020, at five sampling stations in lotic environments and seven in lentic environments of the basin. These samples were fixed and the taxa will be identified and described, following specific methods. These taxa will be presented in sequential fascicles, split according to their taxonomic and morphological classification. More than 900 taxa have been recorded in this survey. This is the first taxonomic study about inland algae carried out in the Lower Doce River basin.

Keywords:
epilithon; epiphyton; freshwater diversity; lakes; rivers