Phytoplankton community structure in one sector of Guanabara Bay (RJ, Brazil) during 2011 and 2012

AbstractThis study analyzed the temporal variability of phytoplankton assemblages in the surface waters of Guanabara Bay (RJ, Brazil), at six stations in front of Icaraí Inlet from April/2011 to April/2012. Our results highlight the great contribution of diatoms, dinoflagellates and cyanobacteria, represented by 111 taxa typical of estuarine and coastal areas. The coexistence of benthic and planktonic species suggests considerable hydrodinamism in these waters. All variables were homogeneous (p > 0.05) between the stations, but differed between sampling periods. On average, phytoplankton abundance (107 cells.L-1) was higher than that of other estuaries and its temporal behavior was closely correlated (p