Ecologia alimentar e reprodutiva da piaba-do-rabo-amarelo, Astyanax cf. lacustris (Reinhardt, 1874) (Osteichthyes: Characidae) na Lagoa do Piató, Assu, Rio Grande do Norte, Brasil

The feeding habits and biological aspects of the reproductive cycle of two-spot astyanax, Astyanax cf. lacustris (Reinhardt, 1874) were investigated. Fish samples were captured on a monthly basis, using gillnets of 4 cm mesh size, from the Piató Lake, Assu, Rio Grande do Norte, during the period of September, 2006 to August, 2007. Physico-chemical parameters, such as, temperature, electrical conductivity and dissolved oxygen of the lake were registered. The monthly values of rainfall also were obtained. The 360 individuals captured, were measured, weighed, dissected, and stomach weight and the stage of gonadal maturity were registered. The stomach contents analyses were carried out based on volumetric method, points, frequency of occurrence and applying the Index of Relative Importance. The degrees of repletion of the stomachs were determined besides the Index of Repletion relating to feeding activity variations and frequency of ingestion with limnological parameters and rainfall. The food items identified were separated into distinct groups according to their origin. Sex ratio and Gonadosomatic Relation of females were verified to determine the spawning period and fecundity. The physico-chemical parameters presented the following annual mean values: temperature = 28.8ºC, electrical conductivity = 992.5 µS.cm-1; dissolved oxygen = 4.9 mg.L-1 during the study period. The annual mean of the rainfall was 63.5 mm. The results indicate that this species present an omnivorous feeding habit with a tendency towards insectivory, with an increase in feeding activity during the dry season. The aquatic oxygen to interfere very importance in the feeding activity than the others factors physico-chemicals of water and rainfall. There was a predominance of females, with a sex proportion of 1M:7F. The macroscopic characteristics of the ovaries and testicles revealed four stages of gonadal development: immature, maturing, mature and spent. A temporal variation was observed for the gonadal development of males and females. There was reproductive activity through out the year, with peaks in the months of February, April and June to correspond with the rain of precipitation of the region. The mean fecundity was 7.681 mature oocytes, varying from 4.476 to 12.036, with mean of 7.681. There was positive relation between fecundity and body mass. Condition Factor is not an efficient indicator of the reproductive period of this species. The species A. cf. lacustris is an opportunist and is well adapted to the conditions of the semi-arid Caatinga Biome

Comunidade fitoplanctônica e qualidade da água da Lagoa do Jiqui, Parnamirim, RN

It is important to evaluate the quality of water for proper management of these resources, since the increase of environmental degradation and the multiple use of water resources are decreasing the quality of water consumed by living beings. The objective of this study was to characterize the phytoplankton community and its variations during periods of dray and rain in Jiqui Lake located in Parnamirim, RN. It was also aimed to analyze the physical and chemical factors of this environment, in order to contribute to the knowledge of water quality used for human consumption. The collection of water samples were carried out in September 2008 to August 2009. The collection of the phytoplankton community was carried out in four sampling sites (surface, bottom, margin of the lake without macrophytes and site dominated by macrophytes). Phytoplankton was collected using plankton net of 20m. The analysis of nutrients and identification of phytoplankton were performed in the laboratory. The results indicate that concentration of chlorophyll a was high in the bottom with mean value of 1.07 μgL-1 (SD ± 1.61). During the study period there was a dominance of the following species: Euglena gracilis, Trachelomonas sp, Cyclotellas sp, Gomphonema apuncto, Navicula cuspidata var. cuspidata, Navicula sp, Rhopalodia gibba. There was homogeneity between limnological values in the four study sites, with significant difference between the periods of drought and rain. The Jiqui Lake is considered oligotrophic due to its low concentrations of chlorophyll a, high transparency and low levels of nutrients. The values of BOD and chlorophyll a concentration remained below the permitted standards existing for freshwaters in Brazil, thus the water from Lake Jiqui is of good quality, suitable for human consumption.