Estudo do crescimento, eficiência de biofiltração e cinética de absorção de nutrientes (N-NH, N-NO e P-PO4³) da macroalga Gracilaria cervicornis (Turner) J. Agardh

The objective of this study was to examine the growth of Gracilaria cervicornis cultured in a shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) pond and to determine the absorption efficiency and the kinetics parameters (Vmax, Ks e Vmax:Ks) of this macroalgae for the nutrients N-NO3-, N-NH4+ and P-PO4-3, aiming at its use as bioremediatory of eutrophicated environments. For this study, two experiments (field and laboratory) were developed. In the field study, the seaweed was examined in relation to the growth and the biomass. In the laboratory experiment, the absorption efficiency of G. cervicornis was measured through the monitoring of the concentration of the three nutrients (N-NO3-, N-NH4+ e P-PO4-3) during 5 hours and the kinetic parameters were determined through the formula of Michaelis-Menten. The results obtained in this study demonstrated that G. cervicornis benefited from the available nutrients in the pond, increasing 52.4% of its biomass value after 30 days of culture. It was evidenced that the variability of the biomass could be explained through the salinity, availability of light (transparency and solid particle in suspension) and concentration of N-NO3- in the environment. In the laboratory experiment, the highest absorption efficiency was found in the treatments with low concentration (5 µmol.L-1), being evidenced a reduction of up to 85,3%, 97,5% and 81,2% of N-NH4+, N-NO3- and P-PO43-, respectively. Regarding the kinetic parameters, G. cervicornis presented better ability in absorbing N-NH4+ in high concentrations (Vmax = 158,5 µmol g-1 dry wt h-1) and P-PO43- in low concentrations (Ks = 5 µmol.L-1 e Vmax:Ks = 10,3). The results of this study show that G. cervicornis could be cultivated in shrimp ponds, presents a good capacity of absorption for the tested nutrients and is a promising candidate for biorremediation in shrimp pond effluent

Potencialidades de cultivo de macroalgas no litoral do Rio Grande do Norte (NE, Brasil): uma perspectiva de integração de dados ambientais em sistemas de informação geográfica (SIG)

Since centuries ago, the Asians use seaweed as an important source of feeding and are their greatest world-wide consumers. The migration of these peoples for other countries, made the demand for seaweed to increase. This increasing demand prompted an industry with annual values of around US$ 6 billion. The algal biomass used for the industry is collected in natural reservoirs or cultivated. The market necessity for products of the seaweed base promotes an unsustainable exploration of the natural banks, compromising its associated biological balance. In this context, seaweed culture appears as a viable alternative to prevent the depletion of these natural supplies. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) provide space and produce information that can facilitate the evaluation of important physical and socio-economic characteristics for the planning of seaweed culture. This objective of this study is to identify potential coastal areas for seaweed culture in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, from the integration of social-environmental data in the SIG. In order to achieve this objective, a geo-referred database composed of geographical maps, nautical maps and orbital digital images was assembled; and a bank of attributes including physical and oceanographical variables (winds, chains, bathymetry, operational distance from the culture) and social and environmental factors (main income, experience with seaweed harvesting, demographic density, proximity of the sheltered coast and distance of the banks) was produced. In the modeling of the data, the integration of the space database with the bank of attributes for the attainment of the map of potentiality of seaweed culture was carried out. Of a total of 2,011 ha analyzed by the GIS for the culture of seaweed, around 34% or 682 ha were indicated as high potential, 55% or 1,101 ha as medium potential, and 11% or 228 ha as low potential. The good indices of potentiality obtained in the localities studied demonstrate that there are adequate conditions for the installation of seaweed culture in the state of Rio Grande do Norte