Efeitos da tilápia do Nilo (Oreochromis niloticus) e do enriquecimento por nutrientes sobre a comunidade planctônica em um lago artificial no semi-árido brasileiro

The major aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that the introduction of the Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and the enrichment with nutrients (N and P) interact synergistically to change the structure of plankton communities, increase phytoplankton biomass and decrease water transparency of a semi-arid tropical reservoir. One field experiment was performed during five weeks in twenty enclosures (8m3) to where four treatments were randomly allocated: with tilapia addition (T), with nutrients addition (NP), with tilapia and nutrients addition (T+NP) and a control treatment with no tilapia or nutrients addition (C). A two-way repeated measures ANOVA was done to test for time (t), tilapia (T) and nutrient (NP) effects and their interaction on water transparency, total phosphorus, total nitrogen, phytoplankton and zooplankton. The results show that there was no effect of nutrient addition on these variables but significant fish effects on the biomass of total zooplankton, nauplii, rotifers, cladocerans and calanoid copepods, on the biovolume of Bacillariophyta, Zygnemaphyceae and large algae (GALD ≥ 50 μm) and on Secchi depth. In addition, we found significant interaction effects between tilapia and nutrients on Secchi depth and rotifers. Overall, tilapia decreased the biomass of most zooplankton taxa and large algae (diatoms) and decreased the water transparency while nutrient enrichment increased the biomass of zooplankton (rotifers) but only in the absence of tilapia. In conclusion, the influence of fish on the reservoir plankton community and water transparency was greater than that of nutrient loading. This finding suggests that biomanipulation should be a greater priority in the restoration of eutrophic reservoirs in tropical semi-arid regions

Efeitos de peixes zooplanctívoros e onívoros sobre a resposta de comunidades planctônicas à fertilização por nutrientes

The food chain theory predict that presence of omnivory prevent the trophic cascade and could be a strong stabilizing factor over resource and consumer community dynamics, and that the nutrient enrichment destabilize populations dynamics. Most of the freshwater tropical reservoirs are eutrophic, and strategies that seek improve the water quality through the control of phytoplankton biomass and nutrient input, become essential for the improvement and preservation of water quality. The aim of this study was test the zooplanktivory (when larvae) and omnivory (when young and adult) effects of Nile Tilapia over the structure and dynamics of plankton communities, in addition or absence of nutrients enrichment. For this, one field experiment was performed with a factorial design 2x3 resulting in six treatments: control, without fish and nutrient (C); with omnivorous fish (O); with zooplanktivorous fish (Z); without fish and with enrichment of nutrients (NP); with omnivorous fish and nutrients (ONP); and, with zooplanktivorous fish and nutrients (ZNP). The two planktivory types reduced the zooplankton biomass and increased the phytoplankton biomass, but the omnivory of filter-feeding fish attenuated the trophic cascade magnitude. The fertilization by nutrients increases the nutrient concentrations in water and the phytoplankton biomass, but the effect on zooplankton is dependent of the trophic structure. In a general way, the effects of the fish and nutrient addition were addictive, but significant interactions among those factors were observed in the answer of some zooplankton groups. The effects of omnivorous fish over the temporal variability of phytoplankton and zooplankton biomass were very variable, the increase or reduce in variability of the plankton depending of the level of nutrients and of the analyzed variable. With base in this study, we conclude that the planktivory type exercised by the fish and the concentrations of nutrients in the water affects the force of pelagic trophic cascades and probably the success of biomanipulation programs for the handling of water quality in lakes and tropical reservoirs

Efeitos individuais e interativos da diversidade de detritos, contexto e variabilidade ambiental sobre a magnitude e estabilidade do processo de decomposição

Studies on the effects of changes in biodiversity and ecosystem functioning have been a central theme in ecology over the past two decades. Several studies have showed that the diversity of plant debris differently affects the decomposition process in aquatic and terrestrial environments, but we know very about the effects of detritus diversity on decomposition under fluctuating environmental conditions. We tested whether and how the environmental contexts, as well as the dynamic of their alternation, influence the effects of detritus diversity on the decomposition process. We performed a field experiment where we manipulate the litter diversity of 8 species of terrestrial plants decomposing (litterbags) in single and in mixture containing the eight species together in three different environmental contexts: the terrestrial environment (T), aquatic (A) and interface (I) - experimental treatment that simulates variation in flooding regime. We measured the rate of decomposition through the loss of mass of the community and each individual detritus in monocultures and mixtures. Species richness and environmental variability had no effects on the magnitude and stability of the decomposition process. However, there were significant diversity effects on the decomposition of an individual alien species, F. benjamina. Environmental context had significant effects on the magnitude and variability of decomposition. Detritus decomposition was faster and more variable on aquatic, interface and terrestrial conditions, respectively. Our results demonstrate that the diversity of plant detritus has minor effects to the decomposition across disparate environmental conditions and suggest that it is necessary to consider the potential of other abiotic factors in affect the magnitude and variability of the decomposition processes

Efeitos de fungicidas alternativos em folhas de Carthamus tinctorius L. (Asteraceae), potencial espécie para cultivo em agricultura familiar

The currently main development model on global society is driven by an economic rationality that endangers the environment and social justice. More and more, attention to this way of production and consumption is increasing, boosting research for sustainable development, with an environmental rationality that can harmonize nature preservation and welfare of all socioeconomic classes. One of the efforts on this sense is changing the sources supplying the energy demand, replacing fossil fuels for renewable and cleaner sources, such as biofuels. Carthamus tinctorius (safflower) is an oilseed crop with potential for biodiesel production, with good oil yield and chemical profile, allied to good adaptation to climates such like the northeastern semiarid lands of Brazil. With public policies fomentation, the use of this species may be an interesting alternative for family farming. In farming in general, the use of pesticides to prevent and combat diseases and plagues is common, which is not a sustainable practice. Thus, there are researched alternative, less dangerous substances. In this study, it was aimed to assess if neem (Azadirachta indica) leaf extract (20% m/v) and Bordeaux mixture (copper sulfate) have effects on safflower. It was also aimed to verify acceptance of farmers on safflower crop in Apodi, a municipality in Rio Grande do Norte state, Brazil, in view of it being localized in the aimed region for this crop cultivation. Besides that, understanding that the farmers’ knowledge and inclination to adopt the crop is fundamental for the introduction of this species and socioeconomic growth due to its exploration. In addition, a booklet with basic information on safflower was produced. In the field experiment, the fungicides were pulverized on plants cultivated in field experimental plots, with collection of leaf samples for analysis on anatomy, cuticle, and epicuticular wax morphology, the protective layer that interfaces with the surrounding ambient. In Apodi, forty-five farmers from Potiguar Cooperative of Apiculture and Sustainable Rural Development (COOPAPI) underwent semi-structured interviews, which also addressed their assessment on currently cultivated crops and perception of pesticide uses and sustainable alternatives. After comparing using analysis of variance, it was found that there was no difference between treatments in the experiment, as well as no anatomical or morphological modifications. Safflower acceptation among farmers was wide, with 84% of interviewees believing in a perspective of good incomes. The current scenario, comprised of low crop diversity, fragile in face of droughts and plagues, can partially explain this opinion. The booklet was effective in catching people attention for the species potential. There was wide acknowledgement on the importance of alternative pesticides, justified by health security. Based on the assessed parameter in the results of this research, the treatments here utilized may be recommended as fungicides for safflower. Given the crop susceptibility to fungi in heavy rainy period, it is advised that its potential introduction on the region shall be focused on semiarid areas.

Adição de policloreto de alumínio e remoção de peixes bentívoros como técnicas de restauração de lagos rasos do semiárido brasileiro

Eutrophication is the most common cause of water quality degradation in the world. This process occurs by excessive nutrients inputs, nitrogen and phosphorus, to the aquatic systems resulting in algal and cyanobacterial blooms. In shallow lakes these effects are pronounced due to the higher interaction of the lake with watershed, air and sediment. There are innumerous restoration techniques of eutrophied lakes with a range of successful results but there is only one case of successful lake restoration in Brazil: Paranoá Lake in Brasília city. The Brazilian semiarid region has many artificial lakes, named açudes, which are mostly eutrophic and shallow lakes. The eutrophication in these lakes is reported and the phytoplankton community is dominated by potentially toxic cyanobacteria species, mainly Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii. The aim of this thesis is to test techniques for water quality management which can be easily applied in Brazilian semiarid lakes. Results from a laboratory experiment suggest that the addition of a phosphorus sorbent clay associated with an aluminium based coagulant is an effective technique in removing soluble reactive phosphorus and reducing C. raciborskii growth rate – cyanobacteria potentially toxic dominant in reservoirs of Brazilian semiarid – but this effect is dependent on the biomass in the application moment. Results from a field experiment in mesocosm in a eutrophied lake showed that the addition of aluminium based coagulant and removal of benthivorous fish is more efficient in removing total phosphorus and chlorophyll-a from water column than the isolated application of one of the techniques. Lastly, laboratory tests showed that aluminium based coagulant exhibited good performance in removing turbidity and total phosphorus from water of six reservoirs but the efficiency was reduced by algal biomass and pH. The results of this study showed that the improvement in water quality of eutrophied reservoirs in semiarid region is possible through internal loading control by phosphorus precipitation and inactivation in sediments or inhibition of phosphorus release by benthivorous fishes, and also that these results show are additives in water quality improvement.

Adição de policloreto de alumínio e remoção de peixes bentívoros como técnicas de restauração de lagos rasos do semiárido brasileiro

Eutrophication is the most common cause of water quality degradation in the world. This process occurs by excessive nutrients inputs, nitrogen and phosphorus, to the aquatic systems resulting in algal and cyanobacterial blooms. In shallow lakes these effects are pronounced due to the higher interaction of the lake with watershed, air and sediment. There are innumerous restoration techniques of eutrophied lakes with a range of successful results but there is only one case of successful lake restoration in Brazil: Paranoá Lake in Brasília city. The Brazilian semiarid region has many artificial lakes, named açudes, which are mostly eutrophic and shallow lakes. The eutrophication in these lakes is reported and the phytoplankton community is dominated by potentially toxic cyanobacteria species, mainly Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii. The aim of this thesis is to test techniques for water quality management which can be easily applied in Brazilian semiarid lakes. Results from a laboratory experiment suggest that the addition of a phosphorus sorbent clay associated with an aluminium based coagulant is an effective technique in removing soluble reactive phosphorus and reducing C. raciborskii growth rate – cyanobacteria potentially toxic dominant in reservoirs of Brazilian semiarid – but this effect is dependent on the biomass in the application moment. Results from a field experiment in mesocosm in a eutrophied lake showed that the addition of aluminium based coagulant and removal of benthivorous fish is more efficient in removing total phosphorus and chlorophyll-a from water column than the isolated application of one of the techniques. Lastly, laboratory tests showed that aluminium based coagulant exhibited good performance in removing turbidity and total phosphorus from water of six reservoirs but the efficiency was reduced by algal biomass and pH. The results of this study showed that the improvement in water quality of eutrophied reservoirs in semiarid region is possible through internal loading control by phosphorus precipitation and inactivation in sediments or inhibition of phosphorus release by benthivorous fishes, and also that these results show are additives in water quality improvement.

Efeitos da tilápia do Nilo (Oreochromis niloticus) e do enriquecimento por nutrientes sobre a comunidade planctônica em um lago artificial no semi-árido brasileiro

The major aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that the introduction of the Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and the enrichment with nutrients (N and P) interact synergistically to change the structure of plankton communities, increase phytoplankton biomass and decrease water transparency of a semi-arid tropical reservoir. One field experiment was performed during five weeks in twenty enclosures (8m3) to where four treatments were randomly allocated: with tilapia addition (T), with nutrients addition (NP), with tilapia and nutrients addition (T+NP) and a control treatment with no tilapia or nutrients addition (C). A two-way repeated measures ANOVA was done to test for time (t), tilapia (T) and nutrient (NP) effects and their interaction on water transparency, total phosphorus, total nitrogen, phytoplankton and zooplankton. The results show that there was no effect of nutrient addition on these variables but significant fish effects on the biomass of total zooplankton, nauplii, rotifers, cladocerans and calanoid copepods, on the biovolume of Bacillariophyta, Zygnemaphyceae and large algae (GALD ≥ 50 μm) and on Secchi depth. In addition, we found significant interaction effects between tilapia and nutrients on Secchi depth and rotifers. Overall, tilapia decreased the biomass of most zooplankton taxa and large algae (diatoms) and decreased the water transparency while nutrient enrichment increased the biomass of zooplankton (rotifers) but only in the absence of tilapia. In conclusion, the influence of fish on the reservoir plankton community and water transparency was greater than that of nutrient loading. This finding suggests that biomanipulation should be a greater priority in the restoration of eutrophic reservoirs in tropical semi-arid regions