Cianobactérias como parâmetro de qualidade ambiental: um estudo no complexo lagunas de Jacarepaguá.

Abstract

The Jacarepaguá Lagoon Complex, located in the state of the Rio of Janeiro, in Southeast of Brazil, is formed by the lagoons of Jacarepaguá, Camorim, Tijuca and Marapendi. These lagoons are interconnected to the sea by the Joatinga canal and receive contribution from tributary rivers and channels that come from Tijuca and Pedra Branca massifs. They receive industrial and domestic effluents, including diffuse contributions of the drainage basin, as well as water circulation from several origins, with a high pollution load. The cultural eutrophication associated with coastal ecosystems evolution processes, have produced a state of degradation of these waters with frequent waterblooms of potentially toxic cyanobacteria. The objective of the present study is to evaluate the presence of Cyanobacteria (Class Cyanophyceae) in the Jacarepaguá Lagoon Complex and also to corroborate the hypothesis of using them as a good bioindicators of environmental quality in brackish waters. An environmental monitoring program has been carried out in the lagoons of Jacarepaguá, Camorim, Tijuca and Marapendi from 2004 to 2006, including physical, chemical and biological parameters analysis. The results showed the dominance and persistence of Cyanobacteria at high concentrations of nutrients, characterizing the hypereutrofication of these lagoons. The ecological strategies of Cyanobacteria were responsible for their dominance in almost the whole period of study and demonstrated that they can be used as a good sensor of environmental variables. The salinity did not demonstrate to be a limiting factor to the development of these microorganisms. In this way, this study provides subsidies for water resources management, corroborating with Brazilian legislation (CONAMA 357/05- MMA) suggesting the inclusion of Cyanobacteria as a parameter of environmental quality in brackish environments classified as Class 1.