Periphytic algae of the Garças Lake, Upper Paraná River floodplain: comparing the years 1994 and 2004

The changes imposed by dams on hydrological regime, water transparence and nutrient concentrations downstream affect biodiversity in relation to species richness and specific composition of the community. The aim of this work was evaluate this effect on periphyton, comparing richness and composition of periphytic algae in the Garças Lake, Upper Paraná River floodplain, between the years 1994, before construction of the Porto Primavera Reservoir, and after its operation in 2004. This floodplain lake showed an increase in species, from 113 in 1994 to 159 in 2004. A few species, however, were common during the last year, dominated by Zygnemaphyceae and some Bacillariophyceae species. The increase in algal diversity in 2004 may be the result of the ability of the system to adapt to environmental changes. However, the large change in the periphyton species composition suggests further impacts on the food web, demanding continuity of long-term studies in order to determine their consequences on the biodiversity as a whole.