Diatom assemblage in a tropical lake of Northeastern Brazil

The composition and spatial variation of diatom assemblage in surface sediments of Caco Lake (shallow, mesotrophic and weakly acid lake - Maranhao State, Brazil) were analyzed in order to know the distribution pattern of the species along the lake during rainy season (April 1999). Four zones were established in the lake based on 21 diatoms species and habitat affinities. The first three zones (prime three meters deep to six meters deep) were marked by the occurrence of Pinnularia gigas, Frustulia rhomboides, Encyonopsis krasskei, Eunotia camelus, E. femoriformis and E. monodon. Zone IV (seven to nine meters deep) was inhabited mainly by Surirella biseriata and Fragilariforma floridana. During the beginning of the rainy season, the diatom assemblage in Caco Lake was composed mainly by benthic and epiphytic forms that reflected the low lake levels and the abundance of littoral vegetation present in this lake