Composição e estrutura da taxocenose de ciliados peritríqueos (ciliophora, peritrichia) em ambientes lóticos com gradiente de poluição orgânica e aspectos ecológicos da relação epibiótica de peritríqueos e moluscos gastrópodes

Abstract

In the present study, was evaluated the influence of the organic pollution on both the composition and structure of the taxocenose of peritrich ciliates found in lotic systems at Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais State, with different loads of domestic sewage, as well the ecological aspects of the epibiotic relation between gastropods mollusks. The present dissertation is divided into two parts. In the first one, the influence of the organic pollution on both the composition and structure of the taxocenose of peritrichs ciliates found at nine tributary streams of the Paraibuna river, Juiz de Fora, MG, wich receive different levels of domestic sewage. Furthermore, the potential of these microorganisms as water quality indicators in these environments was evaluated. Peritrichs ciliates were obtained with the use of artificial substrates in five monthly sampling carried out between June and October 2010. Water samples were collected for assessment of the physico-chemical parameters: electrical conductivity, dissolved oxygen, pH and nutrients. At the laboratory, the peritrichs ciliates were quantified in microscope equipped with Differential Interferential Contrast, and then fixed to conduct identification techniques for silver impregnation. Nineteen peritrichs ciliates species were recorded at sampling stations studied. The peritrich Carchesium polypinum (Linné, 1785) was species more frequent in environments with high organic pollution load. The abundance and density of peritrichs ciliates was positively correlated with nutrients. It was also observed the highest dominance, density and abundance of species in environments with high levels of organic load, and on the other hand, the highest richness and diversity in environments with intermediary levels of organic pollution. In the second, the composition, spatial distribution and taxocenose structure of the peritrich as epibiont on the shell of the Physa acuta (Draparnaud, 1805) snail were evaluated. Of the 140 molluscs analyzed 60.7% were colonized by at least one of the seven species of peritrich epibiont. Epistylis sp. was considered as dominant species, representing 70.4% of the epibiont total abundance. In addition, the epibiont were distributed over the entire surface of the shell, with higher abundance in the ventral surface. This study contributes to the expansion of knowledge about the ecology of protists peritrichs ciliates in neotropical lotic systems.