Author(s)

S. M. B. Pereira, E. Eskinazi-Leça & M. F. Oliveira-Carvalho

Abstract

The Santa Cruz Channel is located in the Estuarine Complex of Itamaracá, between the coordinates of 7°34’00’’ – 7°55’16’’S and 34°48’48’’ – 34°54’24’’W, northeast of Brazil. This channel is one of the most important productive areas of the littoral zone in the Pernambuco State. Due to the important environmental conditions, its phycological flora diversity is represented by 252 species, distributed in 108 Bacillariophyta, 80 Rhodophyta, 19 Phaeophyta and 45 Chlorophyta. Some representatives of economic value are found, such as Hypnea musciformis (Wulfen in Jacquin) J. V. Lamour., Solieria filiformis (Kuetz.) P. W. Gabrielson (carrageenan producers), Gracilariopsis lemaneiformis (Bory) Dawson, Acleto et Foldvik. Hydropuntia caudata (J. Agardh) Gurgel & Fredericq and H. cornea (J. Agardh) M. J. Wynne (agar producers). Other species, like H. opuntia (L.) J.V. Lamour, have a high ecological role in the reef bottom. Keywords: microalgae, macroalgae, biodiversity, Bacillariophyta, Chlorophyta, Ochrophyta, Rhodophyta, Santa Cruz channel, Northeast Brazil. 1 Introduction The biodiversity comprises not only the morphological variations of the organisms but also its genetic and ecological variations [12]. In the sea is found one of the highest biodiversities of the world that is a function of the algae diversity [10]. When considering the representation of different plant groups in the marine flora in terms of numbers of species, it is important to remember that species vary enormously in number of individuals and in the size of those individuals, and that the number of species described in any one group probably

Keywords

microalgae, macroalgae, biodiversity, Bacillariophyta, Chlorophyta, Ochrophyta, Rhodophyta, Santa Cruz channel, Northeast Brazil.