Phytoplankton of a shallow tropical lowland wetland and its relationship with physicochemical variables
Phytoplankton constitutes one of the most important components of lentic freshwater ecosystems, due it represents the basal resource for the growth and survival of the other organisms associated with these ecosystems. In addition, it provides relevant information for the diagnosis of the state of conservation of a waterbody, due to its sensitivity to a wide range of stressors, reflected in variations in its composition and structure. Despite several studies on the richness and dynamics of phytoplankton in lentic systems of tropical zones, knowledge of shallow wetlands in lowland zones is scarce. In the present study, it was proposed to determine the composition and structure of phytoplankton and its relationship with physicochemical variables, in the El Silencio wetland (Tolima, Colombia), a shallow aquatic system (depth <1 m). Eight samplings were carried out during a hydrological cycle, collecting four samples in the limnetic zone with a plankton net (23 μm). The phytoplankton community was mainly composed of the phylum Euglenozoa (78.9 %), followed by Chlorophyta 17.5 %) and to a lesser percentage by the phyla Cyanobacteria (2 %), Bacillariophyta (0.92 %), and Charophyta (0.10 %). The physicochemical variables that most influenced the composition of the phytoplankton community were alkalinity and total phosphorus. Likewise, the dynamics of phytoplankton were influenced by climatic changes and precipitation levels. The presence and representativeness greater than 90 % of Lepocinclis, Actinastrum, Trachelomonas, Phacus, and Euglena was associated with a high degree of eutrophication in the wetland.
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Digital revista |
| Language: | spa |
| Published: |
Universidad Nacional de Colombia - Sede Bogotá - Facultad de Ciencias - Departamento de Biología
2023
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| Online Access: | https://revistas.unal.edu.co/index.php/actabiol/article/view/97060 |
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