| Title | Patagonian ostracods as indicators of climate-related hydrological variables: implications for paleoenvironmental reconstructions in Southern South America |
| Abstract | Different precipitation regimes across Patagonia generate an environmental gradient that is expected to reflect upon the solute composition and concentration of lake water through the ensuing differences in water balance. In turn, this hydrochemical gradient could influence the occurrence and distribution of ostracods in the area. A cluster analysis on hydrochemical data of 36 Southern Patagonian waterbodies shows that low salinity, bicarbonate-dominated waters characterize Andean and ecotonal lakes, located in the wetter part of the precipitation gradient, while their steppe counterparts, which receive a much lower precipitation input, are more saline, enriched in all major anions and sodium-dominated. Kruskal-Wallis tests followed by Mann-Whitney pairwise comparisons show statistically significant differences in the ostracod species each water type hosts, with L. patagonica, E. cecryphalium, P. smaragdina and P. incae being found in the more dilute waters characteristic of Andean and ecotonal lakes and Limnocythere rionegroensis in the mesohaline, evaporatively evolved waters typical of steppe lakes. Other species studied do not appear to have such distinct distributions, having been found throughout the range of conditions studied. These findings promote the use of the aforementioned ostracods as semi-quantitative paleohydrological indicators, which could improve paleoclimatic reconstructions in Patagonia. |
| Source | Hydrobiologia (Dordr., Online) 694, pp. 235–251 |
| Keywords | Freshwater OstracodaEcologyPatagoniaHydrochemistry |
| Journal | Hydrobiologia (Dordr., Online) |
| Editor | Kluwer, Dordrecht, Paesi Bassi |
| Year | 2012 |
| Type | Articolo in rivista |
| DOI | 10.1007/s10750-012-1192-z |
| Authors | Josefina Ramon Mercau; Cecilia Laprida; Julieta Massaferro; Michela Rogora; Gabriele A. Tartari; Nora I. Maidana |
| Text | 215465 2012 10.1007/s10750 012 1192 z Freshwater Ostracoda Ecology Patagonia Hydrochemistry Patagonian ostracods as indicators of climate related hydrological variables implications for paleoenvironmental reconstructions in Southern South America Josefina Ramon Mercau; Cecilia Laprida; Julieta Massaferro; Michela Rogora; Gabriele A. Tartari; Nora I. Maidana Ramon Mercau J,. C. Laprida, N.I. Maidana Univ Buenos Aires, Fac Ciencias Exactas Nat, Dept Biodiversidad Biol Expt, Buenos Aires, DF, Argentina J. Massaferro CENAC, Adm Parques Nacl, San Carlos De Bariloche, Rio Negro, Argentina M. Rogora, G. A. Tartari CNR Institute of Ecosystem Study, I 28922 Verbania, Italy Different precipitation regimes across Patagonia generate an environmental gradient that is expected to reflect upon the solute composition and concentration of lake water through the ensuing differences in water balance. In turn, this hydrochemical gradient could influence the occurrence and distribution of ostracods in the area. A cluster analysis on hydrochemical data of 36 Southern Patagonian waterbodies shows that low salinity, bicarbonate dominated waters characterize Andean and ecotonal lakes, located in the wetter part of the precipitation gradient, while their steppe counterparts, which receive a much lower precipitation input, are more saline, enriched in all major anions and sodium dominated. Kruskal Wallis tests followed by Mann Whitney pairwise comparisons show statistically significant differences in the ostracod species each water type hosts, with L. patagonica, E. cecryphalium, P. smaragdina and P. incae being found in the more dilute waters characteristic of Andean and ecotonal lakes and Limnocythere rionegroensis in the mesohaline, evaporatively evolved waters typical of steppe lakes. Other species studied do not appear to have such distinct distributions, having been found throughout the range of conditions studied. These findings promote the use of the aforementioned ostracods as semi quantitative paleohydrological indicators, which could improve paleoclimatic reconstructions in Patagonia. 694 Published version RamonMercau et al Hydrobiologia 2012 RamonMercau_Hydrobiologia_2012.pdf Articolo in rivista Kluwer 1573 5117 Hydrobiologia Dordr., Online Hydrobiologia Dordr., Online Hydrobiologia Dordr., Online Hydrobiologia. Dordr., Online Hydrobiologia Dordrecht Dordr., Online Hydrobiologia Boston Dordr., Online Hydrobiologia London Dordr., Online michela.rogora ROGORA MICHELA gabriele.tartari TARTARI GABRIELE TA.P02.014.002 Impatto dei cambiamenti globali sugli ecosistemi acquatici |
