Shallow lakes from the Central Plains of Argentina: an overview and worldwide comparative analysis of their basic limnological features

Published in Hydrobiologia, v. 752:5–20
Authors

Diovisalvi, N., Bohn, V.Y., Piccolo, M.C., Perillo, G.M.E., Baigún, C. and Zagarese, H.E.

Publication year 2015
DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10750-014-1946-x
Affiliations
  • Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas-Instituto Tecnológico de Chascomús (CONICET-UNSAM), Chascomús, Buenos Aires, Argentina
  • Departamento de Geografía y Turismo, Universidad Nacional del Sur (UNS), Bahía Blanca, Buenos Aires, Argentina
    Departamento de Geología, Universidad Nacional del Sur (UNS), Bahía Blanca, Buenos Aires, Argentina
  • Departamento de Geografía y Turismo, Universidad Nacional del Sur (UNS), Bahía Blanca, Buenos Aires, Argentina
    Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía (IADO-CONICET), Bahía Blanca, Buenos Aires, Argentina
  • Departamento de Geología, Universidad Nacional del Sur (UNS), Bahía Blanca, Buenos Aires, Argentina
    Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía (IADO-CONICET), Bahía Blanca, Buenos Aires, Argentina
  • Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas-Instituto Tecnológico de Chascomús (CONICET-UNSAM), Chascomús, Buenos Aires, Argentina
  • Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas-Instituto Tecnológico de Chascomús (CONICET-UNSAM), Chascomús, Buenos Aires, Argentina
IAI Program

CRN3

IAI Project CRN3038
Keywords

Abstract

The Central Plains of Argentina is a heterogeneous environment, but the lakes there share some fundamental features: they are all shallow and polymictic as being well exposed to wind. First, we provide a synthesis of the climate, geology, and hydrological network. We also discussed shallow lakes origin and their limnological and biological salient features. Second, we focus on Pampean shallow lakes from a global perspective, comparing the limnological variables: total phosphorus concentration (TP), total nitrogen concentration (TN), chlorophyll a (Chl a) concentrations, and Secchi disk reading (SD) from a compiled database. No significant differences in the Chl a vs. TP relationship were found between Pampean and other shallow lakes. Otherwise, the chlorophyll yield per unit of phosphorus of Pampean lakes is similar to the world shallow lakes average. Moreover, the relationship SD vs. Chl a differed significantly between Pampean and the remaining world lakes, about 50-60%. When confronted against other lakes worldwide, Pampean shallow lakes depart from most of them as having higher TP, TN, and Chl a concentrations and much lower SD transparency, and therefore they stand as extremes of the trophic-state continuum. Despite their highly turbid state, these lakes provide valuable ecosystem services that are highly appreciated and mobilize important economic resources.