Limnological character of water hollows from a peat bog (Tierra del Fuego, Argentina) relates to meteorological and hydrological features.

GONZÁLEZ GARRAZA, G.; MATALONI, G.; ITURRASPE, R.; LOMBARDO, R.; CAMARGO, S.; QUIROGA, M. V.

Mires and Peat

International Mire Conservation Group and International Peat Society

Año: 2012 vol. 10 p. 1 - 14

1819-754X

As part of a major limnological characterisation of Rancho Hambre mire complex (Tierra del Fuego), fivewater bodies (bog pools) were sampled between October 2008 and April 2010 and their physico-chemicalfeatures studied in relation to meteorological, hydrological and morphometric variables. The meteorologicaldata recorded mostly fitted within the ranges of historical records. The influence of water body size wasevidenced by the higher thermic stability of the largest pool as compared to the smallest, which reflectedchanges in air temperature. Water levels in the pools varied according to their superficial connectivity: deepwater bodies with surface inflow and/or outflow channels had the most stable water levels; but the deepestwater body, which was hydrologically isolated, had the most variable water level. In an ordination ofsamples resulting from a Principal Component Analysis of limnological data, the first axis reflected theminero/ombrotrophic status of water bodies, while the second represented a temporal gradient separatingspring (post-thawing) samples from summer samples. Inter-annual variations in weather also influenced thelimnological properties of the water bodies. Our results enable us to propose an interpretative model for thelimnological characterisation of the pools, which will be a valuable tool for understanding the structure andfluctuations of the planktonic communities inhabiting these systems.