Diversity Patterns Across Aquatic Communities From Peat Bogs in Changing Environmental Scenarios

MARIA VICTORIA QUIROGA; VALERIA CASA; PATRICIA E. GARCÍA; GABRIELA KÜPPERS; GABRIELA MATALONI

Freshwaters and Wetlands of Patagonia

Springer Cham

Año: 2023; p. 117 - 135

NATURAL AND SOCIAL SCIENCES OF PATAGONIALIBRO: Freshwaters and wetlands of Patagonia: Ecosystems and socioecological aspects Editorial:SpringerResumen: Peat bogs have an important role in the carbon cycle, they may be sinks or sources of CO2 and methane depending on the environmental conditions. These wetlands represent large reservoirs of freshwater capable of mitigating drought-flood events, with important implications for water quality and hydrological balance. The key nature contributions to people provided by these ecosystems are tightly related with the diversity of microbial communities inhabiting them. Peat bogs from Tierra del Fuego Island usually host several water bodies embedded within a waterlogged Sphagnum matrix. These aquatic habitats can be considered as extreme environments due to their low pH values and dystrophic conditions, and show a uniquely adapted biota. In this chapter we unravel the diversity of the aquatic microbial communities from two peat bogs from Tierra del Fuego at different scales. For the different communities analysed, we identified distinct diversity patterns relating to local environmental conditions, as well as taxa of high value as indicators of the possible impact on peat bog diversity exerted by anthropogenic activities in a global change context.