INVESTIGADORES
BIANCALANA Florencia
artículos
Título:
Mesozooplankton assemblages and their relationship with environmental variables: a study case in a disturbed bay (Beagle Channel, Argentina).
Autor/es:
BIANCALANA, F.; DUTTO, M. S.; BERASATEGUI, A. A.; KOPPRIO, G.; HOFFMEYER, M. S.
Revista:
ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT
Editorial:
SPRINGER
Referencias:
Lugar: Berlin; Año: 2014 vol. 186 p. 8629 - 8647
ISSN:
0167-6369
Resumen:
This study focused on the seasonal and spatial
analysis of the mesozooplankton community in a humanimpacted subantarctic bay in Argentina and aimed to
detect assemblages associated with environmental variability. Mesozooplankton samples and environmental
data were obtained in the Ushuaia Bay (UB) seasonally,
from August 2004 to June 2005, and spatially, from
coastal (more polluted), middle (less influenced) and
open sea water (free polluted) sampling stations. Remarkable seasonal changes on the mesozooplankton
community were observed. Nitrogenated nutrients, chlorophyll a, salinity and temperature were the prevailing
environmental conditions likely associated with the different mesozooplankton assemblages found in the bay.
The copepodsEurytemora americana, Acartia tonsa,
Podon leuckartiand Nematoda were particularly observed on the northwest coast of the bay, characterized
by the highest level of urban pollution, eutrophicated by
sewage and freshwater inputs from the Encerrada Bay
which is connected to it. The stations situated in the
northeast area, mostly influenced by freshwater input
from rivers and glacier melting, showed low
mesozooplankton abundances and an important contribution of adventitious plankton. The copepods
Ctenocalanus citer, Clausocalanus brevipesand
Drepanopus forcipatuswere mostly observed at the stations located near the Beagle Channel, characterized by
open sea and free polluted waters. Our findings suggest
that the variations observed in the mesozooplankton assemblages in the UB seem to be modulated by environmental variables associatedwith the anthropogenic influence, clearly detected on the coast of the bay. Certain
opportunistic species such asA. tonsaandE. americana
could be postulated as potential bioindicators of water
quality in subantarctic coastal ecosystems.