Response of Chironomidae to environmental disturbances in a high mountain lake in Patagonia during the last millennium

AÑÓN SUÁREZ, DIEGO; DAGA, ROMINA; WILLIAMS, NATALIA; RIZZO, ANDREA; RIBEIRO GUEVARA, SERGIO; RIERADEVALL, MARIA; ARRIBÉRE, MARÍA A.; AÑÓN SUÁREZ, DIEGO; DAGA, ROMINA; WILLIAMS, NATALIA; RIZZO, ANDREA; RIBEIRO GUEVARA, SERGIO; RIERADEVALL, MARIA; ARRIBÉRE, MARÍA A.

QUATERNARY RESEARCH

ACADEMIC PRESS INC ELSEVIER SCIENCE

Año: 2019 vol. 92 p. 273 - 287

0033-5894

Through the last millennium, Patagonia has been affected by changing climate conditions and successive volcanic eruptions.Lake Tonček is a high-altitude lake in the Southern Volcanic Zone in the northern Patagonian Andes. We documented theresponses of the subfossil chironomid community to the effects of successive volcanic and different conditions in a sedimentarysequence from this lake comprising the last 900 years. The community composition and structure (abundance, diversity,and richness) and the development of morphological anomalies in the chironomid mouthparts were evaluated throughout thecore. Both climatic conditions and volcanism affected the chironomid community differentially. The chironomid communitychanged following short-term climate change patterns, being affecting not only by temperature changes but also by variationsin the regional precipitation regime. Decreases in abundance and diversity were only observed in coarse volcanic layers. Inthese samples, we recorded a high percentage of damaged chironomid mouthparts caused by mechanical wear, breakage orabrasion, possibly due to the increase of mineral particles. Our results represent important baseline data about the responses ofchironomid communities to environmental disturbances in high-altitude lakes over long time frames.