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

QUIROGA, VICTORIA; CASA, V.; GARCIA, PATRICIA ELIZABETH; KUPPERS, GABRIELA; MATALONI, GABRIELA

Freshwaters and Wetlands of Patagonia. Ecosystems and socioecological aspects

Springer

Año: 2022;

Peat bogs have an important role in the carbon cycle, they may be sinks orsources of carbon dioxide and methane depending on the environmental conditions. Thesewetlands represent large reservoirs of freshwater capable of mitigating drought-floodevents, with important implications for water quality and hydrological balance. The keynature contributions to people provided by these ecosystems are tightly related with thediversity of microbial communities inhabiting them. Peat bogs from Tierra del FuegoIsland usually host several water bodies embedded within a waterlogged Sphagnummatrix.These aquatic habitats can be considered as extreme environments due to theirlow pH values and dystrophic conditions, and show a uniquely adapted biota. In thischapter we unravel the diversity of the aquatic algae, ciliate and microinvertebratecommunities from two peat bogs from Tierra del Fuego at different scales. For thedifferent communities analysed, we identified distinct diversity patterns relating to localenvironmental conditions, as well as taxa of high value as indicators of the possibleimpact on peat bog diversity exerted by anthropogenic activities in a global changecontext.