IADIZA   20886
INSTITUTO ARGENTINO DE INVESTIGACIONES DE LAS ZONAS ARIDAS
Unidad Ejecutora - UE
congresos y reuniones científicas
Título:
Altitudinal distribution patterns in the lentic malacofauna of northern Mendoza Province
Autor/es:
MASI C.I.; CIOCCO, N. F.
Lugar:
La Punta, San Luis, Argentina
Reunión:
Congreso; XXVII Reunión Científica Anual de la Sociedad de Biología de Cuyo.; 2009
Institución organizadora:
Sociedad Biológica de Cuyo
Resumen:
Knowing regional malacofauna contributes to conserving biodiversity, assessing water quality, designing epidemiology surveillance plans and enhancing biogeographical and paleoenvi- ronmental knowledge. Except for Lymnaea viator, aquatic mollusks of northern Cuyo region are scarcely studied, including those from lentic waters from northern Mendoza Province. The goal is to examine mollusk diversity in the Mendoza River basin (MRb) along an altitudinal gradient. In summer 2009, biological samples (hand sieve, 10-15min/each, 3/site) were taken at 25 lentic sites from 4 zones of MRb: high Andean wetlands [HA, >3000 m above sea level (masl); n sites (s): 10]; high middle reach (HM, 3000-2000masl; s: 6); low middle reach (LM, 2000-1000masl; s: 5); lowlands (LO, <1000masl; s: 4). In all 8 taxa identified, distributed as follows, HA: no mollusks; HM: L. viator; LM: L.viator, Physa acuta, Heleobia sp, Heleobia hatcheri, Chilina mendozana y Pisidium chiquitanum; LO: L.viator, P.acuta, Heleobia sp., Biomphalaria peregrina and Pomacea canaliculata. The upper part of the sampled gradient is not favorable to development of mollusk populations. Highest species richness (6) was detected between 1000 and 2000 masl. L. viator (only species found over 2000 masl) showed the broadest altitudinal range (633-2954 masl). B.peregrina and P.canaliculata were registered below 1000 masl, where tolerant species such as P. acuta and L. viator were also detected. Our results suggest clear altitudinal distribution patterns for freshwater mollusks in Centre-West Argentina.