Lake Caviahue: an extreme environment as potential sentinel for nutrient deposition in Patagonia

BAFFICO G; DIAZ M; BEAMUD SG; SCHULTZ S ; TEMPORETTI P; PEDROZO F

HYDROBIOLOGIA

SPRINGER

Lugar: Berlin; Año: 2018 vol. 816 p. 49 - 60

0018-8158

The objective of this study was to determine if extreme acidic Lake Caviahue could beused as sentinel of atmospheric deposition hypothesizing that the physiological state ofalgae will be the indicator parameter. The lake was sampled from 2000 to 2015 inorder to determine chlorophyll concentration, algae abundance, and phytoplankton invivo fluorescence as a way to evaluate the physiological state of algae. Developmentand physiological state of phytoplankton in different seasons was related toconcentration and dynamics of nutrients in the lake. Laboratory experiments ofKeratococcus rhaphidiodes to nitrogen (N) enrichment confirmed that an increase innutrient content enabled a better physiological state of algae (e.g. higher chlorophyllper cell). Therefore, under the projected scenarios of climate change, the increase ofavailable N through the increase in deposition, and the increase of dissolved inorganiccarbon as consequence of higher atmospheric CO2, will compensate the naturalnutrient constrains observed in the phytoplankton of the lake. The effect that theatmospheric CO2 has on the DIC, and this on algal development, as well as theinfluence that N has on algal growth, make Lake Caviahue an interesting sentinel ofnutrient deposition at regional level.