Long-term morphologic and hydrologic effects on benthicinvertebrates in a minor channel of the Paraná River floodplain(Argentina).

BLETTLER, MARTIN.; AMSLER, MARIO; ESCURRA DE DRAGO, I.; BULLO,JUAN M. ; PAIRAA, ALDO R. ; DRAGO, EDMUNDO E. ; ESPINOLAA, LUIS A. ; FONTANA, LIVIA O. ; EBERLE, ELIANA; RODRIGUES CAPÍTULO A.

ECOLOGICAL ENGINEERING

ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2014 vol. p. 134 - 143

0925-8574

Temporal variability in river morphology, sedimentology and flow are a fundamental control on instreamhabitat structure and riverine ecosystem biodiversity. However, long-term riverine ecological time-seriesin a wider temporal context are particularly rare. The present research involves long-term data seriesof riverine physical habitat and benthic macroinvertebrate ecology in the Correntoso River (secondarychannel of the Paraná River floodplain).An anthropogenic morphological alteration was identified at the river inlet. As a consequence, a largesedimentation area was originated at the river inlet, preventing the inflow of suspended sand to the Cor-rentoso. However, the natural morphological evolution during the last decades, probably led by three largefloodings (1983, 1992 and 1997?8), reconfigured the inlet morphology, allowing the inflow of suspendedsand into the channel. These phenomena allowed the sandy sedimentation a few kilometers downstream,redefining its bottom sediment condition over the years. This long-term process prompted great changeson benthic invertebrate ecology, causing a significant fauna depletion.This research demonstrates the value of long-term data series in ecological studies as well as the impor-tance of an interdisciplinary point of view. Linking physical processes to ecology is particularly useful toaid understanding of the ecological legacy of anthropogenic modification and natural evolution on riversystems.© 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.