Title
Spatial and temporal dynamics of the trophic state in a tropical high Andean lake in northern
Other title
[Variaciones limnológicas espaciotemporales de un lago altoandino tropical al norte de Perú]
Date Issued
01 August 2021
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Publisher(s)
Asociacion Argentina de Ecologia
Abstract
Perú. Lake Pomacochas is located in the montane forest region of northern Perú, in an area of great agricultural and fish farming importance, activities that represent the basis of the local economy. The population settled on its margins discharges part of its wastewater into the lake without treatment. The main aim of this study was to determine the spatio-temporal dynamics of this lentic ecosystem, evaluating the limnological and trophic conditions during the dry and rainy periods, and their relationship with each other. The following limnological variables were analyzed at 15 sampling sites: Transparency, chlorophyll ‘a’, temperature, pH, conductivity, oxygen saturation, turbidity, nitrates, nitrites, ammonium and soluble reactive phosphorus. Besides, the following trophic indices were calculated: Carlson’s trophic status index (TSIC), trophic status index modified by Aizaki et al. (TSIA), trophic status index modified by Toledo et al. (TSIT) and trophic status index by Vollenweider et al. (TRIX). The lake showed temporal, but not spatial, variation for both limnological variables and trophic indices. The dynamics of the limnological variables in the different climatic periods was also analyzed. The TSIC and TSIA indexes indicated that the lake can be characterized as α-mesotrophic to β-eutrophic, and according to TSIT index as α-mesotrophic to α-eutrophic. The TRIX showed the system has a poor water quality, highly productive, and a very high trophic level. The results reveal that the TSIA best described the trophic state of the lake, while the TSIC was the worst. All these results were statistically significant (P<0.05). The trophic indices evidenced that lake Pomacochas shows a strong tendency to the eutrophication due to agricultural activities. The study also showed that the system is conditioned by climatic seasonality.
Start page
343
End page
356
Volume
31
Issue
2
Language
Spanish
OCDE Knowledge area
Ciencias de la Tierra, Ciencias ambientales Geología Oceanografía, Hidrología, Recursos hídricos
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85122954221
Source
Ecologia Austral
ISSN of the container
03275477
Sources of information: Directorio de Producción Científica Scopus