Artículo de revista
Regime shifts of Cruces River wetland ecosystem: current conditions, future uncertainties
Fecha
2014Registro en:
Lat. Am. J. Aquat. Res., 42(1): 160-171, 2014
DOI: 103856/vol42-issue1-fulltext-13
Autor
Marín Briano, Víctor
Delgado Isasi, Luisa
Vila Pinto, Irma
Tironi, Antonio
Barrera, Vilma
Ibáñez Valderrama, Carlos
Institución
Resumen
During April-May 2004 the Cruces River wetland ecosystem, located in Valdivia (40ºS),
southern Chile, was described as shifting from a clear water regime, dominated by the exotic macrophyte
Egeria densa, to turbid waters and absence of submerged macrophytes. We analyzed the trophic status and
ecological regime of the wetland from November 2011 through January 2013. The trophic status was
determined comparing values of selected variables (nutrients, chlorophyll-a and transparency) with OECD
criteria. The ecological regime was determined comparing the same variables with the criteria proposed by
Ibelings et al. (2007). We further compared the concentration of nutrients and suspended solids with previous
measurements. Current trophic status of the wetland is between eutrophic and hypereutrophic, as shown by
results, and its ecological regime intermediate, between clear and turbid waters, with a considerable risk of
returning to turbid waters. In this article we discuss the potential relationship between the watershed land use
(agriculture, cattle feeding and forestry), the change in wetland’s trophic level and future conditions.