Universität zu Köln

Aranguiz-Acuna, Adriana ORCID: 0000-0002-9409-1147, Luque, Jose A., Pizarro, Hector ORCID: 0000-0002-0023-6027, Cerda, Mauricio, Heine-Fuster, Inger, Valdes, Jorge, Fernandez-Galego, Emma and Wennrich, Volker ORCID: 0000-0003-3617-1963 (2020). Aquatic community structure as sentinel of recent environmental changes unraveled from lake sedimentary records from the Atacama Desert, Chile. PLoS One, 15 (2). SAN FRANCISCO: PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE. ISSN 1932-6203

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Abstract

The Atacama Desert (21-26 degrees S) is currently one of the driest places on Earth and metal(loid) s are of special concern for this region, which hosts the largest-known porphyry copper deposits produced in Chile. Evidence of past environmental conditions is commonly preserved in natural archives, such as lacustrine sediments. Sediment records obtained from Inca Coya Lake (22 degrees 20'S-68 degrees 35'W, 2534 m.a.s.l.), a small lake located in the Atacama Desert, reflected the evolution of regional mining activity during the 20th century and sedimentation associated with decadal climate variability. We studied the aquatic community structure changes recorded in sediment records from Inca Coya Lake. By analysis of magnetic properties (susceptibility, hysteresis curves and Curie temperatures), grain size and geochemical composition of the sediments, we identified environmental periods and changes in the community of benthic and planktonic organisms (diatoms and diapausing egg bank). We identified three detrital episodes that we interpret as dry/wet phases during the last 90 years associated with the increase of flash flood events promoting hypoxia oscillations; anthropogenic (mining activity) signals were also identified. Invertebrate community structure (primary consumers) reflected the metal exposure, measured as changes in assemblage composition through species turnover. Diatom community composition was best associated with variables related to wetter/drier alternation and consequent changes in oxygen availability. Bioindicators analyzed (diatoms, diapausing egg bank and invertebrate community) demonstrated to be excellent indicators of the bioavailability of compounds in the aquatic ecosystem of Inca Coya Lake, allowing the environmental impact assessment of the water resources due to flash floods and mining activity in the driest desert of the world.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID ORCID Put Code Aranguiz-Acuna, Adriana UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0002-9409-1147 UNSPECIFIED Luque, Jose A. UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Pizarro, Hector UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0002-0023-6027 UNSPECIFIED Cerda, Mauricio UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Heine-Fuster, Inger UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Valdes, Jorge UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Fernandez-Galego, Emma UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Wennrich, Volker UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0003-3617-1963 UNSPECIFIED
URN:	urn:nbn:de:hbz:38-344236
DOI:	10.1371/journal.pone.0229453
Journal or Publication Title:	PLoS One
Volume:	15
Number:	2
Date:	2020
Publisher:	PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE
Place of Publication:	SAN FRANCISCO
ISSN:	1932-6203
Language:	English
Faculty:	Unspecified
Divisions:	Unspecified
Subjects:	no entry
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Keywords Language ECOLOGICAL CHANGES; NORTHERN CHILE; CLIMATE-CHANGE; RESPONSES; MACROINVERTEBRATES; PRECIPITATION; VARIABILITY; ENRICHMENT; SPECIATION; SELECTION Multiple languages Multidisciplinary Sciences Multiple languages
URI:	http://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/id/eprint/34423