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Volcanic and environmental impacts on subfossil chironomids from Northern Patagonia (Argentina) over the last 700 years

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Abstract

Southern South America, especially Patagonia, presents numerous glacial lakes holding proxies of past environmental and climate changes. This is useful to reconstruct past environmental changes, key for understanding Southern Hemisphere variability and the present. Our aim was to identify the volcanic and environmental impact that occurred during the last 700 year in Northern Patagonia (Argentina) using subfossil chironomids, organic matter content, and tephrochronology from short sediment cores of two lakes located between Los Alerces National Park and Esquel city. Both lakes have similar watershed characteristics and were affected by the same volcanic events, making them an excellent tool for study environmental changes. Although changes in chironomid assemblages were subtle along both cores, enviromental variations and faunal responses to volcanic ash (tephra) could be inferred. In the last 50 years, an increase of organic matter, chironomids typical of productive environments, and the presence of macrophytes, point towards an increase in lake productivity. Probably linked to the establishment of Esquel city and fisheries starting in 1966 AD. Four tephra were recorded along cores affecting chironomid abundance differently, showing that the effects of volcanic events are not unique onefold but are related to the characteristics of the ash, the effect of wind, rain, and/or macrophytes.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Valeria Outes Grupo de Estudios Ambientales (GEA) Lab, IPATEC (Universidad Nacional del Comahue—Concejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas) for the help in LOI and tephra analysis; and to Dr. Luciana Motta (Concejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas- Programa de estudios aplicados a la Conservación del Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi) for the help checking the manuscript writing. This study was funded by PIP CONICET 112-200801-01830, PIP CONICET 112 201001 00311 and PICT 2010 2046 (FONCyT). Ethical standards: all the experiments comply with the current laws of Argentina, in which they were performed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ecotono, Instituto de Investigaciones de Biodiversidad y Medio Ambiente, Pje. Gutierrez 1125, San Carlos de Bariloche (8400), Rio Negro, Argentina

    M. Noel Serra

  2. Instituto de Investigaciones de Biodiversidad y Medio Ambiente (INIBIOMA), Rio Negro, Argentina

    M. Noel Serra

  3. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), C1425FQB, Godoy Cruz 2290, CABA, Argentina

    M. Noel Serra & Julieta Massaferro

  4. CENAC, Programa de Estudios Aplicados a la Conservación del Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi (Administración de Parques Nacionales), Fagnano 244, San Carlos de Bariloche (8400), Rio Negro, Argentina

    Julieta Massaferro

  5. IPATEC (Instituto Andino-Patagónico de Tecnologías Biológicas y Geoambientales), CONICET/UNCO, Av. de los Pioneros 2350, 8400 S. C., de Bariloche, Argentina

    Gustavo Villarosa

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  1. M. Noel Serra
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  3. Gustavo Villarosa
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Serra, M.N., Massaferro, J. & Villarosa, G. Volcanic and environmental impacts on subfossil chironomids from Northern Patagonia (Argentina) over the last 700 years. Limnology 22, 337–346 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10201-021-00660-4

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