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Can ephemeral proliferations of submerged macrophytes influence zoobenthos and water quality in coastal lagoons?

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Abstract

Hydrology is often the main determinant of water chemistry and structure of the aquatic communities in coastal lagoons, driven by the interaction of freshwater load from the catchment and marine intrusions. However, submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) can have important local effects on both features, even during sporadically and short proliferations. A SAV summer proliferation was observed during 2003 in a coastal lagoon in Uruguay (Laguna de Rocha), increasing macrophyte cover and biomass in the less saline zones. SAV summer proliferations were first observed in summer 2001, with no records prior. The aim of this paper is to describe the ephemeral proliferation of SAV in this shallow brackish lagoon and to analyze its effects on the abiotic environment and on the zoobenthic community. Vegetated and unvegetated zones were sampled in the northern more limnic area (9.1 mS cm−1 ± 4.8) and the southern brackish area (20.9 mS cm−1 ± 5.2). Water and sediment chemistry were analyzed by standard methods and benthos and plants were collected with an Ekman grab. During SAV proliferation, suspended solids were five times lower inside macrophyte patches and water column total phosphorus and nitrogen were three and two times lower, respectively. Zoobenthos abundance and richness were higher in vegetated patches. However, no differences were found between sampling sites in the more brackish southern area and in the North after the SAV proliferation ended. This indicates that SAV can influence water chemistry and benthos structure above a biomass threshold of 100 g DW m−2. Although hydrology is the driving force regulating communities and water chemistry in these coastal lagoons, our results showed that SAV can also be an important local factor above a certain biomass threshold.

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Acknowledgments

Our thanks to Ramsar Small Grants which supported this research. To Silvana Masciadri who helped during sampling and plant manipulation. To Laura Rodríguez-Graña, Danilo Calliari, Valeria Hein, Gisselle Lacerot, and Claudia Piccini who were part of the research team and conducted bacteria, phytoplankton, zooplankton, and ichthyoplankton studies not reported in this study. To Carla Kruk for her support in statistical analysis and to Tito, our special driver and chef during the field trips. We want to give special thanks to all three anonymous reviewers for their comments as they contributed to significantly improve the manuscript.

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  1. Sección Limnología, Facultad de Ciencias, UdelaR, Iguá 4225, Montevideo, CP 11400, Uruguay

    Lorena Rodríguez-Gallego, Erika Meerhoff, Juan M. Clemente & Daniel Conde

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  1. Lorena Rodríguez-Gallego
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Guest editors: M. Meerhoff, M. Beklioglu, R. Burks, F. García-Rodríguez, N. Mazzeo & B. Moss/Structure and Function of World Shallow Lakes: Proceedings from the 6th Shallow Lakes Congress, held in Punta del Este, Uruguay, 23–28 November, 2008

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Rodríguez-Gallego, L., Meerhoff, E., Clemente, J.M. et al. Can ephemeral proliferations of submerged macrophytes influence zoobenthos and water quality in coastal lagoons?. Hydrobiologia 646, 253–269 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-010-0185-z

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