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Seasonal baseline of nutrients and stable isotopes in a saline lake of Argentina: biogeochemical processes and river runoff effects

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Abstract

The seasonal variability of inorganic and organic nutrients and stable isotopes and their relations with plankton and environmental conditions were monitored in Lake Chasicó. Principal component analysis evidenced the strong influence of the river runoff on several biogeochemical variables. Silicate concentrations were controlled by diatom biomass and river discharge. Higher values of nitrate and soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) indicated agricultural uses in the river basin. Elevated pH values (∼9) inhibiting nitrification in the lake explained partially the dominance of ammonium: ∼83 % of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN). The low DIN/SRP ratio inferred nitrogen limitation, although the hypotheses of iron and CO2 limitation are relevant in alkaline lakes. Particulate organic matter (POM) and dissolved organic matter (DOM) were mainly of autochthonous origin. The main allochthonous input was imported by the river as POM owning to the arid conditions. Dissolved organic carbon was likely top-down regulated by the bacterioplankton grazer Brachionus plicatilis. The δ13C signature was a good indicator of primary production and its values were influenced probably by CO2 limitation. The δ15N did not evidence nitrogen fixation and suggested the effects of anthropogenic activities. The preservation of a good water quality in the lake is crucial for resource management.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to the German Academic Exchange Service and the Ministry of Education of Argentina for financing this work. We thank the Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria and Servicio Metereológico Nacional for precipitation data, A. Rule from Chapalcó Ray for logistical support, J. W. Melo for study site images, K.-U. Ludwichowski for nutrient measurements, D. Dasbach for stable isotope analysis and J. C. Paggi, M. S. Hoffmeyer and C. A. Popovich for plankton assessment.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía, Florida 4750, B8000FWB, Bahía Blanca, Argentina

    Germán A. Kopprio & Rubén J. Lara

  2. Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570, Bremerhaven, Germany

    Gerhard Kattner

  3. Universidad Nacional del Sur, Av. Alem 1253, B8000CPB, Bahía Blanca, Argentina

    R. Hugo Freije

  4. Instituto Nacional de Limnología, Ciudad Universitaria, 3000, Santa Fe, Argentina

    Susana José de Paggi

  5. Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Ecology, Fahrenheitstr. 6, 28359, Bremen, Germany

    Germán A. Kopprio & Rubén J. Lara

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  1. Germán A. Kopprio
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  2. Gerhard Kattner
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  3. R. Hugo Freije
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  4. Susana José de Paggi
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  5. Rubén J. Lara
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Correspondence to Germán A. Kopprio.

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Kopprio, G.A., Kattner, G., Freije, R.H. et al. Seasonal baseline of nutrients and stable isotopes in a saline lake of Argentina: biogeochemical processes and river runoff effects. Environ Monit Assess 186, 3139–3148 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-013-3606-4

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