Abstract
ABSTRACT Palustrine areas and wetlands in particular are fragile ecosystems, with high biodiversity and high ecological productivity, and they provide benefits to society. The aim of this study was to describe and classify the main soils occurring in the wetlands of the Southern Plateau of Santa Catarina, and propose criteria for identification of hydromorphic environments as an aid in demarcation of their boundaries. Soils of four wetlands, in the municipalities of Bom Jardim da Serra, Bom Retiro, Lages, and Painel [...]
Highlights
Wetlands are ecosystems located in areas constantly or temporarily flooded and are usually characterized by the presence of hydromorphic soils, resulting in a peculiar physicochemical environment, morphologically and physiologically adapted to the hydroperiod of the system, which depends on water balance, topography, and subsurface conditions (Carvalho et al, 2007)
In Bom Jardim da Serra (BJS), Painel (PA), and Lages (LGS), the soils are located over rhyodacites of the Serra Geral Formation, or on a colluvium of sediments previously weathered from these materials, whereas the wetlands of Bom Retiro (BR) have, in their outer area, soils developed from shale of the Terezina Formation and, in the inner area, Holocene sediments of alluvial or colluvial origins that resulted from alteration of the above rocks (DNPM, 1986) (Table 1)
The BJS wetland is a closed system, it is not interconnected with any surface drainage network (Figure 2), while the others are open systems because downstream from them there is water flow that drains the surface that continues from them (Figures 3, 4, and 5)
Summary
Wetlands are ecosystems located in areas constantly or temporarily flooded and are usually characterized by the presence of hydromorphic soils, resulting in a peculiar physicochemical environment, morphologically and physiologically adapted to the hydroperiod of the system, which depends on water balance, topography, and subsurface conditions (Carvalho et al, 2007). Wetlands are among the most productive natural environments in the world, with high rates of biological diversity, since they are an environment that is at the same time a source and storage area of water and the primary production area and shelter for numerous plant and animal species They are important reservoirs of genetic material, whilst excelling especially in regulation of water resources (Meller, 2011).
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