Ecophysiology of Chirostoma Jordani Pisces: Atherinopsidae. Habitat Characterization and Population Dynamics in a Periurban Lake (Xochimilco, México)

Latournerié-Cervera José Román,Rangel-Nambo María Isabel,Alma Rosa Estrada-Ortega

doi:10.3844/ajabssp.2021.1.7

Latournerié-Cervera José Román, Rangel-Nambo María Isabel + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3844/ajabssp.2021.1.7

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Abstract

Chirostoma Jordani is an endemic species of the Mexican plateau, whose population, due to anthropogenic causes, has experienced a notable decrease from 2000 to the present, putting its permanence in its natural habitat at risk. Therefore, the objectives of this research were focused on evaluating the population dynamics of C. Jordani through its size and weight distributions and growth rate during an annual cycle and on determining if there is a relationship of these processes with water quality in the study site. Monthly samplings were carried out from August to November 2014 and from February to May 2015, in the Cuemanco canal, in Xochimilco Mexico. A total of 435 specimens were collected, the smallest sizes and weights were recorded during the months of February and April (indicating a spawning period during this time) and the largest in November. A higher growth rate was recorded in the March-May months, compared to that of August-November (0.19±0.05 and 0.04±0.03 mm/day, respectively). The water quality indicators: Temperature, oxygen dissolved, pH and nitrite, were highly significant in the spatio-temporal variation of the C. Jordani habitat and influenced the abundance and growth of the population. These results lay the foundations to explain the life and performance strategies of the C. Jordani population in Xochimilco, Mexico and are fundamental to the future management of the species in the study area and under controlled conditions.

Highlights

The Xochimilco, México lake system has been affected by multiple anthropogenic pressures, such as the introduction of exotic species, the dumping of wastewater and the overexploitation of its water resources, this has altered the abundance and survival of native species at the site, including the charales of the genus Chirostoma, this taxon was represented by the species: Chirostoma humboldtianum and Chirostoma Jordani, (Saldívar, 2007)
As (Freedman, 2018) has pointed out, the exposure of ecosystems to intense anthropogenic stressors of disturbance and pollution would result in changes that degrade ecological integrity and environmental quality
These threats are severe in regions where the human footprint is more intense, that is, where the human population is greater and the economic infrastructure is more developed, as is the case of Xochimilco, México

Summary

Introduction

The Xochimilco, México lake system has been affected by multiple anthropogenic pressures, such as the introduction of exotic species, the dumping of wastewater and the overexploitation of its water resources, this has altered the abundance and survival of native species at the site, including the charales of the genus Chirostoma, this taxon was represented by the species: Chirostoma humboldtianum and Chirostoma Jordani, (Saldívar, 2007). As a result of various ecological pressures and human impact in the area, C. Jordani populations have experienced a notable decrease, coming to be considered as a species with the possibility of disappearing (Olvera, 2004). Jordani in Xochimilco, in order to gather information that would allow the implementation of measures for its conservation and management in the study area

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