Seasonal variation and influence of turbidity and salinity on the zooplankton of a saline lake in central Argentina

Abstract

The limnology of saline water bodies at other latitudes is fairly well known, but in Argentina such studies have only recently begun. The applicability of many conclusions regarding the functioning of these environments around the world is limited due to the scant ecological knowledge of some endemic species recorded in the assemblages of Argentine lakes. The aims of this work were to determine the effects of salinity and inorganic turbidity on the taxonomic composition, abundance, and zooplankton biomass in a shallow, hypereutrophic, mesosaline lake in the north of La Pampa province characterized by seasonality, variations in level and salinity, and the lack of macrophytes and fishes, and to compare it with other shallow lakes of the province. We found important differences with other saline lakes: the species richness was lower; the mean abundance of zooplankton was between four and six times higher; and rotifers, which were not affected by salinity or the concentration of inorganic suspended solids, were numerically predominant. Crustaceans, on the other hand, were negatively affected by these environmental factors. Biomass was two- fold higher than that recorded in the same period in two shallow lakes of Pampa, with similar nutrient concentrations but lower salinities.