Abstract
The effects of free-floating mats of the water hyacinth Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms on the limnological characteristics of two lakes located on the fringing floodplain of the lower Paraná River (27°27'S, 58°55'W) were studied monthly between April 1998 and April 1999. The mobility of the free-floating vegetation at both locations prevented continual observation. Therefore, to carry out the intensive sampling needed for this study, two experimental ponds (A and B) were filled with water from the Paraná River in 1996. Pond A was designed to reproduce conditions similar to those of lakes vegetated with water hyacinth. Pond B was designed to recreate the limnological conditions of these lakes, such as a high concentration of dissolved and fine particulate organic matter and a peat layer on the bottom; however, pond B lacked macrophytes. Natural lakes covered with free-floating vegetation were very similar to pond A, but these water bodies showed a lower temperature, dissolved oxygen level and pH and a higher conductivity than the non-vegetated pond. Our results indicated that water hyacinth has a strong local influence on the limnological conditions in subtropical shallow lakes. Our results may assist in developing cause-consequence models by demonstrating the relevance of the effect of thermal damping produced by floating meadows.
Highlights
Aquatic macrophytes influence the quality of water bodies by providing organic matter and by influencing nu-How to cite this paper: Casco, S.L., Carnevali, R.P., Poi, A.S.G. and Neiff, J.J. (2014) The Influence of Water Hyacinth Floating Meadows on Limnological Characteristics in Shallow Subtropical Waters
Eighty percents of the lakes and ponds of the lower Paraná floodplain are covered with floating plants, and the dominant aquatic plant species is Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms [4] [8]
The aim of this study was to assess the influence of E. crassipes floating meadows on four limnological variables in floodplain lakes of the Paraná River over the course of one year
Summary
Aquatic macrophytes influence the quality of water bodies by providing organic matter and by influencing nu-How to cite this paper: Casco, S.L., Carnevali, R.P., Poi, A.S.G. and Neiff, J.J. (2014) The Influence of Water Hyacinth Floating Meadows on Limnological Characteristics in Shallow Subtropical Waters. Other water quality effects include higher sedimentation rates within the plant’s complex root structure and the capture of inorganic phosphorus during floods [13]. In these lakes, water circulation is reduced to a daily period of mixing, which occurs during the morning [3]. The floating meadows of water hyacinth produce a mean of 5.1 g∙m−2∙day−1 of organic matter [13] using a significant amount of nutrients, mainly nitrogen and phosphorus [1] [3]
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