The Chilean lake district includes diverse lentic ecosystems along ca. 700 km of the country (361-431S), including the ''Nahuelbutan lakes'', ''Araucanian lakes'' and ''Chiloe lakes''. This area is recognized as an important ''hot spot'' of benthic freshwater biodiversity in Southern South America. In Chilean temperate lakes, increased nutrient loads of P and N caused eutrophication, particularly in the Nahuelbutan Lakes. The freshwater Hyriidae mussel Diplodon chilensis (Gray, 1828) which is one of the most abundant species in Chilean temperate lakes, is known to be very susceptible to eutrophication. This species presents a clear reduction in its geographic ranges and is considered to be a threatened species in many Chilean lakes. In this study, we used a correlative approach to determine how eutrophication-driven changes in the food supply and in geographical parameters of different Chilean lakes affected the shell growth rates of D. chilensis. The results obtained from sclerochronological analyses of the mussel shells suggest an association with a group of environmental variables, including geographical types (negative), such as latitude and altitude, and limnological types (positive), especially phosphorous and turbidity. However, the D. chilensis populations under extreme conditions of turbidity in eutrophic and hypertrophic lakes are extinct or nearly so. The high positive correlation of the mean D. chilensis growth rates with orthophosphate (R ¼ 0.76; Po0.05), in relation to dissolved inorganic nitrogen, suggests that P is the major limiting factor of the primary productivity in Chilean temperate lakes. We discuss some implications of our results in terms of the conservation of biodiversity in temperate lake ecosystems at different taxonomic levels.

24 25 In Chile, mediterranean climate conditions only occur in the Central Zone (ChMZ). 26 Despite its small area, this mediterranean climate region (med-region) has been 27 recognised as a hotspot for biodiversity. However, in contrast to the rivers of other med-

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RESUMENSe estudiaron las comunidades de macroinvertebrados bentónicos de la cuenca hidrográfica del río Aysén (44º45' -46º15'S; 71º00' -73º00'W). Se muestreó en 14 estaciones que se distribuyeron en las diferentes subcuencas intentado cubrir la mayor variabilidad del paisaje fluvial. Los muestreos de macroinvertebrados se realizaron empleando una red Surber. En cada sitio se cuantificaron parámetros fisico-químicos de la columna de agua (pH, conductividad eléctrica, sólidos disueltos, temperatura y oxígeno disuelto), además de parámetros físicos del río (orden del río, pendiente, ancho, profundidad media, velocidad media, tipología de la vegetación ribereña y substrato). Se identificó un total de 59 taxa, la mayor parte de los cuales correspondió a estados inmaduros de insectos (83%). Dentro de éstos, los grupos más diversos fueron los órdenes Plecoptera (19 taxa), Ephemeroptera (14 taxa) y Trichoptera (10 taxa). Los análisis de clasificación y ordenación de estaciones realizados con los datos de abundancia, permitieron reconocer cinco grupos de estaciones estadísticamente diferenciados (P<0,05). El análisis de regresión múltiple, muestra que la única variable ambiental que explica los patrones biológicos observados, fue el número de Froude, explicando el 45,1 % de la varianza de los datos biológicos (r 2 ajustado 0,451, p<0,05). PALABRAS CLAVES: Macroinvertebrados bentónicos, hábitat fluvial, Número de Froude, Ríos patagónicos, cuenca del río Aysén. ABSTRACTThe benthic macroinvertebrate communities of the Aysén River Basin were studied (44º45' -46º15'S; 71º00' -73º00'W). The samples were obtained from 14 sites distributed in the different subbasins to cover the largest variability in the fluvial landscape. The samplings of macroinvertebrates were carried out using a Surber sampler. In each place physicalchemical parameters of the water column were quantified (pH, electric conductivity, dissolved solids, temperature and dissolved oxygen). Physical parameters of the river were also considered (order of the river, slope, width, depth, current velocity, riverside typology, riparian vegetation and substratum). A total of 59 taxa were identified, most of which corresponded to immature states of insects (83%). The most diverse groups of insects were Plecoptera (19 taxa), Ephemeroptera (14 taxa) and Trichoptera (10 taxa). The classification and ordination analyses of stations carried out with the abundance data, allowed to recognize five groups of stations statistically different (P <0,05). The multiple regression analysis, showed that the only environmental variable that accounts for the observed biological patterns, was the Froude number, explaining 45,1% the variance of the biological data (r 2 adjusted 0,451, p <0,05).

In the last twenty years, pesticide use in Chile has increased more than 160%, generating a greater risk of water resources pollution. The objective of this study was to assess the presence of 22 pesticides and 12 degradation products in surface water samples from the Cachapoal River basin, Central Chile, an area characterized by intense agricultural activity.Pesticide concentrations in the dissolved phase (DP) and particulate phase (PP) in samples collected in the dry season and after precipitation events was assessed. The solid-phase extraction technique was used to preconcentrate the samples and GC/MS and LC/MS were used to detect pesticides. The results present spatio-temporal variations in the proportion and concentration of pesticides and their degradation products in both the DP and PP for each site and sampling period. The most ubiquitous compounds in the dissolved phase were atrazine, atrazine-2-hydroxy (HA), cyprodinil, pyrimethanil, and tebuconazole, while in the particulate phase HA, imidacloprid, diazinon and pyrimidinol were detected. The results presented in this study make up the first record of pesticides in the dissolved and particulate phases in surface water in Chile. They show that the problem of pesticide contamination undoubtedly affects the quality of bodies of water in agricultural areas in Chile and support the need for a proper assessment of the water quality of the Cachapoal River in the future.