Benthic macrofauna of three saline-lake wetlands on the coastal rim of southern Chile

Abstract

A coastal-lake wetland is a type of inland water ecosystem that does not occur very frequently in Chile, of which lakes Budi, Huillinco and Cucao are examples. Textural differences were found in the various constituent parts of the coastal lake sediments. Gravel was the smallest fraction and showed significant differences among the three coastal lakes (P < 0.05). Significant differences (P < 0.05) were also recorded for the sand and mud fractions. Lakes Cucao and Huillinco are described as muddy sand, in contrast to Lake Budi, which is described as sandy mud, composed primarily of mud with a smaller percentage of sand. There were statistical differences among the lakes with regard to the contributions of organic matter in each fraction. The macrofauna in these bodies of water belongs to the fauna inhabiting estuary environments in southern Chile. Lake Budi had seven taxa, and lakes Huillinco and Cucao ten species of macrofauna each. There were no significant differences in the number of species captured at the three coastal lakes (P > 0.05), but differences did emerge in comparisons made among the sampling stations. Total abundances showed significant differences (P < 0.05) in comparisons made both among the lakes and the stations. Salinity and grain size could be limiting the density and number of species at the lakes.

Heavy metals in the liver and muscle of Micropogonias manni fish from Budi Lake, Araucania Region, Chile: potential risk for humans

“…The latter are little represented in Chile, with Budi Lake (Araucanía Region) and Huillinco and Cucao Lakes (Los Lagos Region) cited as some of the most representative (Stuardo et al 1989;Bertrán et al 2006Bertrán et al , 2010.…”

“…Its basin presents intensive land use, which has generated significant changes in the dynamic of the landscape . These systems are characterised by a very particular internal dynamic in their chemical, physical and biological variables, which are largely determined by the effects of the rivers and the entry of sea water and sediment (Stuardo et al 1989;Bertrán et al 2006Bertrán et al , 2010.…”

Consequences of Mouth Closure and Hypoxia-Induced State Changes in Low-Inflow Estuaries: Benthic Community and Trait-Based Response

“…These are termed intermittently closed estuaries (ICEs) or intermittently closed/open lakes and lagoons (ICOLLs, e.g., McSweeney et al 2017), with the former used here. ICEs are found worldwide including along the coastlines of California (Largier et al 1997(Largier et al , 2013(Largier et al , 2019Elwany et al 1998), Spain (Moreno et al 2010), Portugal (Dodet et al 2013;Bertin et al 2019), Australia Roy et al 2001;Gale et al 2007;McSweeney et al 2017), South Africa (Snow and Taljaard 2007;van Niekerk et al 2020), and Chile (Bertrán et al 2006;Dussaillant et al 2009). Anthropogenic activities including wetland fill, beach nourishment, infrastructure placement (e.g., roads, parking lots, bridges, and jetties), and upstream dam impoundments all can have profound effects on mouth conditions, with closures becoming more frequent or prolonged where the tidal prism is reduced (Coats et al 1989).…”