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Estimation of ecosystem metabolism from diel oxygen technique in a saline shallow lake: La Salada (Argentina)

  • ARGENTINE PAMPEAN SHALLOW LAKES
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Abstract

Studies based on continuous monitoring of diel changes in dissolved oxygen concentration allow the estimation of ecosystem metabolism and provide a measure of the overall trophic processes of an ecosystem. In this study, net ecosystem production (NEP), community/ecosystem respiration (R), and gross primary production (GPP) rates were estimated in relation to physicochemical and climatic variables for 18 months in La Salada, a saline shallow lake. Net autotrophic conditions prevailed during the study period (NEP: 64.05 ± 44.22 mmol O2 m−2 day−1). GPP and R were positively correlated and were synchronized on a daily timescale, with GPP typically greater than R. Principal component analysis revealed that monthly rates of GPP, R, and NEP responded, as expected, to temperature and light seasonal patterns. Water level and conductivity fluctuations, because of evapoconcentration and water management, were relevant as a driver of the physicochemical and biological characteristics of the lake. In saline lakes as La Salada, an adequate management of water resources will be relevant to maintain the ecosystem equilibrium and the quality of its resources.

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Acknowledgements

We kindly thank Alo Laas and anonymous reviewers for their comments and suggestions. We also thank L. Lagomarsino, R. Escaray, and J. Bustingorry for nutrient analyses. Partial supports for the studies dealing to the article were provided by grants from the network project PAMPA2 (CONICET), ANPCyT, Universidad Nacional del Sur (PGI 24/G059) and the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) CRN3038 (under US NSF Award GEO-1128040).

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  1. Vanesa Liliana Perillo

    Present address: Department of Plant and Soil Science, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, 05405-1737, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Proyecto redes CONICET Pampa, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    María Belén Alfonso, Alejandro José Vitale, María Clara Menéndez, María Cintia Piccolo & Gerardo Miguel Eduardo Perillo

  2. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía (IADO - CONICET), Camino a la Carrindanga km 7, 8000, Bahía Blanca, Argentina

    María Belén Alfonso, Alejandro José Vitale, María Clara Menéndez, María Cintia Piccolo & Gerardo Miguel Eduardo Perillo

  3. Departamento de Ingeniería Eléctrica y Computadoras, Universidad Nacional del Sur (UNS), Av. Alem 1253, 8000, Bahía Blanca, Argentina

    Alejandro José Vitale

  4. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Bahía Blanca (INIBIBB – CONICET), Camino a la Carrindanga km 7, 8000, Bahía Blanca, Argentina

    Vanesa Liliana Perillo

  5. Departamento de Geografía y Turismo, Universidad Nacional del Sur, 12 de Octubre y San Juan, 8000, Bahía Blanca, Argentina

    María Cintia Piccolo

  6. Departamento de Geología, Universidad Nacional del Sur, San Juan 670, 8000, Bahía Blanca, Argentina

    Gerardo Miguel Eduardo Perillo

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  1. María Belén Alfonso
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Correspondence to María Belén Alfonso.

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Guest editors: I. Izaguirre, L. A. Miranda, G. M. E. Perillo, M. C. Piccolo & H. E. Zagarese / Shallow Lakes from the Central Plains of Argentina

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Alfonso, M.B., Vitale, A.J., Menéndez, M.C. et al. Estimation of ecosystem metabolism from diel oxygen technique in a saline shallow lake: La Salada (Argentina). Hydrobiologia 752, 223–237 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-014-2092-1

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