Aquatic fauna in the driest desert on earth: First report on the crustacean fauna of the Loa River (Atacama Desert, Antofagasta Region, Chile)

De Los Ríos Escalante, Patricio; Adamowicz, S.J.; Witt, J.D.S.

Aquatic fauna in the driest desert on earth: First report on the crustacean fauna of the Loa River (Atacama Desert, Antofagasta Region, Chile)

dc.contributor.author	De Los Ríos Escalante, Patricio
dc.contributor.author	Adamowicz, S.J.
dc.contributor.author	Witt, J.D.S.
dc.date	2010
dc.date.accessioned	2012-02-09T13:44:49Z
dc.date.available	2012-02-09T13:44:49Z
dc.date.issued	2012-02-09
dc.description.abstract	The longest river in Chile, the Loa, is in fact found in the Atacama Desert in the far north of the country. Being an important resource for the dry Antofagasta region, this river experiences high anthropogenic impacts due to water use for mining, urban, and agricultural activities. Unfortunately, few biological surveys have been conducted in the Loa, and the invertebrate fauna in particular is poorly known. The aim of this study is to characterize the microcrustacean species associations at various sites of the Loa River and some of its tributaries. Unexpectedly high species richness was detected at high-altitude sites, where the amphipods Hyalella fossamanchini and H. kochi were reported. At low-altitude sites only the ostracod Heterocypris panningi was found. No significant correlation was detected between species richness and salinity, nor between richness and conductivity. Although a null model community analysis indicated that the microcrustacean species associations in the Loa are largely random, species richness and altitude were significantly and positively correlated. Potential causes of this pattern include the accumulation of nutrients and pollution along the course of the river, as well as increasing temperatures in the lower-altitude zones of the river. The biogeography of the constituent members of the Loa fauna is discussed. © 2010 Brill Academic Publishers.	es
dc.format	PDF	es
dc.identifier.citation	Crustaceana, Vol. 83 , N°3, 257-266, 2010	es
dc.identifier.doi	10.1163/001121609X12596543952333	es
dc.identifier.uri	https://repositoriodigital.uct.cl/handle/10925/622
dc.language.iso	en	es
dc.source	Crustaceana	es
dc.subject	Fauna acuática	es
dc.subject	Río Loa	es
dc.subject	Atacama	es
dc.subject	Intervención antrópica	es
dc.title	Aquatic fauna in the driest desert on earth: First report on the crustacean fauna of the Loa River (Atacama Desert, Antofagasta Region, Chile)	es
dc.type	Artículo de Revista	es
uct.carrera	Agronomía	es
uct.carrera	Ingeniería en Acuicultura	es
uct.carrera	Ingeniería en Recursos Naturales Renovables	es
uct.carrera	Medicina Veterinaria	es
uct.catalogador	aga	es
uct.comunidad	Recursos Naturales	es
uct.facultad	Facultad de Recursos Naturales	es
uct.indizacion	ISI	es