The Pampean Diatom Index (IDP) for assessment of rivers and streams in Argentina

By N. Gómez, M. Licursi. Aquatic Ecology, 2001

225 citations recorded by the source corpus.

The rivers and streams of the Pampean plain are subjected to the impact of agriculture, cattle-raising and industrial activities. The largest urban center of Argentina is located here. The most important stresses on rivers and streams in the Pampean plain are organic enrichments (discharge of insufficiently treated sewage), nutrients, heavy metals, pathogenic agents, pesticides, herbicides and physical changes produced by dredging and canalisation. The epipelic community is suitable for biomonitoring purposes because it allows for comparing similar substrates along the rivers and streams. A total of 164 samples of epipelic diatoms were collected during 1995-1999 from Pampean rivers and streams. The analysis of these samples resulted in the development of a specific biotic index: the Pampean Diatom Index (IDP). The results were correlated with the main chemical water characteristics and with other biotic indices. This study suggests that the IDP is integrating organic pollution and eutrophication and can be applied for monitoring the biological quality of rivers and streams in the Pampean plain.

Subfields: Biomaterials, Ecology, Pollution

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/7f13cd0b1d8fe8a2cb385014884a62b45df9e882

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In Biomaterials

1. A. Rodrigues Capítulo
2. C. Ocon
3. Mariana Tangorra

In Ecology

1. N. Gómez
2. A. Rodrigues Capítulo
3. C. Ocon
4. Mariana Tangorra
5. M. Licursi

In Pollution

1. A. Rodrigues Capítulo
2. C. Ocon
3. Mariana Tangorra

Citations in the corpus

• Uncertainty in Diatom Assessment: Sampling, Identification and Counting Variation (2006, background): “In contrast, Gomez & Licursi (2001) conclude that soft sediment provides the most appropriate diatom community for monitoring in lotic systems.”
• Use of benthic macroinvertebrates to assess the biological status of Pampean streams in Argentina (2001, methodology): “Gomez (1999) and Gomez and Licursi (2001) , used an index based on benthic diatoms (with classes 0-IV following the Dell’Uomo (1991) criterion, in accordance with Sladecek (1973), that correlated significantly with the data of the aquatic invertebrates, which supports the validity of the applied in”
• Global changes in pampean lowland streams (Argentina): implications for biodiversity and functioning (2010, background): “…promote the abundant growth of species such as Navicula subminuscula, Navicula pygmaea, Diadesmis confervacea, Achnanthes hungarica, Nitzschia umbonata, Sellaphora pupula, Gomphonema parvulum, Sellaphora seminulum, and Nitzschia palea (Gómez, 1998; Gómez & Licursi, 2001; Licursi & Gómez, 2002).”