Abstract

MARTINEZ-RODRIGUEZ, MARÍA DEL ÁNGEL  and  PINILLA-A., GABRIEL A.. Assessing the water quality of three wetlands in the Department of Cesar, Colombia, through aquatic macroinvertebrates associated with Eichhornia crassipes (Pontederiaceae). Caldasia [online]. 2014, vol.36, n.2, pp.305-321. ISSN 0366-5232.  https://doi.org/10.15446/caldasia/v36n2.47489.

The water quality of three wetlands (“ciénagas” Zapatosa, Mata de Palma and La Pachita) in the Department of Cesar, Colombia , was assessed by studying the aquatic macroinvertebrate community associated with macrophyte Eichhornia crassipes (“taruya, buchón”). Two surveys were carried out in periods of high waters and two in low-waters. To determine the water quality, physical and chemical parameters were measured and two indexes were used: the Biotic Index of Pollution (BIP) and the Biotic Integrity Index of Macroinvertebrates (BIIM), the last developed specifically for the studied wetlands. The community of macroinvertebrates included 15 orders, 34 families, and 87 morphotypes, in which the order Coleoptera was the most diverse with 49 morphotypes (56% of the total). The families Hydrophilidae and Dytiscidae (Coleptera), Cyclestheriidae (Branchiopoda), Chironomidae (Diptera), and Planorbidae (Basommatophora) were the most representative in terms of their abundance. Abundances per area ranged from 3130 ind.m^{- 2 in Mata de Palma (27% Conchostraca) and 190686 ind.m- 2 in La Pachita (95% Chironomidae). The BIP had the highest correlations with the physicochemical variables, but the BIIM was more flexible and sensitive, and thus its use is recommended.}

Keywords : Aquatic macroinvertebrates; Eichhornia crassipes; bioindication; wetlands; swamps; Cesar Department.

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