Volume 15 (2014 / 2015) Article 14

Relationships between aquatic invertebrates, water quality and vegetation in an Andean peatland system

by E. Oyague Passuni and M.S. Maldonado Fonkén

Published online: 31.12.2015

Summary

Peatlands (known as bofedales in the Peruvian Andes) provide important social and environmental services in the Peruvian Puna ecoregion, especially as sources of water and forage for domestic livestock. In biological terms, these peatlands are key habitats with their own community structure, dynamics and interactions; and they serve as biodiversity hotspots within the High Andes. In this article we assess the relationships between: (i) physical structure, (ii) water quality, (iii) plant communities and (iv) the assemblages of aquatic invertebrates (benthic macroinvertebrates) in three peatlands located in Cuzco Region, southern Peru. The results suggest that the benthic macroinvertebrate assemblage is a good indicator of the trophic status of the small pools that are typically present in bofedales. Trophic status is, in turn, primarily related to spatial and seasonal water availability and the types of plant communities present in each peatland.

Citation

Oyague Passuni, E. & Maldonado Fonkén, M.S. (2015): Relationships between aquatic invertebrates, water quality and vegetation in an Andean peatland system. Mires and Peat 15: Art. 14. (Online: http://www.mires-and-peat.net/pages/volumes/map15/map1514.php)

Reviewers

IMCG and IPS acknowledge the work of the reviewers.