Open AccessNutrient Concentrations in Macrophytes from Lotic and Lentic Environments of the Middle Parana River, Argentina
Author(s) -
Hernán Ricardo Hadad,
María Alejandra Maine,
María de las Mercedes Mufarrege,
Gisela Alfonsina Di Luca,
Gabriela Cristina Sánchez
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
ingenieria y universidad/ingenieria y universidad
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 0123-2126
pISSN - 2011-2769
DOI - 10.11144/javeriana.iued25.ncml
Subject(s) - lake ecosystem , river ecosystem , floodplain , macrophyte , environmental science , kjeldahl method , sediment , hydrology (agriculture) , nutrient , eichhornia crassipes , ecosystem , wetland , ecology , aquatic plant , biology , nitrogen , geology , chemistry , paleontology , geotechnical engineering , organic chemistry
Objectives: The purpose of this work was to compare nutrient concentrations in water, sediment, and in plant tissues of Eichhornia crassipes and Panicum elephantipes from lotic and lentic environments of the Middle Parana River floodplain (Argentina). Materials and Methods: The study was carried out over an 18-month period. Plants, water, and sediment were collected in a lake (lentic environment) and in a river (lotic environment) from the Middle Parana River floodplain. Water and sediment were sampled in sites where P. elephantipes or E. crassipes were predominant and in sites without vegetation. Results and Discussion: The lentic and lotic environments dominated by E. crassipes showed the highest ammonium concentrations. The sediment from the lotic environment showed total phosphorus (TP) and total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) concentrations significantly lower than those found in the sediment from the lentic environment. In the lentic environment, the sediment from the lake with the dominance of E. crassipes showed the highest TKN concentration, while the sediment from the lake dominated by P. elephantipes showed the highest TP concentration. For both plant species and for both environments, TKN and TP tissue concentrations were significantly higher in leaves in comparison with roots. Conclusions: Our results could be used to optimize the efficiency of treatment wetlands. Additionally, the use of locally available macrophytes as contaminant bioaccumulators in the Middle Parana River floodplain is completely feasible.