Revista Chilena de Historia Natural 81 (1): 83-94, 2008
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Diatoms community structure in superficial sediments of eight Andean lakes of central
Chile
INGRID E. ALVIAL, FABIOLA J. CRUCES, ALBERTO E. ARANEDA, MARTIN GROSJEAN & ROBERTO E.
In this research the taxonomic structure of diatoms in sediments of high mountain lakes
was studied. These lakes are located in Chile between 32°49’ and 38°48’ S in the Andean Cordillera. A total of 99 diatom taxa
distributed in 48 genera were identified and all this taxa are cosmopolitan excepting a Eunotia andinofrequens,
Gomphonema punae, Pinnularia araucanensis and Pinnularia acidicola, which are know only for
the Southern Hemisphere. The assemblages of diatoms were different in the studied lakes. So the high mountain lakes Ocho, Huifa,
Ensueño and Negra, dominated benthic diatoms which are typical of oligotrophic and acid waters as Achnanthidium
exiguum, Achnanthidium minutissimum, Encyonema minutum, Pinnularia acidicola and
Planothidium lanceolatum. In the assemblages from lakes Galletué, Icalma and Laja planktonic diatoms were more
abundant, which are common in alkaline and mesotrophic waters, e.g., Asterionella formosa, Aulacoseira
distans, Aulacoseira granulata, Cyclotella stelligera and Rhopalodia
gibba.
species composition,
Bacillariophyceae, superficial sediment, Andean lake, Chile
