Changes of sub-fossil chironomid assemblages associated with volcanic sediment deposition in an Andean lake (38°S), Chile

Reconstructing recent environmental changes using non-biting midges (Diptera: Chironomidae) in two high mountain lakes from northern Patagonia, Argentina

“…This study agrees with previous studies carried out in lakes of northern Patagonia, which evaluated the effect of recent eruption of these events on lake productivity (Modenutti et al 2013;Balseiro et al 2014) and on the mechanical impact of the ash deposition on chironomid communities (Massaferro et al 2005;Araneda et al 2007;Serra et al 2016, Williams et al 2016). However, rising temperatures of the last 50 years, and the increase in human activities also caused environmental changes that enhanced lake productivity.…”

“…In the mid-latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere, chironomids have been primarily used to reconstruct air temperature Massaferro and Larocque 2013), but it is also known that other factors including the nature of the substrate and food availability can be influential in explaining the distribution and assemblage composition (Langdon et al 2010). In Patagonia, chironomid assemblages have proved to be powerful tools for understanding climate variability (Massaferro and Vandergoes 2013;Massaferro et al 2014), natural and human impacts such as transport of atmospheric pollutants , modifications in the catchments (Massaferro et al 2005;Araneda et al 2013) and the impacts of volcanism (Massaferro and Corley 1998;Araneda et al 2007).…”

Aquatic community response to volcanic eruptions on the Ecuadorian Andean flank: evidence from the palaeoecological record

“…Despite these similarities, our data differ from previous works as follows: i) the dominance of these taxa in previous studies was a short-lived feature (up to subcentennial), whereas in our record Cricotopus/Paratrichocladius-II dominates the assemblage for a longer period (around 380 years) after the ash deposit; and ii) the accumulation of the tephra causing those changes is much thicker in Baños (BAÑ OS T1b: 90 cm ? BAÑ OS T1a: 30 cm) than in other records (\ 10 cm, except for one tephra in Heinrichs et al (1999) of around 30 cm thick) (Araneda et al 2007;Telford et al 2004). Such dominant deposits of tephra may not only directly affect the aquatic communities but may also cause instability and erosion of underlying mineral horizons in the catchment (Heinrichs et al 1999).…”

“…This result reflects findings in other records. For instance, Heinrichs et al (1999) noted an increase in Cricotopus/ Orthocladius after deposition of the Mazama ash in Lake Kilpoola, British Columbia, whilst Araneda et al (2007) noted a decrease in Pseudochironomus and an increase in Cricotopus/Orthocladius within the deposits of the 1956-1957 Llaima volcanic eruptions in Lake Galletue, Chile. These authors interpreted the changes to be the result of increased salinity caused by the volcanic deposition.…”

Effects of the White River Ash Event on Aquatic Environments, Southwest Yukon, Canada

“…Following emergence of the adult midge from the pupa, the chitinous head capsule of the larval casing becomes preserved within the sediments and can be identified. Changes in chironomid community composition and abundance following tephra events have been noted (e.g., Tsukada, 1972;Heinrichs et al, 1999;Massaferro et al, 2005;Araneda et al, 2007).…”