Ecological evaluation of air and water habitats in the Great Cavern of Santo Tomás, Cuba

Mulec, Janez; Oarga, Andreea

doi:10.7550/rmb.43334

Cited by 7 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Microbial and meiofauna abundances and diversities were also reported to respond positively to high levels of organic matter in coastal, shallow ecosystems from the Baltic Sea [109]. The association between the chemical compound diversity in freshwaters and micro-organisms and their potential to decompose plant litter has been previously reported [110], as well as the meiofauna influences on the microbial and organic matter dynamics through consumption and bioturbation [111,112].…”

Section: Meiofaunamentioning

confidence: 72%

The Interplay of Environment and Biota in Assessing the Freshwater Quality in Karst

Borda

Cociuba

Epure³

et al. 2022

Diversity

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Karst aquifers are both a valuable resource for humankind and a habitat for unique biota. The quality of freshwater sources may be easily affected by natural (e.g., geology, climate, and vegetation) and anthropogenic (e.g., agriculture, livestock, and tourism) changes, particularly in karst landscapes with highly vulnerable groundwater reservoirs. We seasonally monitored nine representative freshwater sources (i.e., six springs, a well, a surface stream, and a cave stream resurgence) in the karst system of the Runcuri Plateau (KSRP) (Western Romanian Carpathians) during seven sampling campaigns in 2019–2021. We assessed how these natural and anthropogenic factors influenced the water quality based on the European and national standards for drinking water. The geological structure (i.e., tectonics and lithology) of the KSRP was reassessed, and the environmental variables of the freshwater sites were investigated in order to evaluate their impact on the physicochemical profile, the microbial contamination, and on the meiofauna presence. Multivariate statistics were performed to gain insights into the interplay among all these factors and to evaluate the self-purification capacity of the KSRP for chemical and microbial pollutants. The most relevant drivers shaping the microbial content of the freshwater sources were the altitude of the sampling sites, the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and air temperature, followed by the physicochemical profile of the waters (i.e., calcium hardness, magnesium hardness, nitrites, nitrates, conductivity, phosphates, total dissolved solids, and iron concentrations). The meiofauna presence was influenced mostly by precipitation, air temperature, and NDVI. Our results reflected the effect of the geological structure and environment on water chemistry and biota assemblages. A pollutant attenuation trend was observed in discharging waters, even though the self-purification capacity of the studied karst system was not statistically supported. More investigations are needed to comprehend the processes developed in the black box of the KSRP.

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Section: Meiofaunamentioning

confidence: 72%

The Interplay of Environment and Biota in Assessing the Freshwater Quality in Karst

Borda

Cociuba

Epure³

et al. 2022

Diversity

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“…In Cuba, sinkholes have been poorly studied and the focus has been on biodiversity (Holthuis, 1974;Silva Taboada, 1974;García Debrás et al, 1997;García-Machado et al, 2011;Reynaldo et al, 2016;Pérez-García et al, 2018), morphology (Guarch Rodríguez and Corella Varona, 2010), saline intrusion (Salomon, 2019) and fecal contamination (Mulec and Oarga, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Limnological characteristics, community metabolism and management strategies of a coastal sinkhole in Cuba (Cenote Jennifer)

Zayas¹,

León

Rodríguez

et al. 2020

Ann. Limnol. - Int. J. Lim.

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The Cenote Jennifer is an important and unique aquatic sinkhole in Cayo Coco (Jardines del Rey Tourist Destination) that has brackish to saline water. Two samplings were made in 1998 and 2009, and 4 metabolism community experiments in 2009. Some limnological parameters were measured in both samplings (temperature, salinity, pH, dissolved oxygen major ions, hydrogen sulfide, nutrients and others). Community metabolism was measured through incubated oxygen concentration in clear and dark oxygen bottles. Results showed that the sinkhole limnology depends on rainfall and light incidence year, with some stratification episodes, due to halocline or oxycline presence, rather than thermocline. The sinkhole water was oligotrophic (total nitrogen of 41.5 ± 22.2 μmol l−1 and total phosphorus of 0.3 ± 0.2 μmol l−1) and with low productivity (gross primary productivity of 63.0 mg C m−2 d−1). Anoxia and hypoxia were present at the bottom with higher levels of hydrogen sulfide, lower pH and restricted influence of the adjacent sea (2 km away). To protect the Cenote Jennifer, tourist exploitation should be avoided and more resources to ecological and morphological studies should be allocated, and eventually use this aquatic system only for specialized diving. For conservation purposes, illegal garbage disposal in the surrounding forest should end.

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Exploring uncharted waters: insights into groundwater zooplankton of the Brazilian semiarid region

Puppin-Gonçalves,

Bento,

Perbiche-Neves

et al. 2024

Aquat Sci

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Ecological evaluation of air and water habitats in the Great Cavern of Santo Tomás, Cuba

Cited by 7 publications

References 14 publications

The Interplay of Environment and Biota in Assessing the Freshwater Quality in Karst

The Interplay of Environment and Biota in Assessing the Freshwater Quality in Karst

Limnological characteristics, community metabolism and management strategies of a coastal sinkhole in Cuba (Cenote Jennifer)

Exploring uncharted waters: insights into groundwater zooplankton of the Brazilian semiarid region

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