Loss of soil and nutrients by surface runoff in two agro-ecosystems within an Andean paramo area

Sarmiento, Juan Diego Otero; Casas, Apolinar Figueroa; Muñoz, F.; Peña, Miguel

doi:10.1016/j.ecoleng.2011.08.001

Cited by 56 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…The Andisols porosity retains water during drought periods and the phosphates attaches to iron and aluminum (Otero et al 2011). Moreover there was a positive correlation between physicochemical parameters (conductivity, nitrates) and sample sites due to the increase concentration toward the lower area.…”

Section: Water Quality Analysismentioning

confidence: 78%

“…Soil is also affected by land preparation for agriculture; tillage tools or machinery turns it and this modifies the function of the soil pore matrix, thus, changing the structural stability (Otero et al 2011).…”

Section: Human Activities Impactmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The simulator trickled water droplets of about 2.75 mm in diameter, by means of hypodermic needle-like nozzles (n = 24), distributed in an area of 0.42 m × 0.33 m. This simulated rain had droplets with terminal velocities of around 4.0 m/s, and rain kinetic energy of 17.9 J/mm/m (Cobo 1998). The simulated rain intensity was calibrated according to climatic conditions in the region and the methodology proposed for andean soils (Otero et al 2011). In this study, the time period chosen for the tests was 30 min according to the historical rainfall distribution series.…”

Section: River Las Piedrasmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Samples were taken manually by using nets as indicated by Villamarín et al (2013). Surface runoff was obtained using rainfall simulators (Otero et al 2011). Physicochemical analyses of the water samples were developed according to the Standard Methods (APHA et al 2012), the bacteriological and BOD tests were performed in a certified laboratory (15/12/05 Resolution No.…”

Section: Water Quality Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Effects of Productive Activities on the Water Quality for Human Consumption in an Andean Basin, a Case Study

Ruiz

Idrobo

Sarmiento

et al. 2017

Rev. Int. Contam. Ambie.

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Productive activities such as agriculture and livestock have transformed the Andean basins in South America. In accordance with this statement, the objective of this study was to assess the water quality of "Las Piedras" river located in an Andean basin with 6626 ha in Colombian Highlands. This study analyzed nutrient inputs from agricultural production, spatial crops distribution, human activities and their influence on the ecological state of the river. The evaluation integrated physicochemical and biological parameters in the indexes of water quality, pollution and the aquatic macroinvertebrates community. Results showed that aggregated crop fields occupy 25.2 % in the basin and the biological water quality through the Biological Monitoring Working Party (BMWP) index denotes the presence of tolerant-pollution organisms, additionally the biodiversity was low (Shannon H´1.1). The water quality in the river satisfies the Colombian regulation criteria for human consumption, even higher concentrations of nutrients in the lower area with 2.20 mg/L nitrates and 1.49 mg/L of phosphates, besides the loss of nutrients by runoff, which was 2.57 mg/L nitrates in the middle area and 0.18 mg/L phosphates in the upper area. In this sense, the nutrient concentration input increases toward the lower area of the basin because of the crop distribution. The agricultural land use modified the hydrological ecosystem services by decreasing the basin water regulatory capacity and nutrients input to the main stream.Palabras clave: contaminación hídrica, agricultura, distribución espacial de los cultivos, biodiversidad, agua potable RESUMENLas actividades productivas como la agricultura y la ganadería han transformado las cuencas andinas de América del Sur. El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar la calidad del agua en la cuenca del río Las Piedras (6626 ha), localizada en la alta montaña colombiana. Se analizaron los aportes de nutrientes a partir de la producción agrícola, distribución espacial de cultivos, actividades humanas y su influencia en el estado ecológico del río. La evaluación integró los parámetros físicos, químicos y biológicos en índices de calidad del agua, de contaminación y de macroinvertebrados acuáticos. Los resultados mostraron que los cultivos ocupan el 25.2 % de la cuenca, la calidad biológica del agua según el 362índice del Grupo de Trabajo de Monitoreo Biológico (BMWP, por sus siglas en inglés) evidenció la presencia de organismos tolerantes a la contaminación y baja biodiversidad (Shannon H' 1.1). La calidad del agua es apta para consumo humano según los estándares establecidos por la normatividad Colombiana. Sin embargo, se encontraron altas concentraciones de nutrientes en la zona baja del río con 2.20 mg/L de nitratos y 1.49 mg/L de fosfatos, adicionalmente los aportes de nutrientes en escorrentía superficial fueron de 2.57 mg/L de nitratos en la zona media y 0.18 mg/L de fosfatos en la zona alta. En este sentido, se observó que el ingreso de nutrientes aumenta hacia la zona baja de la cuenca deb...

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Section: Water Quality Analysismentioning

confidence: 78%

Section: Human Activities Impactmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: River Las Piedrasmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Water Quality Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Effects of Productive Activities on the Water Quality for Human Consumption in an Andean Basin, a Case Study

Ruiz

Idrobo

Sarmiento

et al. 2017

Rev. Int. Contam. Ambie.

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show abstract

“…This huge amount of sediment flux normally deposits in river channels, lakes, and reservoirs, which greatly decreases the flood storage capacity (Pu et al, 1994;Yang et al, 2003;Liu et al, 2007;Yue et al, 2014). Moreover, soil loss caused by erosion reduces soil fertility and grain production (Bechmann et al, 2009;Quinton et al, 2010;Su et al, 2010;Otero et al, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of progressive urbanization and changing cropping systems on soil erosion and net primary production

Gao

Ning

et al. 2015

Ecological Engineering

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Land use conversion to agriculture impacts biodiversity, erosion control, and key soil properties in an Andean watershed

et al. 2022

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The conversion of natural vegetation to agricultural land uses in mountainous Andean landscapes threatens an array of key ecological processes and ecosystem services (ES). In protected areas and buffer regions that provide water to cities, it is critical to understand how interactions between plants and soil communities sustain a range of ecosystem functions associated with nutrient recycling, soil structure, and erosion control. We sought to examine how land use conversion within a mountainous tropical forest landscape influences the diversity of vegetation and soil macrofauna communities, soil physicochemical properties, and hydrological regulation services. Biodiversity and a suite of key soil-based ES were compared in five major land uses of the Cali River watershed: (1) annual cropping systems, (2) coffee plantations, (3) pastures, (4) abandoned shrubland, and (5) secondary forests. The diversity of woody and herbaceous vegetation, as well as soil macrofauna, was assessed in each land use. Soil chemical fertility and aggregate morphology were assessed via laboratory analyses and visual separation of soil aggregates based on their origin. Infiltration, runoff, and sediment production were measured using a portable rainfall simulator. We found a decrease in the diversity of woody vegetation across land uses to be associated with lower diversity of soil macrofauna. At the same time, agricultural management, annual crops in particular, supports the largest earthworm populations, likely due to increased organic inputs and low impact tillage, which appears not to diminish soil fertility and water infiltration. In contrast, the low soil fertility in pastures was associated with the lowest values of soil C, poor aggregation, and high bulk density and likely reflects overgrazing, with negative implications for water infiltration and erosion. Associations between the different sets of variables, evaluated with coinertia analysis, highlight the hierarchical relevance of plant cover and woody diversity on ES. The biological complexity associated with intact forest cover appears to generate "bundles" of co-occurring ES, with this land use

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Loss of soil and nutrients by surface runoff in two agro-ecosystems within an Andean paramo area

Cited by 56 publications

References 9 publications

Effects of Productive Activities on the Water Quality for Human Consumption in an Andean Basin, a Case Study

Effects of Productive Activities on the Water Quality for Human Consumption in an Andean Basin, a Case Study

Impact of progressive urbanization and changing cropping systems on soil erosion and net primary production

Land use conversion to agriculture impacts biodiversity, erosion control, and key soil properties in an Andean watershed

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