Copper, copper mining effluents and grazing as potential determinants of algal abundance and diversity in northern Chile

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dc.contributor.authorCorrea, JA
dc.contributor.authorRamírez, MA
dc.contributor.authorde la Harpe, JP
dc.contributor.authorRomán, D
dc.contributor.authorRivera, L
dc.date.accessioned2025-01-21T01:31:32Z
dc.date.available2025-01-21T01:31:32Z
dc.date.issued2000
dc.description.abstractWe experimentally tested three alternative hypotheses to explain the low algal diversity and abundance in an intertidal zone receiving the effluents of the copper mine El Salvador in northern Chile. Our results demonstrated that algae were able to grow at the levels of dissolved copper detected in coastal waters of the area. During the assays, growth and regeneration in several red, green and brown adult algae and juvenile Lessonia nigrescens were normal at copper levels of 150 mu g L-1 or, in some cases, higher. We also found that the coastal sea water mixed with the effluent was not lethal to algae, although in some cases minor effects on growth were detected. These results indicate that today's low algal diversity and abundance can not be explained by the current copper levels in the area nor by the effect of the effluent. Exclusion of grazers, however, resulted in a fast colonization by various algal species. This, together with atypically high grazer density at the areas under the influence of the effluent, strongly suggests that herbivory, a factor not directly related to the mining operation, is likely to be responsible for the low algal diversity and abundance in the studied locality.
dc.fuente.origenWOS
dc.identifier.issn0167-6369
dc.identifier.urihttps://repositorio.uc.cl/handle/11534/97089
dc.identifier.wosidWOS:000085126500005
dc.issue.numero2
dc.language.isoen
dc.pagina.final281
dc.pagina.inicio265
dc.revistaEnvironmental monitoring and assessment
dc.rightsacceso restringido
dc.subjectalgal diversity
dc.subjectcoastal water
dc.subjectcopper
dc.subject.ods13 Climate Action
dc.subject.ods14 Life Below Water
dc.subject.ods15 Life on Land
dc.subject.odspa13 Acción por el clima
dc.subject.odspa14 Vida submarina
dc.subject.odspa15 Vida de ecosistemas terrestres
dc.titleCopper, copper mining effluents and grazing as potential determinants of algal abundance and diversity in northern Chile
dc.typeartículo
dc.volumen61
sipa.indexWOS
sipa.trazabilidadWOS;2025-01-12
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