Modern diatoms from a temperate river in South America: the Colorado River (North Patagonia, Argentina)

Diatom assemblage composition and distribution from surface sediment samples of the Colorado River, Patagonia were analysed in relation to environmental variables using multivariate techniques. The aim of this study was to determine the ecological preferences of the taxa and provide analogues for paleoenvironmental reconstructions in estuarine and fluvial environments of southern South America. Cluster analysis identified two main diatom assemblages, one grouping sites with a marine influence, and another group influenced by typical riverine conditions. Canonical correspondence analysis indicated that major ion concentrations contribute significantly to explain the variation in the composition of diatom assemblages. A total of 208 taxa belonging to 56 genera were recorded. In estuarine sites, the assemblages were characterized by marine-brackish tychoplankton, such as Cymatosira belgica, Rhaphoneis amphiceros, Delphineis minutissima, Paralia sulcata and Paralia sulcata var. coronota. Diatom communities in...