Abstract
A limnological study was sustained from September 1980 to October 1981 to show the evolution of Gallocanta Lake (N.E. Spain) under very dry climatic conditions. It is the physical terminus within an endorheic basin of 500 km2 situated 1 000 m over the sea level. In 1977 its maximum depth was 2.5 m but it decreased to 60 cm in 1981 as a consequence of the last very dry years. It is actually 6 km long and 2.5 km wide, and its area is approximately 12 km2. Salt concentration was quite constant (32–43 g l-1) since September 1980 until June 1981. The equivalent ratio Cl-:SO sup2-inf4 varied between 2.2 and 2.8. From June through October 1981 salinity increased up to 105 g l-1 and Cl-:SO sup2-inf4 equivalent ratio varied between 2.5 and 3.4. The relative concentrations of ions were retained all year ordinated as follows: Cl- > SO sup2-inf4 > HCO sup-inf3 >. CO sup2-inf3 ; Na+ > Mg2+ ≫ Ca2+ > K+.
Total reactive phosphorus was less than 1.5 µg-at l-1 from September 1980 to January 1981. During the rest of the studied period it varied between 2 and 8 µg-at l-1 (the maximum, in February 1981). Nitrogen oxidized forms were relatively high in winter (4–8 µg-at N-NO sup-inf3 l-1; 0.5–2.5 µg-at N-NO sup-inf2 l-1), and early May 1981 (25 µg-at N-NO sup-inf3 l-1; 1 µg-at N-NO sup-inf2 l-1). Neither reached 1 µg-at l-1 from September through December 1980, or from June through October 1981.
Planktonic algae increased in density during the period of the study from 103 to 5 105 cells ml-1. Chromulina sp. was the main species during autumn and winter (>50% in number of cells ml-1) while the copepod Arctodiaptomus salinus decreased its population. Lobocystis dichotoma increased its density from December 1980 to May 1981 and was dominant in spring (>90%), when a typical reproductive activity was observed in the Arctodiaptomus population. This species disappeared in late spring. In June 1981 Brachionus plicatilis reached up to near 2 000 individuals ml-1. This species was not observed after August 1981. Then the ciliate Fabrea salina was the only zooplankter staying in the free waters of the lake and Nannochloris sp. the dominant alga (>90%). Dense macrophytic beds constituted of Lamprothamnium papulosum and Chara galioides covered the bottom of the lake in September 1980 and before that date since the observations began in 1977. They decreased in covered area since October 1980 and disappeared during summer 1981.
Gallocanta Lake is in a very stressed situation produced by prolonged drought. The increased salt concentration together with the extremely cold and hot temperatures, and the lack of nitrogen relative to phosphorus are the main environmental factors that controlled the biological populations during the period of the present study.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alonso, M., 1980. Estudio sistemático y ecológico de los Eufilópodos (Euphyllopoda) no Cladóceros de España. Tesis licenciatura, Univ. Barcelona, 234 pp.
Alonso, M. & Comelles, M., in press. Criterios básicos para la clasificación limnológica de las masas de agua continentales de pequeño volumen de España In Prat, N. (ed.), ler Simp. Esp. Limnol. Barcelona, 1981: v-v.
Anderson, G. C., 1958. Seasonal characteristics of two saline lakes in Washington. Limnol. Oceanogr. 3: 51–68.
Armengol, J., 1978. Los crustáceos del plancton de los embalses españoles. Oecol. aquat. 3: 3–96.
Armengol, J., Estrada, M., Guiset, A., Margalef, R., Planas, D., Toja, J. & Vallespinós, F., 1975. Observaciones limnológicas en las lagunas de La Mancha. Bol. Est. Central Ecol. 4: 11–27.
Bauld, J., 1981. Occurrence of benthic microbial mats in saline lakes. In Williams, W. D. (ed.), Salt lakes. (Developments in Hydrobiology, 5). Dr W. Junk Publishers, The Hague: 87–111.
Bayly, I. A. W., 1970. Further studies on some saline lakes of South-East Australia. Aust. J. mar. Freshwat. Res. 21: 117–129.
Bayly, I. A. E. & Williams, W. D., 1966. Chemical and biological studies on some saline lakes of South-East Australia. Aust. J. mar. Freshwat. Res. 17: 177–228.
Borowitzka, L. J., 1981. The microflora Adaptations to life in extremely saline lakes. In Williams, W. D. (ed.), Salt lakes. (Developments in Hydrobiology, 5). Dr W. Junk Publishers, The Hague: 33–46.
Bourrelly, P., 1972. Les algues d'eau douce. Initiation à la systématique. 1: Les algues vertes. Boubée, N. & Cie, Paris, 572 pp.
Brezonik, P. L., 1972. Nitrogen: Sources and transformations in natural waters. In Allen, H. E. & Kramer, J. R. (eds), Nutrients in natural waters. John Wiley & Sons, N.Y.: 1–50.
Burne, R. V., Bauld, J. & De Deckker, P., 1980. Saline lakes charophytes and their geological significance. J. sedim. Petrol. 50: 281–293.
Calvo, J., Gonzalez, J. M. & Villena, J., 1978. Primeros datos sobre la sedimentación de dolomía en la Laguna de Gallocanta (provincias de Zaragoza y Teruel). Tecniterrae 21: 1–10.
Comelles, M., 1982. Noves localitats i revisió de la distribució de les espècies de caròfits a Espanya. Tesis licenciatura, Univ. Barcelona, 147 pp.
Comín, F. A. & Ferrer, X., 1978. Desarrollo del fitoflagelado Prymnesium parvum Carter (Haptophyceae) en una laguna costera del delta del Ebro. Oecol. aquat. 3: 207–210.
Comín, F. A., in press. Seasonal change of phytoplankton in coastal lagoons of the Ebro delta in relation to environmental factors. Oceanol. Acta (Int. Symp. Coastal Lagoons, Bordeaux, Fr., September, 1981).
Cruz, J., Doblas, J. G. & Garrido, M., 1979. Hidrogeología de la Laguna de Gallocanta. Asoc. Geól. esp., Minist. Obras Públicas, Pamplona. 2a Simp. nac. Hidrogeol., Secc. 1a Hidrogeol. 4: 431–446.
Delroy, L. B., 1974. The food of waterfowl (Anatidae) in the Southern Coorong saltwater habitat of South Australia. S. Aust. Ornithologist 26: 157–163.
Dussart, B., 1967. Contribution à l'étude des copépodes d'Espagne. Publ. Inst. Biol. apl. 42: 87–105.
Eugster, H. P. & Hardie, L. A., 1978. Saline lakes. In Lerman, A. (ed.), Lakes: Chemistry, Geology, Physics. Springer-Verlag, N.Y.: 237–293.
Galat, D. L., Lider, E. L., Vigg, S. & Robertson, S. R., 1981. Limnology of a large, deep, North American terminal lake, Pyramid Lake, Nevada, USA. In Williams, W. D. (ed.), Salt lakes. (Developments in Hydrobiology, 5). Dr W. Junk Publishers, The Hague: 281–317.
Geddes, M. C., De Deckker, P., Williams, W. D., Morton, D. W. & Topping, M., 1981. On the chemistry and biota of some saline lakes in Western Australia. In Williams, W. D. (ed.), Salt lakes. (Developments in Hydrobiology, 5). Dr. W. Junk Publishers, The Hague: 201–222.
Guiral, J. J., 1981. Introducción al conocimiento del clima de la cuenca de la laguna de Gallocanta. In Proyex, S. A. (ed.), Estudio de la biocenosis de la laguna de Gallocanta y su cuenca. CEOTMA. Minist. Obras Públicas Urbanismo, Madr.: 119–138.
Hammer, U. T., 1981. Primary production in saline lakes: A Review. In Williams, W. D. (ed.), Salt lakes. (Developments in Hydrobiology, 5). Dr W. Junk Publishers, The Hague: 47–58.
Hardie, L. A., Smoot, J. P. & Eugster, H. P., 1978. Saline lakes and their deposits: a sedimentological approach. In Matter, A. & Tucker, M. E. (eds), Modern and Ancient Lake Sediments. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford: 7–41.
Hernández Pacheco, E. & Aranegui, P., 1926. La Laguna de Gallocanta y la geología de sus alrededores. Bol. R. Soc. Esp. Hist. Nat. 26: 419–429.
Hutchinson, G. E., 1937. A contribution to the limnology of arid regions. Trans. Conn. Acad. Arts Soc. 33: 47–132.
Ito, T., 1960. On the culture of mixohaline rotifer Brachionus plicatilis (Müller, O. F.) in the sea water. Rep. Fac. Fish. prefect. Univ. Mie 3: 708–740 (in Jap., English Summ.).
Kibby, H. V., 1971. Energetics and population dynamics of Diaptomus gracilis. Ecol. Monogr. 41: 311–327.
Margalef, R., 1947. Estudios sobra la vida en las aguas dulces continentales de la región endorreica manchega. Publ. Inst. Biol. apl. 4: 5–51.
Margalef, R., 1953. Los crustáceos de las aguas continentales ibéricas. Biol. Aguas continentales 10: 1–243.
Margalef, R., 1956. La vida en las aguas de elevado residuo salino de la provincia de Zamora. Publ. Inst. Biol. apl. 24: 123–137.
McCarraher, D. B., 1972. A preliminary bibliography and lake index of the inland mineral waters of the world. FAO Fish. Circ. 146, 35 pp.
McLaren, I. A., 1969. Populations and production ecology of zooplankton in Ogac Lake, a landlocked fiord on Baffin Island. J. Fish. Res. Bd Can. 26: 1385–1559.
Melack, J. M., 1981. Photosyntetic activity of phytoplankton in tropical African soda lakes. In Williams, W. D. (ed.), Salt lakes. (Developments in Hydrobiology, 5). Dr W. Junk Publishers, The Hague: 71–86.
Miracle, R., 1976. Distribución en el espacio y en el tiempo de las especies del zooplancton del lago de Banyoles. Monogr. Inst. mac. Conserv. Naturaleza 5: 1–270.
Morisot, A., 1981. Erosion and Nitrogen losses. In Clark, F. E. & Roswall, T. (eds), Terrestrial Nitrogen Cycles. Processes, ecosystem strategies and management impacts. Ecol. Bull. 33: 353–361.
Nixon, S. W., 1979. Remineralization and nutrient cycling in coastal marine ecosystems. In Neilson, B. & Cronin, L. E. (eds), Nutrient Enrichment in estuaries. Humanic Press, Clifton, N.J.: 111–138.
Pardo, L., 1948. Catálogo de los lagos de España. Biol. Aguas continentales 6, 522 pp.
Post, F. J., Borowitzka, L. J., Borowitzka, M. A., McKay, B. & Moulton, T., 1983. The protozoa of a western Australia hypersaline lagoon. In Hammer, U. T. (ed.), Saline lakes. 2nd int. Symp. Athalassic (inland) saline Lakes (Saskatoon). Hydrobiol. (this is xxxxx).
Prosper, E. R., 1910. Las Carófitas de España, publ. Madr., 249 pp.
Prosper, E. R., 1915. Las estepas de España y su vegetación. Real Casa. Madr., xx pp.
Proyex, S. A., 1980. Estudio de impactos ambientales sobre la Laguna de Gallocanta por la acción del desarrollo agrario. CEOTMA. Minist. Obras Públicas, Madr., 184 pp.
Ravera, O., 1955. Seasonal variation of the reproductive rate in pelagic copepods of Lake Maggione. Verh. int. Ver. Limnol. 12: 436–446.
Roen, V., 1957. Contributions to the biology of some danish free living freshwater copepods. Biol. Skr. 9: 1–101.
Shilo, M., 1972. Toxigenic algae. Prog. ind. Microbiol. 11: 233–265.
Strickland, J. D. H. & Parsons, T. R., 1965. A manual of sea water analysis. Bull. Fish. Res. Bd Can. 125: 1–203.
Stumm, W. & Baccini, P., 1978. Man-made chemical perturbation of lakes. In Lerman, A. (ed.), Lakes: Chemistry, Geology, Physics. Springer-Verlag, N.Y.: 91–126.
Thompson, R. H., 1952. A new genus and new records of algae in the Chlorococcales. Am. J. Bot. 39: 365–367.
Tonolli, V., 1949. Ciclo biologico, isolamento e differenziamento stagionale in popolazione natural di copepode abitatore de acque alpine (Arctodiaptomus bacillifer Koelb.), Mem. Inst. ital. Idrobiol. 5: 97–144.
Utermöhl, H., 1958. Zur Vervolkommung der quantitative Phytoplankton — Methodik. Mitt. int. Ver. Limnol. 9: 1–38.
Valiela, I. & Teal, J. M., 1979. The nitrogen budget of a salt marsh ecosystem. Nature 280: 1–5.
Vollenweider, R. A., 1969. Primary production in aquatic environment. I.B.P. Handbook 12, 213 pp.
Walker, K. F., 1973. Studies on a saline lake ecosystem. Aust. J. mar. Freshwat. Res. 24: 21–71.
Walker, K. F., 1981. A synopsis of ecological information on the saline lake rotifer Brachionus plicatilis Müller 1785. In Williams, W. D. (ed.), Salt lakes. (Developments in Hydrobiology, 5). Dr W. Junk Publishers, The Hague: 157–167.
Williams, W. D., 1981a. Inland salt lakes: an introduction. In Williams, W. D. (ed.), Salt lakes. (Developments in Hydrobiology, 5). Dr W. Junk Publishers, The Hague: 1–14.
Williams, W. D., 1981b. The limnology of saline lakes in Western Victoria. In Williams, W. D. (ed.), Salt Lakes. (Developments in Hydrobiology, 5). Dr W. Junk Publishers, The Hague: 233–259.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Comín, F.A., Alonso, M., Lopez, P. et al. Limnology of Gallocanta Lake, Aragon, northeastern Spain. Hydrobiologia 105, 207–221 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00025189
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00025189