Water Quality Determination Using Soil and Vegetation Communities in the Wetlands of the Andes of Ecuador

Juan Carlos Carrasco Baquero (), Verónica Lucía Caballero Serrano, Fernando Romero Cañizares, Daisy Carolina Carrasco López, David Alejandro León Gualán, Rufino Vieira Lanero and Fernando Cobo-Gradín
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Juan Carlos Carrasco Baquero: Faculty of Natural Resources, Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo (ESPOCH), Riobamba EC 060155, Ecuador
Verónica Lucía Caballero Serrano: Faculty of Natural Resources, Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo (ESPOCH), Riobamba EC 060155, Ecuador
Fernando Romero Cañizares: Independent Researcher, Riobamba EC 060155, Ecuador
Daisy Carolina Carrasco López: Investigation Institute, Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo (ESPOCH), Riobamba EC 060155, Ecuador
David Alejandro León Gualán: Campus Economics and Finance, University of Research and Innovation of Mexico, UIIX, Cuernavaca 62290, Mexico
Rufino Vieira Lanero: Department of Zoology, Xenétic and Antropoloxía Física, Faculty of Bioloxía, Univesity Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Fernando Cobo-Gradín: Department of Zoology, Xenétic and Antropoloxía Física, Faculty of Bioloxía, Univesity Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain

Land, 2023, vol. 12, issue 8, 1-18

Abstract: The bofedales are high Andean ecosystems of great socioeconomic and ecological importance. The Chimborazo Fauna Production Reserve has 15 bofedales in its jurisdiction, located in the provinces of Chimborazo, Bolívar, and Tungurahua. The objective of this study was to establish the relationship between plant species composition and the physicochemical characteristics of water and soil. To determine the floristic composition, destructive sampling of species was applied, and three sampling points of 1 m 2 were established every 100 m per wetland. At each sampling point, physical-chemical variables were recorded in situ and in the laboratory for water and soil. The floristic analysis identified 78 riparian species of riparian plants (63 vascular, 12 bryophytes, 4 pteridophytes) and 1 lichen. In the aquatic environment, seven vascular plants, recognized as macrophytes, were recorded. The results show great heterogeneity in the soil, water, and vegetation characters because they respond to a mineralization gradient (as indicated by the high values of electrical conductivity and dissolved ions). Additionally, it was observed that the total amount of soluble solids that characterizes the Los Hieleros wetland (W11) is independent of hardness and chemical oxygen demand, which correlate with each other and, in turn, better describe the Pachancho wetland (W12). The highest degree of turbidity corresponds to the Cóndor Samana (W9) and Portal Andino (W10) wetlands. The Culebrillas (W6), Puente Ayora ANI (W14), and Pampas Salasacas (W1) wetlands are characterized by the presence of dissolved oxygen, so it is assumed that these are the wetlands with the best water quality. Consequently, it is imperative to double efforts to describe the ecology and status of these high Andean wetlands in order to promote their conservation.

Keywords: floristic inventory; HJ-Biplot; soil sampling; vegetation communities; water quality (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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