Ecological significance of a new record of Vallisneria americana Michx. in the conservation and sustainability of the Usumacinta Fluvial System

• Published in: Discover sustainability 2024-12, Vol.5 (1), p.488-11, Article 488
• Main Authors: Sánchez, Alberto J., Florido, Rosa, Hernández-Trejo, Humberto, Álvarez-Pliego, Nicolás, Salcedo, Miguel Ángel, Barba, Everardo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aquatic ecosystems; Aquatic plants; Biodiversity; Biomass; Brief Communication; Earth and Environmental Science; Environment; Freshwater nursery area; Habitats; Mesoamerica; Rivers; Structured habitat; Submersed rooted macrophyte; Sustainable Development; Water temperature
• ISSN: 2662-9984; 2662-9984
• DOI: 10.1007/s43621-024-00748-8

The American eelgrass Vallisneria americana is a submersed rooted macrophyte that is widely distributed throughout North America. As a structured habitat, it shelters a high biodiversity of aquatic fauna and acts like a carbon sink. However, its populations have drastically decreased or disappeared in the free-flowing Usumacinta Fluvial System. Physicochemical parameters in water, measurements of quantitative habitat complexity, and records of fish collected were quantified for a V. americana patch. A low average density of 96 ± 48 stems/m 2 , 61.7 ± 0.9 g ash free dry weight /m 2 of biomass, and 192 ± 42.3 male inflorescences/m 2 were recorded for this 14 m 2 patch. Six fish species of the Poeciliidae and Cichlidae families were collected, with an average density of 19 ± 1.9 org/m 2 , all smaller than 6.3 cm standard length. This first record of V. americana in the transitional longitudinal zone (20–60 MASL) of the Usumacinta Fluvial System reinforces the importance of the Wanhá Biosphere Reserve (WBR), which was decreed mainly for its relict inland red mangrove populations and high diversity of tropical swamp woody communities. Moreover, the American eelgrass patch is a nursery area for at least six native poeciliids and cichlids. These are the two most diverse fish families in Mesoamerica. In addition, the cichlid fishery is an important component for environmental sustainability. Article highlights First record of American eelgrass in the transitional zone of the largest fluvial system in the southern Gulf of Mexico. The American eelgrass patch shelter at least six fish species, four of these are included in the IUCN Red List. This finding opens the possibility of applying socio-ecohydrogeomorphological monitoring to design policies in key habitats.