Influence of water quality on the macroinvertebrate community in a tropical estuary (Buenaventura Bay)

• Published in: Integrated environmental assessment and management 2022-05, Vol.18 (3), p.796-812
• Main Authors: Duque, Guillermo, Gamboa‐García, Diego E., Molina, Andrés, Cogua, Pilar
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Additives; Alkalinity; Anthropogenic factors; Brackishwater environment; Callinectes arcuatus; Chemical analysis; Colombian Pacific; Dissolved oxygen; Dissolved solids; Environmental assessment; Environmental Impact Assessment; Environmental Management; Estuaries; Estuarine dynamics; Fishers; Food safety; Human influences; Inorganic nutrients; Integrated environmental assessment; Invertebrates; Livelihoods; Low concentrations; Macroinvertebrates; Marine crustaceans; Mineral nutrients; Nitrates; Nitrites; Nutrients; Phosphates; Rimapenaeus byrdi; Salinity; Salinity effects; Seawater; Swimming; Temperature; Total dissolved solids; Toxicology; Trawlnets; Water analysis; Water quality; Xiphopenaeus riveti; Zoobenthos
• ISSN: 1551-3777; 1551-3793
• DOI: 10.1002/ieam.4521

The anthropogenic discharges of inorganic nutrients impact water quality, affecting the macroinvertebrate assemblage and food safety. The main objective of this study was to examine the seawater quality and macroinvertebrate dynamics in muddy habitats of Buenaventura Bay, Colombian Pacific. Macroinvertebrates were captured using artisanal trawl nets during different seasons and along four sampling sites. Multivariate analyses (canonical correspondence analysis and generalized additive model) were used to assess the effects of variations in nitrite, nitrates, phosphate concentrations, and physicochemical variables (salinity, pH, dissolved oxygen [DO], temperature, and total dissolved solids [TDS]) of water on the macroinvertebrate assemblage. Richness was the highest at sites with high salinity and temperature and low concentrations of nitrites and TDS. The densities of the commercial shrimp species Xiphopenaeus riveti and Rimapenaeus byrdi were the highest at sites with higher DO and alkalinity, and lower nitrate concentrations. The swimming crab Callinectes arcuatus was dominant at sites with low water quality. In summary, in the transitional season and at the inner sites of Buenaventura Bay, it was observed the lowest water quality due to high nitrate concentration. High nitrate concentration was highlighted as the main anthropogenic factor that could decrease the capture of target macroinvertebrate species for food and livelihoods of artisanal fishermen and their families. Thus, macroinvertebrate communities may be vulnerable to increased inorganic nutrient inputs, which could affect estuarine water quality and ecosystems services. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2022;18:796–812. © 2021 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC). Key Points Monitoring of the environmental variables of estuaries in Buenaventura Bay, Colombia, revealed a decrease in water quality due to inorganic nutrients levels. Nitrate concentration was highlighted as an important anthropogenic disturbance factor in the set of environmental variables that influence invertebrate artisanal fisheries catches. The decrease of water quality due to high nitrates could cause a diminution in fishing productivity. One of main goals of management could be regulate nitrates levels in the anthropogenic discharges.