Characterization of the Iberian saline streams

Abstract

Arribas, P., Gutiérrez-Cánovas, C., Abellán, P., Sánchez-Fernandez, D., Picazo, F., Velasco, J., Millán, A. (2009). Characterization of the Iberian saline streams. Ecosistemas 18(3):1-13.

The aquatic saline ecosystems are very frequent in arid and semiarid regions of the world. Thus in Spain, there are the most of the European saline water bodies. The salinity is a limiting factor, therefore in these communities the taxonomic richness is low but, the singularity degree of the saline organisms is high. For this reason it is necessary to give them specific measures of management and conservation. However, the diversity of the Spanish saline streams has not contemplated in the ecotypes of Mediterranean streams that the European Water Framework Directive establishes. For this, it is essential to implement a specific characterization of these systems in Iberian Peninsula. In this study, we have used biotic and abiotic variables to identify types of saline streams. Thus, using biotic variables we have differentiated between three kinds of saline streams because they have different macroinvertebrates communities, especially of water beetles: low saline streams (3-20 g/l), medium-high saline streams (>20-100 g/l) and very high saline streams (>100 g/l). The abiotic characterization has classified the saline streams based more on conservation status than on physical and environmental variables. The analysis with both types of variables has distinguished six groups of saline streams: three kinds with a good conservation status and three kinds of degraded.