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ABSTRACT
The Río de la Plata estuary (RdlP) exhibits environmental gradients associated with the freshwater input and oceanic water intrusion. The aim of this study was to assess diatom species distribution in surface sediment samples related to such environmental gradients. The internal section of RdlP was dominated by Aulacoseira spp., Eunotia spp., Staurosirella martyi, Actinocyclus normanii and Thalassiosira baltica, indicatives of low salinity levels and high trophic conditions, associated with the riverine and estuarine regimes. The external section was dominated by Coscinodiscus radiatus, Thalassiosira spp., Paralia sulcata, Cyclotella striata, among other marine taxa, indicatives of high salinity and low trophic conditions, associated with the influence of the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean. Furthermore, the intermediate section presents a mixture of both diatom groups representing mixing conditions. The observed diatom species groups capture fairly well the RdlP environmental variability and can be reliably used for paleoenvironmental studies in this and other similar estuarine systems.
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank to DINARA (Dirección Nacional de Recursos Acuáticos), PEDECIBA (Programa para el Desarrollo de las Ciencias Básicas), ANII (Agencia Nacional de Investigación e Innovación) and RLB (Red Latinoamericana de Botánica). We would like to express special thanks to the editor and reviewers for their critical comments and suggestions, which improved the manuscript content.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
