Diatom communities in thermo-mineral springs of Galicia (NW Spain)

Abstract

The species composition of diatom assemblages was studied in five unpolluted thermo-mineral springs in Galicia (NW Spain). Three are considered hot and two cold, and some contain hydrogen sulphide. A total of 68 taxa (24 genera) have been recorded. The Shannon–Wiener diversity index (H′) ranged between 0.63 and 2.01. The nMDS ordination showed that diatom assemblage composition was influenced mostly by conductivity, temperature and hydrogen sulphide concentration. Diatom assemblages found in the Galician springs differed from those in springs of other geographical locations with similar physical and chemical characteristics. The most species-rich genera were Nitzschia and Achnanthidium with 10 and 8 species, respectively. Achnanthidium exiguum and Achnanthidium saprophilum had the widest distribution. Denticula thermalis and Achnanthidium caledonicum were found in environments with relatively low mineralization and low temperature, whereas Rhopalodia gibberula, Rhopalodia operculata and Fragilaria crotonensis were found in mineral-rich springs with high temperatures. Achnanthidium exiguum, A. saprophilum, Achnanthes coarctata, Achnanthes exigua var. elliptica, Mayamaea atomus, Eunotia implicata, Gomphonema minusculum, Gomphonema minutum and Cosmioneis pusilla were present in the spring with high H₂S content.

Keywords:

• biodiversity
• diatoms
• environmental parameters
• Galicia
• thermo-mineral springs
• thermal-sulphur waters

Acknowledgements

M. Leira benefited from a FCT post-doc scholarship (SFRH/BPD/ 82103/2011). We thank Dr Marina Potapova for the corrections and improvements made to the original manuscript.

ORCID

Manel Leira http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9024-9448

Rosa Meijide-Failde http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8516-9419

Enrique Torres http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3885-8013