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Researchers of the Aquatic Ecology group of the University of Murcia (UMU), participate with three articles in the special issue of the prestigious scientific journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B (Biological Sciences) dedicated to the salinization of freshwater aquatic ecosystems .
Aquatic ecosystems are key to the maintenance of life on Earth.
Changes in the concentration of salts in river systems, as a consequence of human activities (salinization of freshwater rivers or sweetening of saline rivers), influence organisms, communities and ecosystems.
Ultimately, they affect the services they offer, such as irrigation, green filter or food.
These services depend on the quality of the water and the communities of organisms that inhabit it.
Therefore, changes in natural salinity levels can cause serious problems.
In Spain and Europe there is no regulation that controls and limits the salinization of rivers.
The UMU researchers highlight the importance of making a regulation to reduce stress and adverse effects on the health of aquatic ecosystems.
"An aggravating factor in the processes of salinization may be the presence of other stress factors, common in aquatic ecosystems, such as the increase in temperature, the presence of pesticides and other toxins," explains Josefa Velasco García, principal investigator of the group. .
In the first study conducted, the effects of the combination of these factors on aquatic organisms are analyzed.
In general, salinity has a more important impact than the rest.
That is, the result of the interaction is similar to the sum of the isolated effects of each of the stressors.
Salty Rambla
The second study focuses on species with less presence in saline environments, but unique and totally different from those of sweet environments.
In particular, their particular physiological mechanisms allow them to tolerate the highest salinities.
Regarding this point, the researchers conclude that insects that live exclusively in saline waters can tolerate a wide range of salinity.
"They are also able to live in fresh water, but prefer extreme conditions, probably as a strategy to avoid competition and parasitism, which is much greater in freshwater environments," she explains.
Salinization and its opposite process, sweetening, are discussed in the third article.
The scientists conclude that the biological communities adapt or disappear according to the level of salinity.
In the same way, the sweetening of saline rivers alters the habitat of the species that live in the highest salinity enclaves, and gives rise to communities similar to those of rivers with a low level of salinization.
Photographs:
Rambla de Albujón, which has increased its salinity due to the discharging of the desalobradoras.
Rambla Salada de Fortuna, with very saline waters, but whose salinity has decreased due to agricultural drainages.
Source: Universidad de Murcia
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