Field report:Sailing around the exhumed roots of the Mesozoic Patagonian paleo-accretionary wedge(Diego de Almagro Island,Chile)

We undertook a boat expedition to explore the geological framework of a very remote, lesser-known island, in the Chilean Patagonia: the Diego de Almagro Island(latitude S51°330'). This uninhabited, ca.400 km^2 Island is one of the very rare exposures of the Mesozoic accretionary subduction complex along the Chilean margin. Unstable weather, strong winds, steep topography, and very dense vegetation make an on-land mission difficult. Careful preparation based on high-resolution satellite images is advised to optimize shore access and minimize risks of injury. Despite a relatively important degree of regional reequilibration of metamorphic assemblages due to sluggish exhumation through the forearc crust, our results have shown that the island is composed of a nappe stack of ocean-floor derived slivers of metasedimentary units that exhibit very different pressure-temperature-time paths during burial by subduction under the Chilean margin and subsequent exhumation. These rocks are witness to a complex thermal evolution of the subduction zone between Jurassic and Cretaceous times from granulite facies to blueschist facies conditions as well as multiple episodes of accretion at ca. 35 -40 km in depth for almost100 Ma over the Mesozoic era.

The Gondwana Orogeny in northern North Patagonian Massif:Evidences from the Caita Có granite, La Se?a and Pangaré mylonites,Argentina

Structural analyses in the northern part of the North Patagonia Massif, in the foliated Caita Co granite and in La Sefia and Pangare mylonites, indicate that the pluton was intruded as a sheet-like body into an opening pull-apart structure during the Gondwana Orogeny. Geochronological studies in the massif indicate a first, lower to middle Permian stage of regional deformation, related to movements during indentation tectonics, with emplacement of foliated granites in the western and central areas of the North Patagonian Massif. Between the upper Permian and lower Triassic, evidence indicates emplacement of undeformed granitic bodies in the central part of the North Patagonian Massif. A second pulse of deformation between the middle and upper Triassic is related to the emplacement of the Caita CO granite, the development of mylonitic belts, and the opening of the Los Menucos Basin. During this pulse of deformation, compression direction was from the eastern quadrant.

Preandean geological confguration of the eastern North Patagonian Massif, Argentina

The Preandean geological configuration of the eastern North Patagonian Massif is established through the use of geological and geophysical analysis.The positive gravity anomalies located near the Atlantic coast are due to 535 and 540 Ma old rocks belonging to the Pampean Orogeny （Precambrian-middle Cambrian）,which are widely recognized in central and northern Argentina.The Famatinian Cycle （Ordovician-Devonian） is represented by a Silurian-Devonian marine basin equivalent to those of eastern-central Argentina and South Africa,and which was deformed at the end of the Devonian byan～E-W to WNW-ESE compressional event,part of the Famatinian Orogeny.Containing strong gravity gradients,the NW-SE belt is coincident with fault zones which were originated during the Gondwanide Orogeny.This event also produced NW-SE overthrusting of the Silurian-Devonian sequences and strike-slip faults that displaced blocks in the same direction.This deformation event belongs to the Gondwanide Orogeny that includes movements related to a counterclockwise rotation of blocks in northern Patagonia.The strong negative anomalies located in the western part of the area stem from the presence of rocks of the Jurassic Ca（n）adón Asfalto basin interbedded in the Marifil Complex.These volcaniclastic sequences show mild deformation of accommodation zones in a pre-Jurassic paleorelief.

Long-term and inter-annual mass changes of Patagonia Ice Field from GRACE

Using more than 14 years of GRACE(Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) satellite gravimetry observations, we estimate the ice loss rate for the Patagonia Ice Field(PIF) of South America. After correcting the effects of glacier isostatic adjustment(GIA) and hydrological variations, the ice loss rate is -23.5 ± 8.1 Giga ton per year(Gt/yr) during the period April 2002 through December 2016, equivalent to an average ice thickness change of-1.3 m/yr if evenly distributed over PIF. The PIF ice mass change series also show obvious inter-annual variations during the entire period. For the time spans April 2002 to December 2007, January 2008 to December 2012 and January 2013 to December 2016, the ice loss rates are -26.4,-9.0 and -25.0 Gt/yr, respectively, indicating that the ice melting experienced significant slowing down and accelerating again in the past decade. Comparison with time series from temperature and precipitation data over PIF suggests that the inter-annual ice losses might not be directly correlated with the temperature changes and precipitation anomalies, and thus their interrelation is intricate. However, the dramatic ice loss acceleration in 2016(with more than 100 Gt within the first half of the year) appears closely related with the evident temperature increase and severe precipitation shortage over 2016, which are likely correlated with the strong E1 Nino event around 2016. Moreover, we compare the GRACE spherical harmonic(SH) and mass concentration(Mascon) solutions in estimating the PIF ice loss rate, and find that the Mascon result has larger uncertainty in leakage error correction,while the SH solutions can better correct leakage errors based on a constrained forward modeling iterative method. Thus the GRACE SH solutions with constrained forward modeling recovery are recommended to evaluating the ice mass change of PIF or other glacier regions with relatively smaller spatial scales.

Plant cover as an estimator of above-ground biomass in semi-arid woody vegetation in Northeast Patagonia,Argentina

The quantification of carbon storage in vegetation biomass is a crucial factor in the estimation and mitigation of CO2 emissions.Globally,arid and semi-arid regions are considered an important carbon sink.However,they have received limited attention and,therefore,it should be a priority to develop tools to quantify biomass at the local and regional scales.Individual plant variables,such as stem diameter and crown area,were reported to be good predictors of individual plant weight.Stand-level variables,such as plant cover and mean height,are also easy-to-measure estimators of above-ground biomass(AGB)in dry regions.In this study,we estimated the AGB in semi-arid woody vegetation in Northeast Patagonia,Argentina.We evaluated whether the AGB at the stand level can be estimated based on plant cover and to what extent the estimation accuracy can be improved by the inclusion of other field-measured structure variables.We also evaluated whether remote sensing technologies can be used to reliably estimate and map the regional mean biomass.For this purpose,we analyzed the relationships between field-measured woody vegetation structure variables and AGB as well as LANDSAT TM-derived variables.We obtained a model-based ratio estimate of regional mean AGB and its standard error.Total plant cover allowed us to obtain a reliable estimation of local AGB,and no better fit was attained by the inclusion of other structure variables.The stand-level plant cover ranged between 18.7%and 95.2%and AGB between about 2.0 and 70.8 Mg/hm^(2).AGB based on total plant cover was well estimated from LANDSAT TM bands 2 and 3,which facilitated a model-based ratio estimate of the regional mean AGB(approximately 12.0 Mg/hm^(2))and its sampling error(about 30.0%).The mean AGB of woody vegetation can greatly contribute to carbon storage in semi-arid lands.Thus,plant cover estimation by remote sensing images could be used to obtain regional estimates and map biomass,as well as to assess and monitor the impact of land-use change on the carbon balance,for arid and semi-arid regions.

Presence of the deep-bodied pipefish, <i>Leptonotus blainvilleanus </i>(Eydoux &Gervais, 1837) [Syngnathiformes: Syngnathidae], in San Jorge Gulf, Patagonia, Argentina

This short report communicates the finding of a Deep-bodied pipefish, Leptonotus blainvilleanus, (Eydoux & Gervais, 1837) [Syngnathiformes, Syngnathidae] in shallow waters of the San Jorge Gulf, Patagonia Argentina, in August 2010. It’s a new record for its known distribution range in the coast of South America. Photos and videos are available.

Modeling Near-Surface Air Temperature and Precipitation Using WRF with 5-km Resolution in the Northern Patagonia Icefield: A Pilot Simulation

The regional Weather and Research Forecast (WRF) Model was run for the 2000-2010 period over the Northern Patagonia Icefield (NPI) with an horizontal resolution of 5 km. The regional model was initialized using the NCEP/NCAR atmospheric Reanalysis database. The simulation results, centered over the NPI, were validated against the observed data from the local surface stations in order to evaluate the improvement of the model results due to its increased horizontal resolution with respect to the lower resolution from Global Climate Model simulations. Interest in the NPI is due to 1) the large body of frozen water exposed to the impact of the warming planet, 2) the scarce availability of observed meteorological and glaciological information in this large and remote icefield, and 3) the need to validate the model behavior in simulating the current climate and its variability in complex terrain. The results will shed light on the degree of confidence in simulating future climate scenarios in the region and also in similar geographical settings. Based on this study subsequent model runs will allow to model future climate changes in Patagonia, which is basic information for estimating glacier variations to be expected during this century.

Remote Sensing Study of Glacial Change in the Northern Patagonian Icefield

The Patagonian Icefield has the largest temperate ice mass in the southern hemisphere. Using remote sensing techniques, this study analyzed multi-decadal glacial retreat and expansion of glacier lakes in Northern Patagonia. Glacial boundaries and glacier lake boundaries for 1979, 1985, 2000, and 2013 were delineated from Chilean topographic maps and Landsat satellite images. Aster stereo images were used to measure mass balance from 2007 to 2012. The highest retreat was observed in San Quintin glacier. The area of glacier lakes increased from 13.49 km2 in 1979 to 65.06 km2 in 2013. Four new glacier lakes formed between 1979 and 2013. Between 2007 and 2012, significant glacial thinning was observed in major glaciers, including HPN1, Pared Norte, Strindberg, Acodado, Nef, San Quintin, Colonia, HPN4, and Benito glaciers. Generally, ablation zones lost more mass than accumulation zones.

Dietary analysis of Homonota darwini (Squamata:Gekkonidae) in Northern Patagonia

Our study investigated the diet of the southernmost gecko in the world, Homonota darwini. Fifty-three specimenswere captured during spring and summer in four locations in Patagonia, Argentina. The stomach contents of the specimens wereidentified, and we found that prey consisted of six main groups: Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, Homoptera and Araneae, and theadults and larvae of moth Lepidoptera. Lepidoptera was the major dietary component. The presence of ants and moths as commonprey suggests an ambush feeding strategy. In spring, females consumed more ants than males although no other dietary differencesbetween males and females were evident. We found nine geckos with empty stomachs and six parasitized by nematodes.Presence of empty stomachs corroborates previous observations of other nocturnal geckos and non-gecko lizards. Reduced foragingsuccess of nocturnal lizards could be due to difficulty in prey detection due to dim light, reduced or erratic activity of insectprey at night, or shorter activity times of geckos relative to diurnal success. Sex and season were not associated with the incidenceof empty stomachs. Principal component analysis showed that four food alternatives correlated with season. The constraint ofnocturnality, coupled with low night-time temperatures restricting feeding to only a few hours after sunset, appear to have causeda generality of diet which may limit energy acquisition. We conclude that H. darwini is an arthropod generalist and likely an ambushforager, as are many other nocturnal

High-throughput metabarcoding of SAR11 assemblages from the southwest Atlantic shelf and arid Patagonia:richness and associated rank abundance distributions

Background:Massively parallel sequencing of environmental DNA allows microbiological studies to be performed in greater detail than was possible with first-generation sequencing.For example,it facilitates the use of approaches hitherto largely applied to flora and fauna,such as rank abundance distribution(RAD)analyses.Methods:Here,we set out to advance the knowledge on Ca.Pelagibacterales(SAR11)communities from southern South America using environmental sequences from the open ocean in the Argentine sea,the uncharted Engaño Bay,as well as a river and an oligohaline shallow lake from the Patagonian Steppe ecoregion.The structures of the SAR11 assemblages present in these ecosystems were dissected by direct and rarefaction-based estimates of species richness,and evaluations of the corresponding abundance distributions(ADs),which was addressed by RAD analyses.Results:Microbial community composition analyses revealed that the studied SAR11 assemblages coexist with 27 bacterial phyla.SAR11 richness was in general very high,but ADs turned out to be highly uneven.The results were compatible with prior knowledge,and similar to that derived from point estimates of diversity.However,our comprehensive dissection allowed for more detailed quantitative comparisons to be made between the environments surveyed,and revealed differences regarding both richness and the underlying ADs.Conclusions:Despite SAR11 assemblages being extremely rich,their ADs are very uneven.Richness and ADs can vary,not only between fresh and salt water,but also between oceanic and coastal marine environments.The obtained results provide insights on general topics such as adaptation and the contrast between marine and freshwater radiations.

Thermal biology and locomotor performance in Phymaturus calcogaster:are Patagonian lizards vulnerable to climate change?

Behavioral and physiological traits of ectotherms are especially sensitive to fluctuations of environmental temperature.In particular,niche-specialist lizards are dependent on their physiological plasticity to adjust to changing environmental conditions.Lizards of the genus Phymaturus are viviparous,mainly herbivorous,and inhabit only rock promontories in the steppe environments of Patagonia and the Andes.Herein,we examine the vulnerability of the southernmost Phymaturus species to global warming:the endemic Phymaturus calcogaster,which lives in a mesic environment in eastern Patagonia.We studied body temperatures in the field(T_(b)),preferred body temperatures in a thermogradient(T_(pref)),the operative(T_(e))and environmental temperatures,and the dependence of running performance on body temperature.P.calcogaster had a mean T_(b)(27.04℃)and a mean Te(31.15℃)both lower than their preferred temperature(T_(pref)=36.61℃)and the optimal temperature for running performance(T_(o)=37.13℃).Lizard activity seems to be restraint during the early afternoon due high environmental temperatures.However,both,the high safety margin and warming tolerance suggest that the expected increase in environmental temperatures due to global warming(IPCC report in 2018)would not threaten,but indeed enhance locomotor performance in this population.

Mercury in an ultraoligotrophic North Patagonian Andean lake (Argentina): Concentration patterns in different components of the water column

The deep, ultraoligotrophic piedmont lakes of Northern Patagonia （Argentina） are located in pristine and barely impacted areas, along a wide latitudinal range. Several studies have reported moderate to high total mercury （Hg） concentrations and contrasting methylmercury （CH3Hg＋） production in different lake compartments. Sources of Hg for western Patagonian terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems are still not clear; while point sources can be ruled out and atmospheric deposition is a plausible source, along with contribution from active volcanic areas of the Andes. In this investigation, we reported a noticeably seasonal, spatial （between lake branches）, and vertical （between water column strata） heterogeneity in the total Hg concentrations found in the pelagic zone of Lake Moreno. Sterile water samples taken in a depth profile of the lake showed moderate to high concentrations of CH3Hg＋ in autumn with a decreasing trend with depth. Our results indicated that Hg is largely allocated in the plankton fraction between 10–53 μm; which dominated within the euphotic （epilimnetic） zone of the lake due to the high densities attained by two species of the dinoflagellate Gymnodinium. The 53–200 μm planktonic size fraction （comprising rotifers, ciliates and immature stages of crustaceans） and the 200 μm fraction （calanoid copepods and cladocerans） were found to bear strikingly lower total Hg concentrations, suggesting that the magnification of Hg at the planktonic consumer level is negligible.

New Precipitation and Temperature Grids for Northern Patagonia： Advances in Relation to Global Climate Grids

Climate data of mean monthly temperature and total monthly precipitation compiled from different sources in northern Patagonia were interpolated to 20-km resolution grids over the period 1997-2010. This northern Patagonian climate grid （NPCG） improves upon previous gridded products in terms of its spatial resolution and number of contributing stations, since it incorporates 218 and 114 precipitation and temper- ature records, respectively. A geostatistical method using surface elevation from a Digital Elevation Model （DEM） as the ancillary variable was used to interpolate station data into even spaced points. The maps provided by NPCG are consistent with the broad spatial and temporal patterns of the northern Patagonian climate, showing a comprehensive representation of the latitudinal and altitudinal gradients in temperature and precipitation, as well as their related patterns of seasonality and continentality. We compared the per- formance of NPCG and various other datasets available to the climate community for northern Patagonia. The grids used for the comparison included those of the Global Precipitation Climatology Project, ERA- Interim, Climate Research Unit （University of East Anglia）, and University of Delaware. Based on three statistics that quantitatively assess the spatial coherence of gridded data against available observations （bias, MAE, and RMSE）, NPCG outperforms other global grids. NPCG represents a useful tool for understand- ing climate variability in northern Patagonia and a valuable input for regional models of hydrological and ecological processes. Its resolution is optimal for validating data from the general circulation models and working with raster data derived from remote sensing, such as vegetation indices.

The endemic Patagonian vespertilionid assemblage is a depauperate ecomorphological vicariant of species-rich neotropical assemblages

Vespertilionidae is the most diverse chiropteran family, and its diversity is concentrated in warmregions of the World; however, due to physiological and behavioral adaptations, these bats alsodominate bat faunas in temperate regions. Here we performed a comparative study of vespertili-onid assemblages from two broad regions of the New World, the cold and harsh Patagonia, versusthe remaining temperate-to-subtropical, extra-Patagonian eco-regions of the South AmericanSouthern Cone. We took an ecomorphological approach and analyzed the craniodental morpho-logical structure of these assemblages within a phylogenetic framework. We measured 17 cranio-dental linear variables from 447 specimens of 22 currently recognized vespertilionid species of thestudy regions. We performed a multivariate analysis to define the morphofunctional space, andcalculated the pattern and degree of species packing for each assemblage. We assessed the im-portance of phylogeny and biogeography, and their impact on depauperate （Patagonian） versusrich （extra-Patagonian） vespertilionid assemblages as determinants of morphospace structuring.We implemented a sensitivity analysis associated to small samples of rare species. The morpho-logical patterns were determined chiefly by the evolutionary history of the family. The Patagonianassemblage can be described as a structurally similar but comparatively depauperate ecomorpho-logical version of those assemblages from neighboring extra-Patagonian eco-regions. ThePatagonian assemblage seems to have formed by successively adding populations from Northernregions that eventually speciated in the region, leaving corresponding sisters （vicariants） in extra-Patagonian eco-regions that continued to be characteristically richer. Despite being structurallyakin, degree of species packing in Patagonia was comparatively very low, which may reflect the ef-fect of limited dispersal success into a harsh region for bat survival.

Baby Whale Saves Mother Beached on Patagonia Shore

黎明即起,浏览“网文”而得佳作,将文章存入收藏夹。下班回家,打开电脑,再读一遍。味道真好,似品茗,又似在寻幽探胜。 两头Southern Right Whale(南露脊鲸)误入礁石嶙峋的阿根廷的Patagonianshores,而遭搁浅,奄奄一息。当地的一渔民发现了分别长10米和14米的两条巨鲸,立即不停地用海水浇淋它们。自愿救助者闻讯而来,先后赶来40人。他们用海水浇淋鲸鱼,不停得干了10小时,直到涨潮。 此刻,奇迹发生了。小鲸鱼浸泡在海水中,已经能够自由游动。可是,它并不急于独自逃生！它返回母亲身边,用头捅它的母亲,用尾巴撞它的母亲,希望昏迷的母亲能够醒来。 同时,救助者还吃惊地发现,小鲸不时发出了一种响声,似乎在对着母亲呼唤:come on,don’t stay behind！ 体重达40吨的母鲸在小鲸的不懈努力下,终于醒来。母子两条鲸鱼,并肩游动,消失在茫茫大海！

液相色谱-串联质谱法测定白芍禁用农药残留

建立液相色谱-串联质谱法(LC-MS/MS)同时测定白芍中29种禁用农药残留的分析方法。白芍粉末试样经乙腈浸泡过夜后超声波提取,采用固相萃取小柱净化,经LC-MS/MS正离子模式扫描分析29种禁用农药残留。结果表明,29种禁用农药的线性相关系数良好(R2>0.9951),检出限为0.0001~0.0300 mg/kg,定量限为0.0003~0.0900 mg/kg;在0.01~0.50 mg/kg的加标水平下,29种禁用农药的回收率为66.8%~108.4%,相对标准偏差(n=6)为0.9%~12.3%。此方法成功应用于白芍质控样品中29种禁用农药的定性和定量分析,定性准确,定量结果在质控证书不确定度范围内,适用于白芍中29种禁用农药的残留分析。

南极半岛中新生代构造岩浆演化及与南美巴塔哥尼亚对比

为了解南极半岛中新生代构造岩浆演化及其与南美巴塔哥尼亚的关系,本文综述了南极半岛岩浆岩的分布、时代、岩石成因、构造环境以及巴塔哥尼亚的地质历史。南极半岛可划分出东部冈瓦纳、中部岩浆弧和西部增生杂岩的3个构造域,古生代岩浆作用仅局部出现在东部和中部构造域,而中新生代岩浆作用形成的火山岩和侵入岩构成了中部岩浆弧的主体,并且随时间在南极半岛从东南向西北逐渐迁移、在南设得兰群岛从西南向东北逐渐迁移。南极半岛中新生代的构造演化包括了各构造域在侏罗纪汇聚前的大洋俯冲和岛弧增生、早白垩世各构造域初始汇聚和构造剥蚀、白垩纪中期碰撞造山、晚白垩世-早新生代（~50Ma之前）乔治六世海峡的形成以及~4Ma布兰斯菲尔德海峡弧后盆地的打开。南极半岛与巴塔哥尼亚的地质对比表明,两地区至少在白垩纪以前是相连的。

Extraterrestrial microspherules from Bajada del Diablo,Chubut,Argentina

The Quaternary infilling of a circular structure located in Bajada del Diablo,Chubut Province,Argentina has been proposed as a crater strewn field in previous studies.Here we report the finding of about 65 microspherules collected in a trench excavated in the center of the structure.The majority of handpicked specimens are single,but some of them exhibit compound forms.The single specimens are spherical with a mean size of 137 nm,whereas the more complex samples show peduncles and drop shapes.Dendritic crystal growth is recognized in the internal structure of some broken microspherules.Preliminary chemical composition from the surface and center of microspherules was determined by energy dispersive spectrometry employing EDS.Quantitative EMPA and XRD analysis indicate that the microspherules are mainly composed of Fe and O with magnetite,Fe0with subordinate wiistite.Following consideration of possible anthropogenic and volcanic origins,these spherulites are ascribed to an extraterrestrial input.An accumulation rate of 47 microspherules per m2/yr is estimated for the studied sediments.This value is two orders of magnitude higher than the reference flux for cosmic dust estimated for the last 1 Ma in the Transantarctic Mountains.The microspherules might have been generated as a byproduct of asteroid entry in the atmosphere.

夏、秋季巴塔哥尼亚大陆架公海海域拖网渔获物组成及主要种类生物学特征

2011年1-3月,在巴塔哥尼亚大陆架公海进行了拖网探捕。本次调查海域位于巴塔哥尼亚大陆架海域渔场边缘,毗邻福克兰-马尔维纳斯大陆架海域渔场,渔获组成兼有这两个渔场的特征。结果表明,该渔场(45°01′-46°53′S,60°07′-60°47′W)底质平坦,水深在110-180 m之间,调查期间天气良好,适宜底拖网作业;在水深20-80 m水层存在温、盐跃层。底拖网渔获中主要有11种经济种类,按渔获量排序以阿根廷滑柔鱼(Illex argentinus)、拉氏南美南极鱼(Patagonotothen ramsayi)、阿根廷无须鳕(Merluccius hubbsi)、阿根廷鳀(Engraulis anchoita)与鳐类列前五位,占总产量的92.26%。探捕期间,相对资源量指数1月平均为(462.8±95.7)kg/h,2月平均为(713.8±194.1)kg/h,3月平均为(778.1±75.0)kg/h,呈逐月递增趋势。经济种类的数量分布有较大差异,多数经济种类的资源密集分布区位于渔场北部,渔场南部高产种类较为单一。阿根廷滑柔鱼优势胴长有逐月增大的趋势;阿根廷无须鳕优势体长变化不明显;拉氏南美南极鱼的优势体长皆小于其初次性成熟体长,其中1月采集的样本仅为110-130 mm,分析认为,本调查捕获的多为索饵洄游的幼鱼。

Larval habitat of <i>Ochlerotatus albifasciatus</i>(Diptera: Culicidae) in the southern edge of the Americas, Tierra del Fuego Island

The information about ecological topics of mosquitoes at the southernmost tip of South America is fragmentary and scarce. The present study evaluates lentic freshwater habitat located in the surroundings of main roads of the Argentine sector of Tierra del Fuego as larval habitat of Ochlerotatus albifasciatus, also analyzes the relationships between their presence and several environmental variables: water turbidity, percentage of gramineans, percentage of macrophytes, presence of crustaceous cyanobacteria, and filamentous chlorophyceans. Mosquito inmatures were collected with dip nets. A generalized linear model (GLM) with negative binomial error distribution was used to determine the effects of different variables of the water bodies on abundance of Oc. albifasciatus in the larval habitats. Collections were made in 45 lentic freshwater bodies. Preimaginal stages were found in 17.70% of the studied habitats. Oc. albifasciatus was the only culicid registered. The GLM explained 93.17% of the variability, and showed a negative relationship between the abundances of Oc. albifasciatus and water turbidity, and a positive relationship with percent-age of gramineans. The gramineans would improve food supply, because the plants are providing suitable substrate for different types of microbiota, a layer of leaves would protect eggs from extreme temperatures, and could help the larvae to hide from potential predators. The negative association between abundance of this species with water turbidity could be related to the presence of vegetation that favors retaining the substrate, reducing water turbidity.