Factors controlling the concentration of particulate carbohydrates and amino acids in the Paraná River

✍ Scribed by S. Kempe; P. J. Depetris

• Publisher: Springer
• Year: 1992
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 625 KB
• Volume: 242
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1573-5141
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00019966

✦ Synopsis

Particulate carbohydrates and particulate amino acids were determined in a set of samples from the Parana River, Argentina, covering a stretch of over 1300 km . To gain an understanding of the factors which control the concentrations of these organic compounds, a multivariate statistical approach was used (R-mode varimax factor analysis) . This technique separated the influence of various sources of organic matter . The floodplain of the middle reach (about 900 km long and 20-30 km wide) was the most significant source controlling the concentrations of particulate carbohydrates (PCH), providing angiosperm debris, phytoplankton and grasses . Particulate amino acids (PAA) concentrations were determined markedly both by contributions from the Paraguay basin, and the lotic and lentic environments of the floodplain . Sugars single out forested tributary basins as sources of bacteria while amino acids point toward the Paraguay River as a major source of biodegraded material ; heterotrophic processes, however, appear more clearly depicted with PAA than with PCH . A downstream increase of the PCH/PAA ratio suggests a larger consumption of PAA in the lowermost reaches .