Mar Chiquita Natural ReserveHandling and Conservation of Natural Resources Program
Park-Ranger Service
Why protect the beach?
Marines birds in Mar Chiquita
Abstract:
Whit a total biodiversity of about 10.000 Sp., birds have colonized almost all the habitats of the world .Despite the oceans cover 60% of the globe , only 3% of these species exploit the effectively the seas .Several other groups of birds use intensively the coast and shorelines , being the oystercatchers, plovers and shorebirds the most conspicuous group .
The low biodiversity observed in the seas is by far countered by the very large biomass provides by this group and the consequent amounts of food consumed .The East and the southeast of Buenos Aires Province in Argentine is characterized by the importance of nonbreeding groups of several seabirds species all the year around.Neotropic Cormorants, American Oyster catchers, four groups gull species , five tern species and the black skimmers are the principal groups included .While some of these birds reproduce in southern Argentine, others breed in the northern hemisphere , both used mar Chiquita lagoon as refueling or wintering area, due to the availability of different food types including intertidal invertebrates and fishes .In this chapter we provided an list of the coast-birds groups present in Mar Chiquita .
Familia scolopacidae
Tringa melanoleuca (Playero patas amarillas grande)
Tringa flevipes (Playero patas amarillas chico)
Actitis macularia (Playerito manchado)
Limosa haemastica (Becasa de mar)
Arenaria interpres (Vuelve piedras)
Calidris alba (Playerito blanco)
Calidris fusicollis (Playerito rabadilla blanca)
Calidris melanotos (Playerito pectoral)
Calidris camutus (Playerito rojizo)
Phalaropus tricolor (Playero nadador)
Micropalama himantopus (Playero zancudo)
Tringites subruficolis (Playerito canela)
Gallinago paraguayia (Becasina común)
Familia laridae
Larus atlanticus (Gaviota cangrejera)
Larus dominicanus (Gaviota cocinera)
Larus cirrosephalus (Gaviota capucho gris)
Larus maculipennis (Gaviota capucho café)
Gelochelidon nilotica (Gaviotin pico grueso)
Sterna trudau (Gaviotin corona blanca)
Sterna hirunde (Gaviotin golondrina)
Sterna superciliaris (Gaviotin chico)
Familia Haematopodidae
Haematopus palliatus
Source: National University of Mar del Plata
Mar Chiquita Park-Ranger Service
June 2005
HYDROGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MAR CHIQUITA COASTALLAGOON ESTUARY
Mar Chiquita is the only coastal lagoon of Argentine that is chokes with a long inlet.
According to its hydrodynamic it can be divided in a freshwater zone , characterized be continental water discharge without tidal effects and an estuarine zone , located from the mouth to the effective limit of tidal influence. Depths typically measured in the estuarine area are between 1, 5-2 m up to 3 m near mouth. Local astronomical tide is characterized as mixed, with semidiurnal dominance and diurnal inequalities. Due to geomorphologic characteristic of inlet this is a hiposincronic estuary were the tidal amplitude decrease toward head. Not only longitudinal wind component but also tides are the main driving force, generating oscillations in water level .Winds from southern quadrant (sw-se) prevent water lagoon outflow increasing the water level, whereas winds from northern quadrant (nw-ne) restrain the oceanic inflow decreasing the water level .These situations are strongly influenced with tides, consequently the former situation matched with spring tide produce an inflow of oceanic water several kilometer inside whereas as the later matched with neap tide restain strongly the oceanic inflow into the inlet. During typical SE storm a large high water level can be observed.
Water temperatures are coupled with air temperatures indicating a strong air- water interaction.
VEGETACION HISTORY OF THE MAR CHIQUITA COASTAL LAGOONThe vegetation history of Mar Chiquita lagoon was reconstructed from three dates pollen sequences: a Lagunita ,Celpa and Laguna Hinojales Prior to ca 5000yr .Bp the pollen record la Lagunita shows that psammophytic and halophytit communities developed in a sandy barrier and brackish swale environment, when the sea reached the marine transgressive maximum.
During the regressive period, after ca 5000yr Bp, salt marshes developed and became progressively colonized by halophytic communities .Between ca 4000 and 2600 yr.Bp the pollen records La lagunita and Celpa reflect that similar halophytic communities developed in the middle and in the sectors of the present lagoon. At Hinojales pond since ca 4500 yr Bp the pollen record shows that the pond was sited in a environment dominated by a halophytic community.
Since 2600 yr.Bp present plant communities became established at each site: at La Lagunita the halophytic community dominated by Chenopodiaceous reached the maximum development at Celpa the dominance of Poaceae with Asteraceae and Cyperaceous reflects the psammophytic community from the sandy barrier and at Hinojales pond freshwater community dominated by Cyperaceous became established in larger water body pond became restricted after ca 400yr Bp..
BIBLIOGRAPHY: SILVINA STUTZ
