Determinación de la calidad del agua mediante el uso de macroinvertebrados acuáticos como bioindicadores en la Microcuenca del Río Chimborazo

Abstract

This research was to determine the water quality in the watershed of Chimborazo river through the aquatic macro invertebrates, for this purpose the Biological Monitoring Working Party (BMWP/Col) Colombia Index and Andean Biotic Index (ABI) was used, it is also evaluated the water quality through the physical – chemical parameters index Water Quality Index (WQI) further, the habitat in the sampling areas was evaluated through the Riparian Forest Quality Index (WQI); further, the Andean Riparian Forest Quality Index (QBR-And) and River Habitat Index (RHI), as well as the alpha Shannon-Wiener Index and beta Jaccard index and the flow rate was measured. During the investigation five monthly samples were taken in 4 different monitoring points, 3 located within the watershed of the river Chimborazo, the point 1 was located in Totorillas gorge, the point 2 in Loma Yanarrumi sector, the point 3 in Calera San Francisco sector and one last point downstream in the lower watershed drains in the river in Chimborazo in the Cemento Chimborazo bridge. Collecting macro invertebrates was performed using a Surber net, the physical parameters of water as pH, conductivity, percent dissolved oxygen, total dissolved solids, water temperature were determinated in situ, and parameters such as turbidity, nitrates, phosphates, biochemical demand oxygen (five days), fecal coliforms were analyzed at the Centro de Servicios Técnicos y Transferencia Tecnològica Ambiental (CESTTA) of ESPOCH, and the flow rate was measured with a SEBA windlass. Upon completion of the study showed that the 2 biotic indexes coincide in their results giving good quality at the first point (ABI= 68.8) (BMWP/Col= 63.2), and regular monitoring remaining points with the indexes ABI (point 2= 35.2, point 3= 37.8, point 4= 42) and BMWP/Col (point 2= 39, point 3= 44.6, point 4= 50.8), biological indexes showed different results in each area with the QBR index and Andean QBR, (point 1= 85, point 2= 55, point 2 march= 45, point 3= 0, point 4= 40) and RHI (point 1= 50, point 2= 62, point 2 march= 64, point 3= 49, point 4= 65), the application of diversity indexes shows that in the point 1 (2,209) and point 2 (2.410) has a normal diversity and the point number 3 (1.432) and point 4 (1.785) low biological diversity by the Shannon Weiner and according to Jaccard index points all share certain families together with the Water Quality Index good an outcome was evident in all monitoring points ( point 1= 86, point 2= 73.4, point 3= 73.2, point 4= 71.6) The watershed of the Chimborazo River after application of biological indexes in general has a regular water quality, so it is important to establish a management plan for the protection and conservation of the watershed and verify compliance.