El fitoplancton de un canal de Xochimilco y la importancia de estudiar ecosistemas acuáticos urbanos

Phytoplankton Channel El Bordo in Xochimilco was studied during the 2008 rainy season and the dry season of 2009. The objective was to determine the stability of the flora of an area requiring remediation. The results of this study showed a diverse composition of phytoplankton, which highlighted the registration of several species not previously observed in Mexico and specifically in Xochimilco. Monitoring results reflect the physicochemical factors ratio low variation (9-17%), although the intensity of agricultural activities prevalent in the study area. A third result was the identification of a functional group that brings together species that are typical of shallow water bodies, tropical and eutrophic, such as channel El Bordo. The possibility to associate this functional group with a stable state in the ecosystem, which can be applied in remediation is discussed. We find it useful to study communities of urban aquatic ecosystems with a high degree of alteration, since the amount of accumulated knowledge in a region could make the difference between keeping or losing these ecosystems.