Benthic organism strandings along the central coast of Peru in 2024
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53554/boletin.v41i2.449Keywords:
Invertebrates, fish, macroalgae, harmful algal blooms, anoxia, El NiñoAbstract
This study documents and examines six benthic organism stranding events recorded in March, April, and October 2024 on beaches along the central coast of Peru (Chorrillos, San Bartolo, and Punta Hermosa), during the final phase of the 2023/24 El Niño event. The taxonomic composition, abundance, and biomass of stranded material were assessed in relation to associated physicochemical conditions, including sea surface temperature, dissolved oxygen, NBS-scale pH, chlorophyll-a, and nutrient concentrations. A total of 52 species belonging to nine phyla were identified. The greatest taxonomic richness was recorded at San Bartolo Sur in March 2024, with 33 species. Echinoderms accounted for more than 90% of the relative abundance, with Athyonidium chilensis (Semper, 1868), Pattalus mollis Selenka, 1868, Arbacia nigra (Molina, 1782), and Caenocentrotus gibbosus (L. Agassiz in L. Agassiz & Desor, 1846) among the most prominent species. This stranding coincided with unusually high sea surface temperatures, exceptionally high chlorophyll-a concentrations, and a localized anoxic episode accompanied by a decline in pH. In April 2024, Punta Hermosa experienced a mass stranding of mytilids, primarily Semimytilus patagonicus (Hanley, 1843), which showed the highest relative abundance and biomass. This event was possibly associated with preceding thermal stress and transport processes. By October, under neutral oceanographic conditions, strandings were dominated by macroalgae, particularly Ulva spp. and Gracilariopsis lemaneiformis (Bory de SaintVincent) E.Y. Dawson, Acleto & Foldvik, 1964, with no evidence of anoxia. Overall, the results suggest that physical and biogeochemical processes may contribute through different mechanisms to benthic organism stranding events along the central coast of Peru.
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