J. Davenport et al., THE MARINE ECOLOGY OF THE LAGUNA SAN-RAFAEL (SOUTHERN CHILE) - ICE SCOUR AND OPPORTUNISM, Estuarine, coastal and shelf science, 41(1), 1995, pp. 21-37
Surveys of the intertidal fauna and flora, the plankton, fish, birds a
nd marine mammals of the Laguna San Rafael were carried out by a Ralei
gh International Expedition in January-February 1993. The Laguna is do
minated by the effects of scouring, low temperature and low salinity p
roduced by the calving, tide-water San Rafael glacier that discharges
into the Laguna. The fauna and flora are simple and largely limited to
a small sector of the Laguna, relatively unaffected by ice. There is
a predominance of herbivorous fish, ducks, geese and swans, feeding ma
inly on macroalgae. Penguins, cormorants, sea lions and porpoises make
up the top predators. The strandline is influenced by very heavy rain
fall and supports a fauna of freshwater and terrestrial molluscs and e
arthworms, fed upon by birds and frogs. Large numbers of mussels are p
resent in the north-eastern sector of the Laguna, but many are found i
n poor condition, high on the shore. It is suggested that poor conditi
on and mortality are caused by large calving waves that dislodge musse
ls. Such waves are caused by occasional loss of massive quantities of
ice from the glacier. (C) 1995 Academic Press Limited