Abstract

Laguna del Maule is a volcanic basin lake in the Central Chilean Andes that contains a peculiar and poorly understood algal flora from an ecological perspective. We present a comprehensive list of modern phytoplankton and limnological parameters (measured in 2011 and 2015), as well as a subfossil diatom assemblage spanning the past similar to 700 years. We examined the relationship between the past assemblages and two Holocene tephra layers, pH, and the impact of recent warming. Chlorophyll values (1.3-1.8 mu g l-1) are indicative of an oligotrophic lake. Counts (past and modern specimens) totalled two hundred fifty-four taxa: Bacillariophyceae (239, mainly subfossil), Chlorophyta (4), Chrysophyta (3), Cryptophyta (3), Cyanophyta (3) and Dinophyta (2). Diatom groups included: twelve centric (the most abundant specimens) and two hundred twenty-seven pennate taxa; of the latter, thirty-three were araphid and one hundred and ninety-four were either monoraphid or biraphid. An increased richness was observed after deposition of the tephra layers, along with different diatom assemblages associated with each tephra. Alkaliphilous-circumneutral taxa dominated, in concordance with the alkaline basin conditions of Laguna del Maule. A recent megadrought brought a shift from planktic to benthic diatoms, as coastal areas expanded, fostering a higher diversity of biraphid genera. Records of past and present dynamics of Andean lacustrine microorganisms are necessary to further evaluate responses to critical global environmental change and for high-altitude aquatic ecosystem conservation efforts.