Eukaryotic community distribution and its relationship to water physicochemical parameters in an extreme acidic environment, Rio Tinto (Southwestern Spain)

The correlation between water physicochemical parameters and eukaryotic benthic composition was examined in Rio Tinto. Principal component analysis showed a high inverse relationship between pH and most of the heavy metals analyzed as well as Dunaliella sp., while Chlamydomonas sp. abundance was positively related. Zn, Cu, and Ni clustered together and showed a strong inverse correlation with the diversity coefficient and most of the species analyzed. These eukaryotic communities seem to be more influenced by the presence of heavy metals than by the pH.