Camilo José Fonseca-Barreto is a Marine Biologist with a Master’s degree in Biological Sciences from the National University of Colombia. His professional and research experience focuses on aquatic ecology, limnology, and the study of phytoplankton and periphyton communities in marine and freshwater ecosystems. His research interests include phytoplankton community structure, composition, diversity, ecological function, and taxonomy, as well as their relationships with physicochemical and hydrodynamic processes across different spatial and temporal scales. His work encompasses tropical Andean lakes, urban wetlands, estuarine systems, and mesophotic marine environments. He has contributed to ecological assessment, hydrobiological monitoring, biodiversity analysis, and the development of biological indicators for evaluating aquatic ecosystem condition and water quality. His research integrates field and laboratory approaches with ecological data analysis to support the understanding and conservation of aquatic ecosystems.

Ecological status of the Torca-Guaymaral wetland based on a biotic integrity index developed for the phytoplankton community                                                                                            Phytoplankton biotic integrity depends on environmental conditions and can serve as an indicator of ecosystem health. In this study, phytoplankton samples were collected and physical and chemical variables were recorded at nine stations in the Torca-Guaymaral wetland during both dry and rainy seasons. A pollution gradient was detected, with less deteriorated conditions at sites in the Torca sector and greater impacts at some stations in the Guaymaral section. Of the 67 phytoplankton attributes evaluated, 27 were preselected, and nine metrics were ultimately selected to develop a phytoplankton Index of Biotic Integrity (P-IBI). The P-IBI adequately reflected the spatial heterogeneity of the system, identifying stream-associated stations as sites with good biotic integrity, whereas some lentic and channel environments showed lower integrity. These patterns suggest that lotic conditions may favor better water quality, while other habitats may tend to accumulate pollutants that could affect phytoplankton integrity. The overall mean P-IBI did not show significant differences between climatic seasons, suggesting relative functional stability of the phytoplankton community in response to seasonal variation. Nevertheless, local fluctuations highlight the need for monitoring with greater spatial and temporal resolution. The proposed index represents a first approach to assessing wetland ecological condition through phytoplankton attributes and should therefore be applied cautiously. Despite this limitation, it provides a useful complementary tool for ecological monitoring of the Torca-Guaymaral wetland and contributes relevant information for the implementation of biological assessments in urban wetlands of Bogotá. Further applications across contrasting wetlands and monitoring periods will be important to evaluate the robustness and broader applicability of the index.