Current status and future tendency of lake eutrophication in China

Current trophic status and trend of Chinese freshwater lakes were investigated in this study. The results showed that all lakes studied were commonly undergoing the eutrophication process, water quality decreased and lake's ecosystem is being declined. Most of the urban lakes are facing serious eutrophication. Many medium-sized lakes are in metrophic or eutrophic status, some local water are even approaching the hypertrophic level. The famous five freshwater lakes in China have entered into eutrophication in the condition of higher nutrient load. Lake Taihu, Hongze and Caohu are already in eutrophic state. Eutrophic lakes are mainly distributed in the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River and Yungui plateau. Lake eutrophication developed rapidly. Among the 34 lakes studied in 1970's, most of lakes were in the mesotrophic status,mesotrophic water area accounted for 91.8%. With the nine year of 1978-1987 the area percentage of oligotrophic lakes decreased from 3.2% to 0.53%, and that of eutrophic lakes increased from 5.0% to 55.01%. Recent data showed 57.5% lakes were in eutrophic and hypertrophic status of the 40 surveyed lakes.Eutrophic trend of Lake Taihu, Chaohu and Xuanwu in the region of the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River was predicated using the ecological stress model. The results showed that in 2008 Lake Taihu, Chaohu and Xuanwu might be of eutrophication, eutrophication and hypertrophication, respectively if no control measurement is taken. Provided the pollution water treatment rate is 60% in 2030, approximately 30 billion ton pollution water would still be discharged directly in the lakes. Therefore, in 2030 the urban lakes in China might be eutrophication or hypertrophication, and most of the medium-sized lakes at the urban-rural fringe might be in eutrophication or hypertrophication. The famous five biggest freshwater lakes in China might be eutrophication if control countermeasures are taken as now.Lake eutrophication has become a serious environmental problem in China. Based on the domestic and foreign experiences of the eutrophic control technologies, both nutrient pollution control and lake ecological restoration should be carried out and this may be the guidance for the eutrophic control of lakes in China.     

Current status and future tendency of lake eutrophication in China

Current trophic status and trend of Chinese freshwater lakes were investigated in this study. The results showed that all lakes studied were commonly undergoing the eutrophication process, water quality decreased and lake’s ecosystem is being declined. Most of the urban lakes are facing serious eutrophication. Many medium-sized lakes are in metrophic or eutrophic status, some local water are even approaching the hypertrophic level. The famous five freshwater lakes in China have entered into eutrophication in the condition of higher nutrient load. Lake Taihu, Hongze and Caohu are already in eutrophic state. Eutrophic lakes are mainly distributed in the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River and Yungui plateau. Lake eutrophication developed rapidly. Among the 34 lakes studied in 1970’s, most of lakes were in the mesotrophic status, mesotrophic water area accounted for 91.8%. With the nine year of 1978–1987 the area percentage of oligotrophic lakes decreased from 3.2% to 0.53%, and that of eutrophic lakes increased from 5.0% to 55.01%. Recent data showed 57.5% lakes were in eutrophic and hypertrophic status of the 40 surveyed lakes.

Eutrophic trend of Lake Taihu, Chaohu and Xuanwu in the region of the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River was predicated using the ecological stress model. The results showed that in 2008 Lake Taihu, Chaohu and Xuanwu might be of eutrophication, eutrophication and hypertrophication, respectively if no control measurement is taken. Provided the pollution water treatment rate is 60% in 2030, approximately 30 billion ton pollution water would still be discharged directly in the lakes. Therefore, in 2030 the urban lakes in China might be eutrophication or hypertrophication, and most of the medium-sized lakes at the urban-rural fringe might be in eutrophication or hypertrophication. The famous five biggest freshwater lakes in China might be eutrophication if control countermeasures are taken as now.

Lake eutrophication has become a serious environmental problem in China. Based on the domestic and foreign experiences of the eutrophic control technologies, both nutrient pollution control and lake ecological restoration should be carried out and this may be the guidance for the eutrophic control of lakes in China.

     

The role of meiobenthos in lake ecosystems

It is shown that meiobenthos plays an important role in the secondary production by zoobenthos in lakes, as well as in the degradation of organic matter. In large lakes (Lake Ladoga, Lake Onega, Lake Päijänne, Lake Constance), the ratio of meiobenthic production to the production of macrobenthos is on average 50–61%. In the small Latgalian lakes (Latvia), this proportion is different: in the profundal of these lakes it varies from 92.5% in a naturally clean mesotrophic lake to 0.0004% in the most eutrophic lake, and in the littoral of lakes – from 578–1476% in mesotrophic lakes to 148–306% in eutrophic ones. The level of production of littoral meiobenthos does not depend on the trophic status of the lake, and can be equally high both in undisturbed mesotrophic lakes and in strongly eutrophicated lakes. The intensity of production of the littoral meiobenthos in oligotrophic and mesotrophic lakes, on the one hand, and in eutrophic lakes on the other, are not reliably distinguished. There is a clear tendency for a decrease of the role of profundal meiobenthos with regard to the transformation of energy flows in lake ecosystems, both with an increase in eutrophication and with an increase in the amount of organic matter in the benthal available from phytoplankton.     

Compositional differences among planktonic ciliate communities in four subtropical eutrophic lakes in China

Ciliate community composition was investigated in four subtropical eutrophic lakes with cyanobacterial blooms in three seasons during 2009–2010 using the quantitative protargol staining approach. Among the four lakes, Lake Taihu and Chaohu are situated in the mid-lower Yangtze Plain near sea level, and Lake Dianchi and Xingyunhu are located on the Yunnan–Kweichow Plateau. A total of 102 ciliate species, representing 15 orders and 66 genera, were studied. Ciliate communities in Lake Taihu and Chaohu were characterized by abundant algivorous and mixotrophic oligotrichs and prostomatids, while Lake Dianchi and Xingyunhu ciliate communities were primarily characterized by voracious bacterivorous scuticociliates and peritrichids. Cluster analysis based on the transformed square root of ciliate abundance showed that samples from Lake Taihu and Chaohu composed one group whereas samples from Lake Dianchi and Xingyunhu composed another group in each season. Our results indicated that all dominant ciliate species are ubiquitous and that species dominance is regulated by different factors in different subtropical eutrophic lakes.     

Genetic diversity of picoeukaryotes in eight lakes differing in trophic status

The genetic diversity of picoeukaryotes (0.2-5.0 μm) was investigated in 8 lakes differing in trophic status in Nanjing, China. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and cloning and sequencing of 18S rRNA genes were applied to analyze the picoeukaryotic communities. DGGE analysis showed that among the 8 lakes, the diversity of picoeukaryotes was greatest in the mesotrophic Lake Nan (24 bands) and least in the oligotrophic Lake Qian (12 bands). Cluster analysis of DGGE profiles revealed that the 8 lakes were grouped into 2 distinct clusters. Cluster 1 contained lakes Mochou, Zixia, Huashen, Nan, Pipa, and Qian, while cluster 2 contained lakes Xuanwu and Baijia. Clone libraries were constructed from the mesotrophic Lake Xuanwu and the oligotrophic Lake Zixia, and the 2 libraries were compared using the program LIBSHUFF. This analysis indicated that the picoeukaryotic community composition differed significantly between the 2 lakes (p = 0.001). A total of 25 operational taxonomic units were detected; 18 (62 clones) were related to known eukaryotic groups, while 7 (30 clones) were not affiliated with any known eukaryotic group. Alveolates and stramenopiles were the dominant groups in Lake Xuanwu, while alveolates and chlorophyta predominated in Lake Zixia. Multivariate statistical analysis indicated that the differences in the picoeukaryotic community composition of the 8 lakes might be related to trophic status and top-down regulation by metazooplankton.     

长江中下游四大淡水湖生态系统完整性评价

长江中下游地区是我国淡水湖泊集中分布区域,研究该区域湖泊生态系统完整性对于湖泊生态系统保护和恢复具有重要意义。物理、化学和生物完整性指标已经广泛应用于河湖生态系统健康评价,但是缺少物理、化学和生物完整性的综合评价方法。以历史调查状况为主要参照系统,构建了基于物理、化学和生物完整性的多参数湖泊完整性综合评价指标体系,结合近年来长江中下游四大淡水湖(洞庭湖、鄱阳湖、巢湖、太湖)生态系统调查数据,对四大淡水湖生态系统完整性进行了评价。结果表明,洞庭湖、鄱阳湖、巢湖和太湖的综合得分分别为66、71、57和57。根据评价等级划分标准,洞庭湖和鄱阳湖生态系统完整性状况都达到"好"的等级,而巢湖和太湖则处于"一般"等级;结果显示,该指标能够表征人类活动对于湖泊生态系统完整性不同方面的干扰,且能够反映四大淡水湖生态系统完整性历史变化状况。因此,该方法可以作为长江中下游淡水湖泊生态系统完整性综合评价的工具并能够为湖泊生态系统的保护和恢复提供科学支撑。     

Eutrophication of Lakes Leman and Neuchâtel (Switzerland) indicated by oligochaete communities

In 1978–80, oligochaete communities of meso-eutrophic Lake Léman (Lake of Geneva) were compared to those of mesotrophic Lake Neuchâtel. Worm species were classified into three groups corresponding to their increasing tolerance to eutrophication: (1) oligotrophic species, mostly Peloscolex velutinus, Stylodrilus heringianus; (2) mesotrophic species, mostly Potamothrix vejdovskyi, P. bedoti; (3) eutrophic species, mostly Potamothrix hammoniensis, P. heuscheri, Tubifex tubifex. In both lakes, eutrophic species constituted the bulk of the communities in terms of absolute abundance. However, relative abundance of mesotrophic and eutrophic species was higher in Lake Léman; oligotrophic species were more important in Lake Neuchâtel. These data confirmed the trophic classification of lakes based on chemical parameters. The number of zero values, which perturbated statistical analysis, was reduced by using species groupings instead of isolated species. Thus, making the lakes more comparable even if different species were present in each one. Relative density values based on all samples were distributed among 4 density classes for the 3 species groupings. The 12 resulting frequencies described the community structure expressed in terms of eutrophication. Furthermore, these frequencies may be used for comparison of eutrophication levels in several lakes.     

Trophic status determines the nirS-denitrifier community in shallow freshwater lakes

To explore whether trophic status is involved in identifying the denitrifier communities in shallow freshwater lakes, comparative studies regarding the variation of nirS-denitrifier communities were performed in water columns of six shallow freshwater lakes, ranging from mesotrophic to hypereutrophic status, in Jiangsu province of China. Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis and cloning, followed by sequence analysis of selected samples were performed to examine the nirS-denitrifier communities. Results showed that a same predominant nirS unique operational taxonomic unit (OTU) appeared in mesotrophic, light eutrophic and middle eutrophic lakes, while a different nirS OTU appeared in the hypereutrophic lake. The nirS dendrogram could be divided into four clusters, and suggested a habitat-specific observation. The nirS libraries from lakes having mesotrophic and light eutrophic statuses grouped together, while those from lakes having middle eutrophic and hypereutrophic statuses diverged. The hypereutrophic lake had the lowest richness and evenness of nirS. Thus, the observed variation of nirS distribution and diversity was mainly affected by the trophic status, via some environmental factors such as pH, dissolved oxygen, nitrite, nitrate and chlorophyll-a concentrations.     

Vertical distribution of bacterial community structure in the sediments of two eutrophic lakes revealed by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and multivariate analysis techniques

Vertical distribution of bacterial community structure was investigated in the sediments of two eutrophic lakes of China, Lake Taihu and Lake Xuanwu. Profiles of bacterial communities were generated using a molecular fingerprinting technique, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) followed by DNA sequence analysis, and the results were interpreted with multivariate statistical analysis. To assess changes in the genetic diversity of bacterial communities with changing depth, DGGE banding patterns were analysed by cluster analysis. Distinct clusters were recognized in different sampling stations of Lake Taihu. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) was carried out to infer the relationship between environmental variables and bacterial community structure. DGGE samples collected at the same sampling site clustered together in both lakes. Total phosphorus, organic matter and pH were considered to be the key factors driving the changes in bacterial community composition.     

Developing a two-step method for retrieving cyanobacteria abundance from inland eutrophic lakes using MERIS data

Cyanobacteria are the main dominant species in inland eutrophic lakes during algae blooms, and measures of cyanobacteria abundance can be used for monitoring and early detection of algal blooms by remote sensing. During May 2013 and August 2016, a total 137 water samples were collected from Lake Taihu and Lake Chaohu. Remote-sensing reflectance was measured, surface water was collected in the field, and chlorophyll-a concentration, phycocyanin concentration, suspended-matter concentration and phytoplankton pigment absorption parameters were measured in the laboratory. The composition and density of planktonic algae were also detected by microscope examination. The remote-sensing reflectance at 15 MERIS bands was simulated based on our measured spectral data, and a two-step method for detecting cyanobacteria abundance using the partial least squares model based on 5 MERIS bands was developed. The results showed that the estimation algorithm can predict cyanobacteria abundance in inland eutrophic lakes with satisfactory accuracy, with RMSE of 7.56 and MAPE of 13.44 %. This algorithm was successfully applied to the MERIS image acquired on August 12, 2010, and showed a reasonable spatial distribution of cyanobacteria abundance in Lake Taihu. It demonstrated that the developed estimation method was an effective way to monitor cyanobacteria abundance in water with a potential to be successfully applied to Sentinel-3 images.     

Piscivorous birds as top predators and fishery competitors in the lagoon ecosystem

Trophic patterns of omnivorous freshwater shrimps, Exopalaemon modestus and Macrobrachium nipponensis, were investigated in two shallow eutrophic lakes by using stable isotope analysis. δ¹⁵N and δ¹³C of M. nipponensis and E. modestus increased with increasing body weight, which might be attributed to larger individuals ingesting organisms that feed higher up the food chain and/or increased assimilation of benthic food items with enriched isotopic signatures. Of the freshwater shrimps occurring in the studied lakes, those from Lake Taihu had significantly elevated δ¹⁵N and δ¹³C values (4.3‰ and 1.8‰, respectively) compared with those from the less eutrophic Lake Chaohu, indicating that the isotopic signature might partially reflect the trophic states of their habitats. Mixing model results suggested that the benthic food web provides the primary carbon source for both shrimp species, and that E. modestus assimilated relatively more pelagic food sources than M. nipponensis in these lakes. Handling editor: S. Wellekens     

Simulation study on water quality based on sediment release flume experiment in Lake Taihu, China

Sediments have a significant influence on the overlying water, and nutrient release from sediments is an important source for lake eutrophication, particularly in shallow lakes. Sediment resuspension is primarily driven by wind-induced currents. In this research, the correlation between release rate of suspended sediment and flow velocity was studied, and an experiment on hydrodynamic forces was conducted in a rectangle flume using water and sediments collected from three sites in Lake Taihu, a eutrophic lake in China. It was shown that the starting velocities of sediment in Lake Taihu at three different incipient standards gained from the experiment were 15, 30, and 40 cm s⁻¹ and the release rate of suspended sediment could reach up to 643.4, 5377.1, and 13980.5 g m⁻² d⁻¹, respectively. Based on the experiment, a water quantity and quality numerical model of wind-induced current with sediment pollution for Lake Taihu was developed. The model was calibrated and validated by applying it to the study of the water quality of Lake Taihu. The calculated values were generally in good agreement with field observations, which indicated that the developed model could represent the dynamics of sediment resuspension to a certain extent. This study provides a new approach and a practical tool for planning and management policy and operations to protect the water quality and ecosystems of shallow lakes.     

湖南省大通湖百余年环境演化历史及营养物基准的建立

科学有效地治理退化湖泊需要知晓湖泊的演化历史, 并设立合理的参照目标(即环境基准)来及时评判治理效果。湖南省大通湖位于经济发达的长江中下游地区, 发挥着重要的湖泊水生态系统服务功能。在强烈的人类活动干扰下, 该湖近年来生态系统退化严重, 但其水环境演变的历史缺少详细的记录。研究对大通湖沉积钻孔的年代、烧失量、化学元素、沉积物总磷(TP)和沉积硅藻等沉积指标进行了分析, 重建了大通湖百余年来的环境变化历史。结果表明: 在人类干扰加强和气候变化的共同作用下, 大通湖生态系统及环境发生了显著的变化, 硅藻群落由中营养属种Aulacoseira granulata占优过渡到以富营养浮游类型Stephanodiscus hantzschii、S. minutulus占优的过程, 揭示了该湖自1980s以来显著的富营养化过程; 对应的, 其他沉积指标亦发生了显著的变化。冗余分析揭示出沉积物总磷(TP)和铅(Pb)含量是影响湖泊环境演化的2个显著变量, 这表明工农业发展带来的营养和重金属输入对大通湖环境演化影响巨大。利用区域-总磷转换函数重建了大通湖过去百余年湖水总磷变化历史, 选择1850s人类活动相对较弱时期的湖水总磷(50—60 μg/L)及沉积物磷的浓度(600 mg/kg)值作为该湖的基准环境, 为湖泊的富营养化治理提供修复目标。     

Abundance and diversity of iron reducing bacteria communities in the sediments of a heavily polluted freshwater lake

Iron reduction mediated by Fe(III)-reducing bacteria (FeRB) occurs in aqueous environments and plays an essential role in removing contaminates in polluted freshwater lakes. Two model FeRB species, Shewanella and Geobacter, have been intensively studied because of their functions in bioremediation, iron reduction, and bioelectricity production. However, the abundance and community diversity of Shewanella and Geobacter in eutrophic freshwater lakes remain largely unknown. In this work, the distribution, abundance and biodiversity of Shewanella, Geobacter and other FeRB in the sediments of a heavily polluted lake, Chaohu Lake, China, across four successive seasons were investigated. Shewanella, Geobacter, and other FeRB were found to be widely distributed in the sediment of this heavily eutrophic lake. Geobacter was abundant with at least one order of magnitude more than Shewanella in cold seasons. Three Shewanella-related operational taxonomic units were detected and sixty one Geobacter-related operational taxonomic units were grouped into three phylogenetic clades. Thiobacillus, Desulfuromonas and Geobacter were identified as the main members of FeRB in the lake sediments. Interestingly, nutrients like carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus were found to be the key factors governing the abundance and diversity of FeRB. Total FeRB, as well as Geobacter and Shewanella, were more abundant in the heavily eutrophic zone than those in the lightly eutrophic zone. The abundance and diversity of FeRB in the sediments of freshwater lakes were highly related with the degree of eutrophication, which imply that FeRB might have a great potential in alleviating the eutrophication and contamination in aqueous environments.

     

基于云模型的鄱阳湖秋季周边湿地水体富营养化评价

针对水体富营养化评价过程中存在随机性和模糊性的特点,基于鄱阳湖周边湿地30个采样点的实测水质数据,选取叶绿素a（Chl-a）、总磷（TP）、总氮（TN）、高锰酸盐指数（COD_Mn）及透明度（SD）为水质评价因子,生成云模型对鄱阳湖周边湿地水体进行富营养化评价,并与综合营养状态指数评价结果进行比较。结果表明：两种方法的评价结果存在一定差异,但都反映了鄱阳湖周边湿地水体总体上处于轻度富营养化状态。该方法能为鄱阳湖湿地水体富营养化评价提供重要的方法和手段。     

城市湖泊富营养化成因和特征*

城市湖泊的功能主要体现在旅游、如愿、洪涝调蓄排水、调节气候以及改善城市生态环境等方面。根据湖泊所处地理位置和湖泊水质退化现象,阐述了城市湖泊水体从贫营养到富营养转变的主要原因;从水质的理化指标、底质污染物含量和水生态系统等方面初步时论了城市型浅水湖泊富营养化的特征。同非城市湖泊相比:大部分城市湖泊的水体透明度下降,污染严重的湖泊还会出现水体发黑或出现水华;水质和底质的氮磷及其它污染物含量较高,水生态系统急剧退化,水生植物以浮游植物为主,藻类大量繁殖,高等水生植物不断消亡。根据综合营养度指数对我国主要城市湖泊进行分级评价的结果表明,我国城市湖泊均达到了富营养化或严重富营养化程度。     

Application of Bayesian network including Microcystis morphospecies for microcystin risk assessment in three cyanobacterial bloom-plagued lakes,China

Microcystis spp., which occur as colonies of different sizes under natural conditions, have expanded in temperate and tropical freshwater ecosystems and caused seriously environmental and ecological problems. In the current study, a Bayesian network (BN) framework was developed to access the probability of microcystins (MCs) risk in large shallow eutrophic lakes in China, namely, Taihu Lake, Chaohu Lake, and Dianchi Lake. By means of a knowledge-supported way, physicochemical factors, Microcystis morphospecies, and MCs were integrated into different network structures. The sensitive analysis illustrated that Microcystis aeruginosa biomass was overall the best predictor of MCs risk, and its high biomass relied on the combined condition that water temperature exceeded 24 °C and total phosphorus was above 0.2 mg/L. Simulated scenarios suggested that the probability of hazardous MCs (≥1.0 μg/L) was higher under interactive effect of temperature increase and nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) imbalance than that of warming alone. Likewise, data-driven model development using a naïve Bayes classifier and equal frequency discretization resulted in a substantial technical performance (CCI = 0.83, K = 0.60), but the performance significantly decreased when model excluded species-specific biomasses from input variables (CCI = 0.76, K = 0.40). The BN framework provided a useful screening tool to evaluate cyanotoxin in three studied lakes in China, and it can also be used in other lakes suffering from cyanobacterial blooms dominated by Microcystis.     

Consequences of Fish Kills for Long-Term Trophic Structure in Shallow Lakes: Implications for Theory and Restoration

Fish kills are a common occurrence in shallow, eutrophic lakes, but their ecological consequences, especially in the long term, are poorly understood. We studied the decadal-scale response of two UK shallow lakes to fish kills using a palaeolimnological approach. Eutrophic and turbid Barningham Lake experienced two fish kills in the early 1950s and late 1970s with fish recovering after both events, whereas less eutrophic, macrophyte-dominated Wolterton Lake experienced one kill event in the early 1970s from which fish failed to recover. Our palaeo-data show fish-driven trophic cascade effects across all trophic levels (covering benthic and pelagic species) in both lakes regardless of pre-kill macrophyte coverage and trophic status. In turbid Barningham Lake, similar to long-term studies of biomanipulations in other eutrophic lakes, effects at the macrophyte level are shown to be temporary after the first kill (c. 20 years) and non-existent after the second kill. In plant-dominated Wolterton Lake, permanent fish disappearance failed to halt a long-term pattern of macrophyte community change (for example, loss of charophytes and over-wintering macrophyte species) symptomatic of eutrophication. Important implications for theory and restoration ecology arise from our study. Firstly, our data support ideas of slow eutrophication-driven change in shallow lakes where perturbations are not necessary prerequisites for macrophyte loss. Secondly, the study emphasises a key need for lake managers to reduce external nutrient loading if sustainable and long-term lake restoration is to be achieved. Our research highlights the enormous potential of multi-indicator palaeolimnology and alludes to an important need to consider potential fish kill signatures when interpreting results.     

The spatio-temporal variations of sedimentary phosphorus in Taihu Lake and the implications for internal loading change and recent eutrophication

Internal phosphorus loading is particularly concerned for the shallow lakes due to the frequent sediment disturbance, which may play a vital role in changing nutrient level in overlying water. A historical perspective on internal phosphorus loading may contribute to understanding its contribution to recent eutrophication. In this work, a study on the changes in internal phosphorus loading and release potential in Taihu Lake, a shallow eutrophic lake in China, was performed based on the analysis of spatio-temporal variations of sedimentary total phosphorus and three operationally defined fractions (NaOH-P, HCl-P and OP). The influencing factors for changing internal loading were discussed. The results showed that internal phosphorus loading was elevated compared to pre-eutrophication periods and the increase has occurred since approximately the late 1970s to early 1980s. Changes in internal phosphorus loading were primarily attributed to the NaOH-P and OP fractions, relating to anthropogenic inputs and enhanced productivity, respectively. The internal phosphorus release potential may be enhanced by up to 22% currently relative to the pre-eutrophication period; however, it should play a secondary role to external input in enhancing nutrient levels and sustaining the eutrophication in Taihu Lake.