Transport and particle size distribution of suspended and benthic organic matter in three headwater streams

The breakdown and decomposition of two species of deciduous leaf litter, Fagus sylvatica L. and Salix viminalis L. and two species of aquatic macrophyte Isoetes lacustris L. and Potamogeton perfoliatus L. were examined in an oligotrophic lake. In all cases plant litter in coarse mesh litter bags lost significantly more material than the fine mesh after 1 years submergence in the lake. This however was considered to be the result of physical environmental factors and microbial activity rather than animal processing. The litter was ranked in order of fastest to slowest rates of decay as follows — Isoetes, Potamogeton, Salix and Fagus. Decomposition processes proceeded at a relatively slow rate as a result of low temperatures and low phosphate and mineral ion concentration. The results suggested that there was an accumulation of organic material in the lake.     

Seasonal dynamics of macrophytes and phytoplankton in shallow lakes: a eutrophication‐driven pathway from plants to plankton?

1. Seasonal relationships between macrophyte and phytoplankton populations may alter considerably as lakes undergo eutrophication. Understanding of these changes may be key to the interpretation of ecological processes operating over longer (decadal‐centennial) timescales. 2. We explore the seasonal dynamics of macrophytes (measured twice in June and August) and phytoplankton (measured monthly May–September) populations in 39 shallow lakes (29 in the U.K. and 10 in Denmark) covering broad gradients for nutrients and plant abundance. 3. Three site groups were identified based on macrophyte seasonality; 16 lakes where macrophyte abundance was perennially low and the water generally turbid (‘turbid lakes’); 7 where macrophyte abundance was high in June but low in August (‘crashing’ lakes); and 12 where macrophyte abundance was high in both June and August (‘stable’ lakes). The seasonal behaviour of the crashing and turbid lakes was extremely similar with a consistent increase in nutrient concentrations and chlorophyll‐a over May–September. By contrast in the stable lakes, seasonal changes were dampened with chlorophyll‐a consistently low (<10–15 μg L^?1) over the entire summer. The crashing lakes were dominated by one or a combination of Potamogeton pusillus, Potamogeton pectinatus and Zannichellia palustris, whereas Ceratophyllum demersum and Chara spp. were more abundant in the stable lakes. 4. A long‐term loss of macrophyte species diversity has occurred in many shallow lakes affected by eutrophication. One common pathway is from a species‐rich plant community with charophytes to a species‐poor community dominated by P. pusillus, P. pectinatus and Z. palustris. Such compositional changes may often be accompanied by a substantial reduction in the seasonal duration of plant dominance and a greater tendency for incursions by phytoplankton. We hypothesise a slow‐enacting (10–100 s years) feedback loop in nutrient‐enriched shallow lakes whereby increases in algal abundance are associated with losses of macrophyte species and hence different plant seasonal strategies. In turn such changes may favour increased phytoplankton production thus placing further pressure on remaining macrophytes. This study blurs the distinction between so‐called turbid phytoplankton‐dominated and clear plant‐dominated shallow lakes and suggests that plant loss from them may be a gradual process.     

The submersed macrophyte communities of adirondack lakes (New York,U.S.A.) of varying degrees of acidity

The submersed macrophyte communities of nine high-altitude oligotrophic lakes in the Adirondack Mountain region of upstate New York were characterized in detail in terms of percent cover of each species. The pH of these clear-water lakes ranged from 6.9 to 4.4 and the acid neutralizing capacity ranged from 91 μeq 1^?1 to ?38 μeq l^?1. The degree of acidity covaried with lower total ion content and nutrient status. The dominant species in the circumneutral lakes and in the acidic lakes were the same, with several Utricularia species being the major component of the bottom cover. Species richness and diversity were lower in the acidic lakes (pH < 5.5). The plants found in the acidic lakes were typical of oligotrophic systems in general, regardless of pH, and similar to those found in lake surveys in Scandinavia and Eastern Canada. Potamogeton confervoides Reichenb., Scirpus subterminalis Torr., Sphagnum spp. and Utricularia geminiscapa Benj. were the only species that were primarily exclusive to the acidic lakes surveyed. In contrast to the results of Scandinavian studies, Sphagnum was found to be a major component of the plant cover in only two of the five acidic lakes.     

Ecological sensitivity of marl lakes to nutrient enrichment: evidence from Hawes Water,UK

相似文献   

Copepod communities in karstic mediterranean lakes along the eastern Adriatic coast

The copepod communities of karstic lakes along the eastern Adriatic coast were studied. Lakes were divided in several groups according to their morphology (deep, shallow, barrage and reservoirs), production (oligotrophic, mesotophic and eutrophic), and salinity of water: freshwater and brackish. Copidodiaptomus steueri, Eucyclops serrulatusand Macrocyclops albidus belong to the group that inhabited most of the lakes under the study, regardless of lake type. The shallow karstic lakes are usually inhabited by Thermocyclops dybowskii, T. oithonoides, Cyclops vicinus and Eudiaptomus padanus etruscus in freshwater biotopes, and Calanipedia aquaedulcis and Copidodiaptomus steueri in brackish biotopes. The last two species can also be found in deep karstic lakes with brackish water (Bacina lakes in the Neretva River delta). Species like Cyclops abyssorumcan be found in most deep freshwater lakes. Some Calanoida were recorded in only one lake, like Eudiaptomus transsylvanicusin the deep Lake Vrana on the island of Cres, or Eudiaptomus hadzici in the barrage Lake Visovac. Production of the lakes, expressed as copepod biomass, depends on lake trophy, and in some lakes also on hydrology and salinity. Most of the meso-eutrophic lakes in the study area had Calanoida dominating, while Cyclopoida dominated in some oligotrophic and eutrophic lakes as well.     

Net heterotrophy in Faroe Islands clear-water lakes: causes and consequences for bacterioplankton and phytoplankton

1. Five oligotrophic clear‐water lakes on the Faroe Islands were studied during August 2000. Algal and bacterial production rates, community respiration, and CO₂ saturation were determined. In addition, we examined the plankton community composition (phytoplankton and heterotrophic nanoflagellates) and measured the grazing pressure exerted by common mixotrophic species on bacteria. 2. High respiration to primary production (6.6–33.2) and supersaturation of CO₂ (830–2140 μatm) implied that the lakes were net heterotrophic and that the pelagic heterotrophic plankton were subsidised by allochthonous organic carbon. However, in spite of the apparent high level of net heterotrophy, primary production exceeded bacterial production and the food base for higher trophic levels appeared to be mainly autotrophic. 3. We suggest that the observed net heterotrophy in these lakes was a result of the oligotrophic conditions and hence low primary production in combination with an input of allochthonous C with a relatively high availability. 4. Mixotrophic phytoplankton (Cryptomonas spp., Dinobryon spp. and flagellates cf. Ochromonas spp.) constituted a large percentage of the plankton community (17–83%), possibly as a result of their capacity to exploit bacteria as a means of acquiring nutrients in these nutrient poor systems.     

CARBON UPTAKE CHARACTERISTICS IN TWO HIGH ELEVATION POPULATIONS OF THE AQUATIC CAM PLANT ISOETES BOLANDERI (ISOETACAE)

In the aquatic CAM species Isoetes bolanderi, a resident of high elevation lakes in which ambient carbon levels are low and fairly constant throughout the day, CO₂ uptake by the leaves generally parallels changes in photosynthetic photon flux density as opposed to changes in ambient CO₂ levels. Overnight CO₂ uptake by the leaves of I. bolanderi contributed up to 33% of the total daily carbon assimilation from the water column which is typical of aquatic CAM species but low in comparison to the 30–50% seen in the seasonal pool congener Isoetes howellii. Two additional sources of carbon may supplement the 24-hour period for carbon assimilation conferred by CAM in I. bolanderi: the refixation of respiratory CO₂ and carbon acquisition from the interstitial sediment water via roots. CAM appears to play a significant role in enhancing carbon gain in I. bolanderi which dominates the littoral flora of Siesta and Ellery Lakes despite higher carbon uptake rates from the water column found in one associated macrophyte Fontinalis antipyretica.     

Phosphorus budgets in Everglades wetland ecosystems: the effects of hydrology and nutrient enrichment

The Florida Everglades is a naturally oligotrophic hydroscape that has experienced large changes in ecosystem structure and function as the result of increased anthropogenic phosphorus (P) loading and hydrologic changes. We present whole-ecosystem models of P cycling for Everglades wetlands with differing hydrology and P enrichment with the goal of synthesizing existing information into ecosystem P budgets. Budgets were developed for deeper water oligotrophic wet prairie/slough (‘Slough’), shallower water oligotrophic Cladium jamaicense (‘Cladium’), partially enriched C. jamaicense/Typha spp. mixture (‘Cladium/Typha’), and enriched Typha spp. (‘Typha’) marshes. The majority of ecosystem P was stored in the soil in all four ecosystem types, with the flocculent detrital organic matter (floc) layer at the bottom of the water column storing the next largest proportion of ecosystem P pools. However, most P cycling involved ecosystem components in the water column (periphyton, floc, and consumers) in deeper water, oligotrophic Slough marsh. Fluxes of P associated with macrophytes were more important in the shallower water, oligotrophic Cladium marsh. The two oligotrophic ecosystem types had similar total ecosystem P stocks and cycling rates, and low rates of P cycling associated with soils. Phosphorus flux rates cannot be estimated for ecosystem components residing in the water column in Cladium/Typha or Typha marshes due to insufficient data. Enrichment caused a large increase in the importance of macrophytes to P cycling in Everglades wetlands. The flux of P from soil to the water column, via roots to live aboveground tissues to macrophyte detritus, increased from 0.03 and 0.2 g P m⁻² yr⁻¹ in oligotrophic Slough and Cladium marsh, respectively, to 1.1 g P m⁻² yr⁻¹ in partially enriched Cladium/Typha, and 1.6 g P m⁻² yr⁻¹ in enriched Typha marsh. This macrophyte translocation P flux represents a large source of internal eutrophication to surface waters in P-enriched areas of the Everglades.     

Reconstructing the past density of planktivorous fish and trophic structure from sedimentary zooplankton fossils: a surface sediment calibration data set from shallow lakes

1. As quantitative information on historical changes in fish community structure is difficult to obtain directly from fish remains in lake sediments, transfer function for planktivorous fish abundance has been developed based on zooplankton remains in surface sediment (upper 1 cm). The transfer function was derived using weighted average regression and calibration against contemporary data on planktivorous fish catch per unit effort (PF-CPUE) in multiple mesh size gill nets. Zooplankton remains were chosen because zooplankton community structure in lakes is highly sensitive to changes in fish predation pressure. The calibration data set consisted of thirty lakes differing in PF-CPUE (range 18–369 fish net^–1), epilimnion total phosphorus (range 0.025–1.28 mg P l^–1) and submerged macrophyte coverage (0–57%). 2. Correlation of log-transformed PF-CPUE, total phosphorus and submerged macrophyte coverage v the percentage abundance in the sediment of the dominant cladocerans and rotifers revealed that the typical pelagic species correlated most highly to PF-CPUE, while the littoral species correlated most highly to submerged macrophyte coverage. Consequently, only pelagic species were taken into consideration when establishing the fish transfer function. 3. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) revealed that the pelagic zooplankton assemblage was highly significantly related to PF-CPUE (axis 1), whereas the influence of total phosphorus and submerged macrophyte coverage was insignificant. Predicted PF-CPUE based on weighted average regression without (WA) and with (WA(tol)) downweighting of zooplankton species tolerance correlated significantly with the observed values (r² = 0.64 and 0.60 and RMSE = 0.54 and 0.56, respectively). A marginally better relationship (r² = 0.67) was obtained using WA maximum likelihood estimated optima and tolerance. 4. It is now possible, quantitatively, to reconstruct the historical development in planktivorous fish abundance based on zooplankton fossil records. As good relationships exist between contemporary PF-CPUE data and indicators such as the zooplankton/phytoplankton biomass ratio, Secchi depth and the maximum depth distribution of submerged macrophytes, it is now also possible to derive information on past changes in lake water quality and trophic structure. It will probably prove possible further to improve the transfer function by including other invertebrate remains, e.g. chironomids, Chaoborus, snails, etc., and its scope could be widened by including deeper lakes, more oligotrophic lakes, more acidic lakes and lakes with extensive submerged macrophyte coverage (in the latter case to enable use of the information in the fossil record on plant-associated cladocerans).     

A water level drawdown index for aquatic macrophytes in Nordic lakes

Many northern lakes are regulated to enhance hydropower production and flood protection. This bears hydromorphological pressures which are important factors causing lowered ecological status. Water level fluctuation triggers erosion on the shoreline and, depending on fluctuation range, also affects species composition or disappearance of sensitive aquatic macrophytes. We developed a water level-drawdown index (WI_c) for Nordic lakes using macrophyte data from 73 lakes with varying water level fluctuation in Finland, Norway and Sweden. The index is based on the ratio between sensitive and tolerant macrophyte species. The sensitive and tolerant species are identified based on a percentile approach, analysing the presence or absence of species along the winter drawdown range. The index correlates well with winter drawdown in Finnish and Norwegian lakes with strongest correlations with winter drawdown in storage lakes (lakes regulated for hydroelectric power and with a considerable winter drawdown). The WI_c-index is applicable in low alkalinity, oligotrophic and ice-covered lakes, and is suggested to be a useful tool to identify and designate heavily modified water bodies in Nordic lakes according to the European Water Framework Directive.     

The microbial plankton of freshwater lakes in the Vestfold Hills,Antarctica

Summary The plankton of twelve freshwater and slightly saline lakes in the Vestfold Hills, Antarctica was sampled in February 1991. All of the lakes are oligotrophic. The chlorophyll a concentrations in the lakes ranged from 0.10–2.69 g · 1^–1. The majority of the phytoplankton were flagellates or picoplanktonic cyanobacteria with the species composition varying between the lakes. Cyanobacteria were found in five of the lakes. Five to 6 species of ciliated protozoa occurred, among them oligotrichs, including the mixotrophic species Strombidium viride. The concentrations of protists and bacteria were an order to several orders of magnitude lower than reported from lower latitude oligotrophic lakes. Low species diversity and low numbers in the plankton characterise these eastern Antarctica lakes which reflects their low nutrient status and isolation.     

Ecological effects of lime treatment of acidified lakes and rivers in Sweden

Effects on the aquatic biota of lime (CaCO₃) application in acidified lakes and streams were studied in a number of waters. After treatment, lime-sensitive species of mosses (Sphagnum spp.) decreased, but species such as Potamogeton natans and Myriophyllum alterniflorum seemed to be favoured. A few years after liming species composition and diversity of phytoplankton, zooplankton and benthic insect larvae were almost identical to that found in oligotrophic and non-acid lakes. Molluscs and benthic crustaceans may have difficulties recolonizing. Reproduction of remaining species of fish was successful as soon as pH increased. High survival of larvae and fry can result in some extremely rich year classes with slow individual growth. In most cases restocking of depleted fish stocks was successful.     

Dissolved Organic Carbon as Major Environmental Factor Affecting Bacterioplankton Communities in Mountain Lakes of Eastern Japan

Relationships between environmental factors and bacterial communities were investigated in 41 freshwater lakes located in mountainous regions of eastern Japan. Bacterioplankton community composition (BCC) was determined by polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis of the 16S rRNA gene and then evaluated on the basis of physicochemical and biological variables of the lakes. Canonical correspondence analysis revealed that BCC of oligotrophic lakes was significantly influenced by dissolved organic carbon (DOC) content, but its effect was not apparent in the analysis covering all lakes including mesotrophic and eutrophic ones. The generalized linear model showed the negative association of DOC on the taxon richness of bacterioplankton communities. DOC was positively correlated with the catchment area per lake volume, suggesting that a large fraction of DOC supplied to the lake was derived from terrestrial sources. These results suggest that allochthonous DOC has a significant effect on bacterioplankton communities especially in oligotrophic lakes. The genus Polynucleobacter was detected most frequently. The occurrence of Polynucleobacter species was positively associated with DOC and negatively associated with total phosphorus (TP) levels. In addition, TP had a stronger effect than DOC, suggesting that oligotrophy is the most important factor on the occurrence of this genus.     

RELATIONSHIPS OF SEDIMENTED DIATOM SPECIES (BACILLARIOPHYCEAE) TO ENVIRONMENTAL GRADIENTS IN DILUTE NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND LAKES1

Limnological gradients of small, oligotrophic, and low conductance lakes in northern New England were defined by principal components analysis; relationships of sedimented diatom species to the gradients were investigated by correlation analysis. Diatom distributions were most strongly related to the gradient of pH and alkalinity and the covarying variables, conductance, Mg, Ca, total Al, and exchangeable Al. Weaker relationships to lake morphology, dissolved organic carbon and water color, altitude and marine aerosol inputs, and the distinctive water chemistry of some New Hampshire lakes were also present. Results for 16 taxa of importance in our studies of lake acidity are given in detail and are compared to results from other regions of eastern North America. Planktonic taxa were absent below pH 5.5, with the exception of the long form of Asterionella ralfsii var. americana Korn. The two forms of this taxon differed ecologically: the long form (>45μm) had an abundance weighted mean (AWM) pH 4.90 and occurred mostly in lakes that were deep relative to transparency; the short form (<45μm)had an AWM pH and occurred on lakes that were shallow relative to transparency. The ecological advantage of a “splitter” approach to diatom taxonomy was demonstrated by examination of other taxa as well, including Tabellaria flocculosa (Roth) Kütz. These results have important implications for paleolimnological interpretations.     

Depth limits and minimum light requirements of freshwater macrophytes

1. Data for maximum colonization depth (Z_c) of five groups of submerged macrophytes and light attenuation were collected for forty-five Danish lakes and 108 non-Danish lakes. The macrophyte groups were bryophytes, charophytes, caulescent angiosperms, rosette-type angiosperms and Isoetes spp. 2. The data showed systematic differences among the groups in the relationship of Z_c to water transparency. In lakes with low transparency (Secchi disc transparency (Z_s) less than 7 m) caulescent angiosperms and charophytes penetrated deepest followed by bryophytes and Isoetes spp. In more transparent lakes bryophytes grew deepest, followed by charophytes, caulescent angiosperms and Isoetes spp. Rosette-type angiosperms had the lowest Z_c in all types of lakes. Charophytes and caulescent angiosperms had similar depth limits in lakes with Z_s < 4 m but charophytes grew deeper in more transparent lakes. The depth limits of both groups were independent of light penetration in lakes with very low transparency (Z_s < 1 m). The annual light exposure for the deepest growing macrophytes (bryophytes) was 20–95 mol photons m^–2. 3. The relationship between Z_c, macrophyte type and lake transparency could be explained by three distinct processes regulating Z_c. In lakes with low transparency (Z_s < 1 m), tall macrophytes (caulescent angiosperms and charophytes) compensate for light limitation by shoot growth towards the water surface and Z_c is therefore independent of transparency. In lakes with medium transparency (1 m < Z_s < 4 m) Z_c for angiosperms, charophytes and Isoetes spp. is constrained by light attenuation in the water column, corresponding to a linear relationship between Z_c and Z_s. This pattern also applies to bryophytes, despite lake transparency. In transparent lakes, the minimum light requirement at Z_c increased with increasing transparency for angiosperms, charophytes and Isoetes spp. 4. The minimum light requirements among submersed macrophytes (including marine macroalgae) depend on their plant-specific carbon value (plant biomass per unit of light-absorbing surface area) for the species/group, indicating that the light requirements of submersed plants are tightly coupled to the plants’ possibility to harvest light and hence to the growth form. 5. The light requirements increased on average 0.04% surface irradiance per degree increase in latitude corresponding to an average decrease in Z_c of 0.12 m per degree latitude.     

Scaled chrysophytes (Chrysophyceae and Synurophyceae) from national park lakes in southern and central Finland

A total of 34 scaled chrysophyte taxa (18 Mallomonas spp., 6 Synura spp., 2 Chrysosphaerella spp., 6 Spiniferomonas spp. and 2 Paraphysomonas spp.) were recorded by SEM techniques in 61 samples from 59 lakes locating in 8 national parks of southern and central Finland in July 1987. Most of the lakes were small forest and peat bog lakes with acid (pH 4.6–7.2) and soft-water and with variable water colour (10–350 mg Pt/l). The number of taxa per lake varied from 0 to 15 and it correlated very significantly with the water pH. The species structure was rather typical for the oligotrophic and acid lakes. Besides the eurytypic and common species like Mallomonus caudata (fr. 72.1% of lakes), M. crassisquama (65.6%), M. allorgei (62.3%) and M. akrokomos (52.5%) also M. canina (41.0%) and M. hamata (21.3%) were frequently observed. M. calceolus, M. costata, M. papillosa, M. pugio and M. paludosa were more rare but typical for acid lakes. Synuru splendida which occurred in two lakes was the most rare and a new species for Finland.     

Loss of Submerged Macrophytes in Shallow Lakes in North‐Eastern Germany

During the 1950s, the submerged vegetation of shallow lakes in north‐eastern Germany was dominated by nutrient tolerant species, with Ceratophyllum demersum and Myriophyllum sp. being most common. Almost one third of 300 investigated lakes had already lost their submerged macrophytes at that time. Very shallow lakes showed either high or low macrophyte abundance. Increasing depth resulted in medium macrophyte abundances, which may contribute to the stabilisation of local or temporary clearwater states. Forty years later, the percentage of lakes without macrophytes had dramatically increased. Between 55 and 85% of the investigated lakes showed a low abundance. The decline was most pronounced in very shallow lakes. The majority of the investigated lakes showed summer TP concentrations below 100 μg L^–1, but no colonisation by submerged macrophytes, which indicates a resilience against re‐colonisation.     

Hydrologic and anthropogenic influences on aquatic macrophyte development in a large,shallow lake in China

相似文献   

Impacts of space,local environment and habitat connectivity on macrophyte communities in conservation lakes

Aim  To assess the relative impacts of spatial, local environmental and habitat connectivity on the structure of aquatic macrophyte communities in lakes designated for their conservation value. Location  Selected lakes of conservation importance all over Scotland, representing a wide variety of lake habitat types and associated macrophyte communities. Methods  Local environmental variables and species occurrence were measured in the field. Spatial variables were generated using principal coordinates of neighbour matrices (PCNM) analysis. Connectivity between each lake and its neighbours was defined as either (i) all lakes within a radius of 5, 10, 25, 50, 75 or 100 km; (ii) all lakes in same river system; or (iii) all lakes in the same catchment and upstream of the lake. Using variance partitioning within canonical correspondence analysis, the relative impact of E = local environment, S = space and C = lake connectivity was compared on submerged (n = 119 lakes) and emergent (n = 96 lakes) macrophyte assemblages. Results  Local environmental conditions, such as total phosphorus, alkalinity/conductivity and the presence of invasive species, as well as spatial gradients were key drivers of observed variation in macrophyte communities; e.g., for submerged macrophytes, a combination of local to moderate factors relating to water chemistry and broad‐scale gradients reflecting elevation and climate are important. Spatially structured environmental variables explained a large portion of observed variation. Main conclusions  Our findings confirmed the need to manage local environmental pressures such as eutrophication, but suggested that the traditional catchment approach was insufficient. The spatial aggregation of environmental and connectivity factors indicated that a landscape scale approach should be used in lake management to augment the risk assessment to conservation species from the deterioration of suitable lake sites over broad biogeographic areas.     

Sediment and Water Nutrient Characteristics in Patches of Submerged Macrophytes in Running Waters

(1) The relative importance of sediments and water as nutrient sources for submerged macrophytes in running waters is poorly understood. Here we present water and sediment nutrient characteristics within macrophyte patches in Bavarian rivers. (2) No significant differences between early (June/July) and late summer (August/September) sediment nutrient characteristics could be detected within macrophyte patches. Therefore, a single sediment sample per macrophyte patch was considered to be sufficient for characterising nutrient concentrations during the main growing season in running waters. (3) Sediment TP (total phosphorus) is not a useful parameter for predicting trophic status in running waters. Sediment porewater SRP (soluble reactive phosphorus) concentration is not correlated to water body SRP or TP concentration; nor is it correlated with sediment TP content. Potamogeton coloratus, a oligotrophic species, is associated with low overlying and porewater SRP concentrations but high sediment TP content. Eutrophic species, such as Potamogeton pectinatus, are associated with low sediment TP. (4) It is hypothesized that Chara hispida primarily takes up sediment ammonia for nitrogen nutrition. (5) Nutrient characteristics of the water body and the sediment of eight macrophyte species in Bavarian rivers are described.