Nitrogen limitation and particulate elemental ratios of seston in hypersaline Mono Lake, California, U.S.A.

Particulate elemental ratios (C:N, N:P and C:Chl a) of seston in hypersaline (70–90 g kg^–1) Mono Lake, California, were examined over an 11-year period (1990–2000) which included the onset and persistence of a 5-year period of persistent chemical stratification. Following the onset of meromixis in mid-1995, phytoplankton and dissolved inorganic nitrogen were substantially reduced with the absence of a winter period of holomixis. C:N, N:P and C:Chl a ratios ranged from 5 to 18 mol mol^–1, 2 to 19 mol mol^–1 and 25 to 150 g g^–1, respectively, and had regular seasonal patterns. Deviations from those expected of nutrient-replete phytoplankton indicated strong nutrient limitation in the summer and roughly balanced growth during the winter prior to the onset of meromixis. Following the onset of meromixis, winter ratios were also indicative of modest nutrient limitation. A 3-year trend in C:N and N:P ratios toward more balanced growth beginning in 1998 suggest the impacts of meromixis weakened due to increased upward fluxes of ammonium associated with weakening stratification and entrainment of ammonium-rich monimolimnetic water. A series of nutrient enrichment experiments with natural assemblages of Mono Lake phytoplankton conducted during the onset of a previous episode of meromixis (1982–1986) confirm the nitrogen will limit phytoplankton before phosphorus or other micronutrients. Particulate ratios of a summer natural assemblage of phytoplankton collected under nitrogen-depleted conditions measured initially, following enrichment, and then after return to a nitrogen-depleted condition followed those expected based on Redfield ratios and laboratory studies.     

Limnological conditions in Mono Lake: contrasting monomixis and meromixis in the 1990s

Mono Lake is a large, saline lake, located in the North American Great Basin and is subject to large variations in freshwater inflow as climatic conditions and diversion schemes have changed; consequently, major variations in chemical stratification occur. A transition from monomixis to meromixis occurred from 1994 to 1995. Lake-wide surveys of temperature, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, ammonium and chlorophyll profiles, Secchi depth and light attenuation, and Artemia monica abundances conducted throughout 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996 and 1997 document the contrasts between monomixis and meromixis. During the monomictic conditions in 1993 and 1994, the lake thermally stratified in March and mixed to the bottom by December, the hypolimnion became anoxic in late March and the water column was oxygenated to the bottom by December. During meromictic conditions in 1995, 1996 and 1997, the absence of holomixis during winter resulted in persistent anoxic conditions beneath the chemocline, an accumulation of ammonium in the monimolimnion and depletion in the mixolimnion, and low mixolimnetic chlorophyll concentrations in the spring and autumn. A comparison of the density differences between 2 and 28 m due to thermal versus chemical stratification indicated thermal stratification predominated in 1993 and 1994, while in 1995, 1996 and 1997 chemical stratification dominated the density differences. Ammonium, the limiting nutrient in Mono Lake, was lower in the upper mixed layer throughout 1996 and 1997 compared to the monomictic years, 1993 and 1994. During 1996 and 1997, the annual maxima in Secchi depths were among the deepest observed during the past 19 years, and reflected the lower phytoplankton abundance caused by decreased availability of nitrogen as a result of strong chemical stratification and the absence of a period of holomixis. In both 1996 and 1997, maturation of the spring generation of Artemia was slowed, peak abundance of the first generation of adult Artemia was a month later and percent ovigery, fecundity, and body size were reduced as compared to 1993 and 1994.     

Persistence of meromixis and its effects on redox conditions and trophic status in Lake Idro (Southern Alps,Italy)

This paper reports a study of oxygen and redox conditions, trophic status, and phytoplankton community in the meromictic Lake Idro (Italy) from 2010 to 2014. The sequence of causes and effects of meromixis are also evaluated by comparing recent research with studies conducted from the late 1960s to the mid-1990s. In the last half century, Lake Idro was steadily meromictic due to solutes which accumulated in its deep waters, along with both dissolved nutrients and chemically reduced substances produced by the anaerobic microbial metabolism. These substances were retained in bottom waters and made unavailable to upper layers until stratification broke. Mixing episodes occurred in 2005–2006 altering stratification, and oxygen and nutrient distribution within the lake. The potential full overturn effects were also evaluated as potential oxygen consumption due to the oxidation of reduced substances to forecast possible oxygen exhaustion and collapse of biological communities. Finally, meromixis is discussed as a potential threat for deep perialpine lakes using Lake Idro as a reference to comparatively evaluate the present status and possible future trends.     

Denitrification in a meromictic lake and its relevance to nitrogen flows within a moderately impacted forested catchment

We analysed the spatial and temporal variability of benthic nitrogen fluxes and denitrification rates in a sub-alpine meromictic lake (Lake Idro, Italy), and compared in-lake nitrogen retention and loss with the net anthropogenic nitrogen inputs to the watershed. We hypothesized a low nitrogen retention and denitrification capacity due to meromixis. This results from nitrate supply from the epilimnion slowing down during stratification and oxygen deficiency inhibiting nitrification and promoting ammonium recycling and its accumulation. We also hypothesized a steep vertical gradient of sedimentary denitrification capacity, decreasing with depth and oxygen deficiency. These are important and understudied issues in inland waters, as climate change and direct anthropic pressures may increase the extent of meromixis. Nearshore sediments had high denitrification rates (87 mg m^?2 day^?1) and efficiency (~ 100%), while in the monimolimnion denitrification was negligible. The littoral zone, covering 10% of the lake surface, contributed ~50% of total denitrification, while the monimolimnion, which covered 70% of the sediment surface, contributed to < 13% of total denitrification. The persistent and expanding meromixis of Lake Idro is expected to further decrease its nitrogen removal capacity (31% of the incoming nitrogen load) compared to what has been measured in other temperate lakes. Values up to 60% are generally reported for other such lakes. Results of this study are relevant as the combination of anthropogenic pressures, climate change and meromixis may threaten the nitrogen processing capacity of lakes.     

Limnology of tropical impoundments: a comparative study of the major reservoirs in Madras State (India)

Summary A limnological study of seventeen man-made lakes has been made. Thermal features showed absence of stable thermal stratification. Cognisable thermocline did not exist. The South-Western reservoirs with low nutrient and salt content were very poor in productivity, but the high alkaline reservoirs were also not very productive. Some reservoirs with lower alkalinity, hardness and total solids developed algal blooms and were highly productive. Bhavanisagar and Stanley reservoirs with optimal levels of dissolved salts and alkalinity-hardness were fairly productive. Reservoirs with organic soils were better in productivity than those with higher silica content (Hope Lake, Poondi Reservoir, Vaigai etc.) Dissolved oxygen depletion in the bottom was characteristic of productive waters. Total oxygen depletion occurred in some of them but in a few depletion was rare and not of great severity. Klinograde curves were characteristic of productive reservoirs. Even when the bottom waters were low in or were devoid of dissolved oxygen the outflow from this level picked up oxygen within a short distance of 100 m. Effect of water replacement on plankton production is discussed. Primary production in the reservoirs has been compared and discussed. It is the silt-laden turbid waters that are poor in production. Water releases could be manipulated to assist spawning of fishes and for amelioration of pollution downstream.     

Taxonomy and ecology of the phytoplankton of Lake Fidler and Sulphide Pool,meromictic Tasmanian lakes

A floristic list of 89 freshwater phytoplanktonic algae occurring in two neighbouring, dystrophic, meromictic Tasmanian lakes is given. In both lakes the preponderance of desmids and phytoflagellates, especially chrysophytes, is a characteristic in keeping with their dystrophic nature. All the alga must be adapted to low levels of red light and some habitually inhabit crepuscular depths rather than executing diel vertical migrations such as happens in many dystrophic waters. Floristic differences between the two lakes are related to morphometric differences and the degree of entrainment of tychoplankton. The photosynthetic biomass of both lakes is predominantly monimolimnetic, made up of few species. The floristically-rich mixolimnion contributes little to biomass. The ecology of the dystrophic flora is discussed in relation to the special circumstances of meromixis.     

The Re-establishment of Meromixis in Hemlock Lake,Michigan, After Artificial Destratification

The limnological characteristics of meromictic Hemlock Lake, Michigan, are outlined. The changes brought about by artificial destratification, and those accompanying re-establishment of meromixis, are then described. A mechanism for the return of meromixis is suggested, and its events compared with an analogous case in a Tasmanian reservoir.     

Vertical distribution of planktonic rotifers in a karstic meromictic lake

Vertical distribution of planktonic rotifers is described in relation to temperature and oxygen in Lake La Cruz, a single-doline, closed karstic lake (121 m diameter and 25 m maximum depth) which shows iron meromixis. Samples were taken by peristaltic pumping at 10 cm depth intervals in the oxycline zone from June 1987 to September 1988. A model of rotifer vertical structure in stratified lakes is proposed. Rotifers concentrate their populations at the depths with intense gradients. As stratification develops some rotifer populations show a downward migration following the thermocline and some others show an upward migration following the oxycline. The production-respiration balance in the lake, and so the position of the oxycline with respect to the thermocline and the layer of maximum production, depends on meteorological conditions. A shift in the dominance of congeneric or related species can occur in consecutive years. In Lake La Cruz, mixing conditions and subterranean inflow in spring were much more intense in 1988 than 1987, and the distance between production and decomposition depths was smaller in 1988. Anuraeopsis miraclei, an oxycline-bound species with high abundance in 1987, was displaced by A. fissa in 1988. A. fissa, which was a metalimnetic species during early summer, reached peak densities (3 × 10⁴ ind l^–1) at the oxycline, equaling the abundance of A. miraclei the preceeding year.     

Ecology of purple sulfur bacteria in the highly stratified meromictic Lake Shunet (Siberia, Khakassia) in 2002–2009

Phototrophic sulfur bacteria form dense accumulations in the chemocline zones of stratified lakes where light reaches the sulfide-containing layers of water. Many works are dedicated to the ecophysiology of these microorganisms in meromictic lakes. However, the role of these microorganisms in the trophic network of these ecosystems, the ways of biomass utilization, and the contribution to the turnover of biogenic elements have so far been insufficiently understood. This work deals with the analysis of many years?? seasonal dynamics of the biomass of purple sulfur bacteria and the physicochemical conditions of their environment in Lake Shunet (Siberia, Khakassia, Russia), unraveling the causes of their anomalous development in the chemocline of this lake, as well as the comparative analysis of such type of ecosystems. Lake Shunet is characterized by markedly pronounced stratification and the high density of purple sulfur bacteria (PSB) in the chemocline, which is comparable to that of Lake Mahoney (Canada) where the number of PSB is the greatest among those known in the world. It was shown that, in the period 2002?C2009, the total amount of bacterio-chlorophyll a in the water column of Lake Shunet increased and did not correlate with the seasonal variations in temperature and illumination in the chemocline. It was established that PSB cells in the purple layer experienced the effect of self-shading. The sedimentation rate of purple sulfur bacteria in Lake Shunet was low due to the pronounced density gradient in the chemocline zone. Thus, the high number of PSB in the chemocline was due to the combination of strong illumination, a high sulfide concentration, and a high water density gradient, which was responsible for stable stratification and contributed to the accumulation of the cells in a narrow layer. The data obtained could be useful for the paleoreconstruction of climatically deter-mined changes in the level of the lake and its periods of meromixis by the presence of carotenoids and bacte-riochlorophylls in the bottom sediments.     

Distribution of benthic macroinvertebrates in an artificially destratified reservoir

A total of 76 taxa of benthic macroinvertebrates as collected from Ham's Lake, Oklahoma, during 1974 and 1975. The composition and density of the benthic assemblage was similar to that of other Oklahoma reservoirs. The number of species and density of macroinvertebrates decreased from March to the end of July, 1975 Species diversity and biomass did not change significantly with time. Number of species and species diversity decreased with depth on all sampling periods. The most pronounced changes occurred between 4 and 5 m during periods of thermal stratification and hypolimnion anoxia. Artificial destratification removed the thermocline from Ham's Lake within 2 wk. More gradually, the deep waters were reoxygenated. Destratification did not substantially alter the depth distribution of benthic macroinvertebrates until oxygen level of the deep water was increased. Research supported with funds from the Oklahoma Water Resources Research Institute and the Bureau of Reclamation.     

Seasonal and habitat-related distribution pattern of Synechococcus genotypes in Lake Constance

The abundance and distribution of Synechococcus spp. in the autotrophic picoplankton of Lake Constance, were followed in the pelagic and littoral habitat by qPCR over 2 years. One genotype, represented by isolated phycoerythrin-rich strain BO 8807, showed a seasonal distribution pattern in both habitats. Before a stable thermal stratification, the maximum of both the Synechococcus population and genotype BO 8807 occurred at 15 or 20 m water depth in the pelagic habitat. During the summer stratification, when the absolute abundance of all Synechococcus spp. was highest above 15 m, the absolute and relative abundance of genotype BO 8807 was maximal at 20 m. These results indicate that Synechococcus spp. or single genotypes are present in deep maxima in Lake Constance. The in situ dynamics of genotype BO 8807 is consistent with the observation that isolated strain BO 8807 requires higher phosphate concentrations for maximum growth rates than a strain from the same phylogenetic cluster that dominates the pelagic summer population. In contrast to these findings, low genome numbers of phycocyanin-rich genotype BO 8805 were found temporarily only in both the littoral and pelagic plankton. Microscopy revealed that PC-rich cells in general occurred preferentially in the littoral habitat. We discuss our results with respect to the versatility of picocyanobacteria of the evolutionary lineage VI of cyanobacteria, and a habitat-related distribution pattern of Synechococcus genotypes.     

Comparative Limnology of Four Cuban Reservoirs

Four Cuban reservoirs (Higuanojo, Tuinicu, Lebrije and Zaza) in the Sancti Spiritus province were studied in 1988–1989. The study was based on monthly samples of physical, chemical and biological components of the pelagic ecosystem. The reservoirs were warm-monomictic with more or less complete water mixing during the dry season and stable stratification during the wet season when inflow of water was highest. The mixing event was very important in regulating the biology and chemistry of the reservoirs. During the stratified period the water was anoxic below 10 m depth and reduced compounds, especially ammonium, accumulated. In the reservoirs with less stable stratification, ammonium was occasionally oxidized and the nitrogen lost to the atmosphere through denitrification. Phytoplankton biomass varied considerably among reservoirs and was not only correlated to total-P, but also to light, Zooplankton biomass and composition was related to availability of good quality food and to the intensity of fish predation.     

Physical and chemical aspects of Chew Valley and Blagdon Lakes, two eutrophic reservoirs in North Somerset, England

Chew Valley and Blagdon Lakes are two shallow, hard-water, lowland eutrophic reservoirs, situated near Bristol in the south-west of England. Chew Lake is more turbid and richer in plankton but poorer in macrophytes than Blagdon, and is more exposed to wind action. Both lakes show evidence of transient stratification in the summer coupled to deoxygenation of the bottom water, which has led to release of nutrients from the sediments. Severe algal blooms in Chew Lake in 1968 and the consequent filtration difficulties led to the establishment of a collaborative research programme between the University of Bristol and the Bristol Waterworks Company, to define the present biological status of the lakes, and to predict their possible future development. The work covers a wide range of measurements and observations on the limnological conditions of the lakes, which form an elegantly contrasted pair, and this paper describes their general physical and chemical features.     

Meromixis and Seasonal Dynamics of Vertical Structure of Lake Uchum (South Siberia)

The seasonal dynamics of the vertical structure of small saline Lake Uchum, located in the steppe arid zone of the south of Siberia (Krasnoyarsk krai), has been studied in detail for the first time. This lake is a meromictic water body. We have revealed a heterogeneous vertical distribution of plankton organisms and a dense population of purple sulfuric bacteria in the redox zone. The taxonomic composition and seasonal dynamics of phyto- and zooplankton are described. Presumably, the meromixis of Lake Uchum is due to the inflow of fresh water to the surface of the saline water body during the rise of its level in the early 20th century, similarly to lakes Shira and Shunet located nearby. The processes of salt displacement into the solution during the formation of ice, as well as the precipitation of salts in the winter, also contribute to the maintenance of permanent stratification. The information on the current state of the lake can be useful for reconstructing the climate by bottom sediments, as well as for creating a model of water quality and investigating the therapeutic properties of lake mud.     

Stratification in the filling phase of the man-made lake Brokopondo in Surinam (S. America)

Summary Temperature and dissolved oxygen content measured weekly at various depths during 3 1/2 years in the filling phase of a tropical man-made lake, show that at the dam-site fluctuations of epilimnion values occurred, whereas the hypolimnion remained almost constant in temperature and permanently devoid of oxygen. This confirms previous reports concerning another mid-lake station. Apart from rather steep superficial temperature gradients, classical thermoclines did not occur. It is proposed that the lake could not become fully mixed by wind action because of the great vertical density differences at the prevailing temperatures, and because of the drowning forest still giving shelter by the extending crowns. On the other hand, the stratification was not static. Fluctuations between high and low epilimnion values for temperature, oxygen content and transparency oocurred yearly, but could not be related satisfactorily to the prevailing seasons. The depth of the epilimnion increased each year. It is suggested that the observed kind of stratification was effective though not absolute. Vertical exchange may have been reduced by increasing density differences, but it was not fully eliminated. This explains the varying degree of incorporation of upper hypolimnetic layers in the epilimnion in relation with epilimnetic temperature. Comparison with large African reservoirs accentuates the exceptional limnological development of Lake Brokopondo during ifs filling phase.     

Spawning Season Variations of Female Nile Tilapia, Oreochromis niloticuss, From Man-made Lakes of Côte D'Ivoire

The spawning season of Oreochromis niloticus females was studied over two annual cycles in 6 small agropastoral and 2 large hydroelectric reservoirs of Côte d'Ivoire (Ayamé and Kossou), situated between 5 and 10°N of latitude. Reproduction occurred during a marked season in the agropastoral reservoirs and in Lake Ayamé, whereas it was continuous in Lake Kossou. Spawning season differed between reservoirs and among years within the same reservoir. Seasonal changes in temperature, rainfall, day length, chlorophyll a concentration and water level often corresponded with changes in the annual spawning cycle. However, annual periodicity of O. niloticus reproduction was more likely influenced by the ephemerides cycle.     

Abundance,Distribution, and Diversity of Viruses in Alkaline,Hypersaline Mono Lake,California

Mono Lake is a large (180 km²), alkaline (pH ~10), moderately hypersaline (70–85 g kg^–1) lake lying at the western edge of the Great Basin. An episode of persistent chemical stratification (meromixis) was initiated in 1995 and has resulted in depletion of oxygen and accumulation of ammonia and sulfide beneath the chemocline. Although previous studies have documented high bacterial abundances and marked seasonal changes in phytoplankton abundance and community composition, there have been no previous reports on the occurrence of viruses in this unique lake. Based on the high concentrations and diversity of microbial life in this lake, we hypothesized that planktonic viruses are also abundant and diverse. To examine the abundance and distribution of viruses and bacteria, water samples were collected from four stations along 5 to 15 vertical depths at each station. Viral abundance ranged from 1 × 10⁸ to 1 × 10⁹ mL^–1, among the highest observed in any natural aquatic system examined so far. Increases (p < 0.1) in viral densities were observed in the anoxic bottom water at multiple stations. However, regression analysis indicated that viral abundance could not be predicted by any single environmental parameter. Pulsed field gel electrophoresis revealed a diverse viral community in Mono Lake with genome sizes ranging from ~14 to >400 kb with most of the DNA in the 30 to 60 kb size range. Cluster analysis grouped the anoxic bottom-water viral community into a unique cluster differentiating it from surface and mid-water viral communities. A hybridization study using an indigenous viral isolate as a probe revealed an episodic pattern of temporal phage distribution with strong niche stratification between oxic and anoxic waters.     

Effect of Non-removal of the Macrophytic Biomass on the Characteristics of Water and Plant Community in Lake Naini Tal,U.P., India

In the most productive macrophytes stand lying within the littoral zone of Lake Naini Tal (a Kumaun Himalayan Lake, located 1937 m above sea level) the macrophytic biomass was removed at the time of peak biomass one year, but not during the next. The effect of non-removal of the macrophytes was apparent in the physical and chemical parameters of the water, viz: thermal stratification, pH, dissolved oxygen, calcium and nitrogen content. The removal of macrophytes increased the plant diversity. Seasonal patterns of ash, calcium and nitrogen content in plant tissues were different for the two years of study.     

Bacterioplankton Abundance and Activity in a Small Hypertrophic Stratified Lake

Bacterioplankton abundance and production were followed during one decade (1991–2001) in the hypertrophic and steeply stratified small Lake Verevi (Estonia). The lake is generally dimictic. However, a partly meromictic status could be formed in specific meteorological conditions as occurred in springs of 2000 and 2001. The abundance of bacteria in Lake Verevi is highly variable (0.70 to 22 × 10⁶ cells ml⁻¹) and generally the highest in anoxic hypolimnetic water. In 2000–2001, the bacterial abundance in the hypolimnion increased probably due to meromixis. During a productive season, heterotrophic bacteria were able to consume about 10–40% of primary production in the epilimnion. Our study showed that bacterioplankton in the epilimnion was top-down controlled by predators, while in metalimnion bacteria were dependent on energy and carbon sources (bottom-up regulated). Below the thermocline hypolimnetic bacteria mineralized organic matter what led to the depletion of oxygen and created anoxic hypolimnion where rich mineral nutrient and sulphide concentrations coexisted with high bacterial numbers.     

Chemical and thermal stratification in lakes

An index that shows chemical stratification strength [IC-i; i = water quality item such as chlorophyll-a (Chl.a) and soluble phosphorus (SP)] was proposed and compared with one of thermal stratification strength indices, Schmidt’s stability index (SSI), in Shiozu Bay and Lake Biwa, Japan. The proposed indices of IC-i can be easily calculated with at least one set of each water quality data in both the epilimnion and the hypolimnion. The SSI was shown to be consistent with the traditional thermocline index of thermocline strength index (TSI), but SSI is used as the stability index of the whole lake, whereas TSI is used as the stability index near the thermocline. Analyses showed that chemical stratification strength is determined largely by thermal stratification strength. Totally different characteristics of IC-Chl.a and IC-phosphate (PO₄) at high SSI in the main North Basin of Lake Biwa and in Shiozu Bay were possibly due to the difference in their volumes and hydrodynamic conditions. The proposed index and relationships are especially useful to roughly determine thermal and chemical stratification when only few water quality data are available.