Biogenic silica as an estimate of siliceous microfossil abundance in Great Lakes sediments

Biogenic silica concentration (BSi) in sediment cores from the Great Lakes is evaluated as an estimate of siliceous microfossil abundance. A significant linear relationship was found between measured BSi and diatom valve abundance for sediment cores from the Bay of Quinte, Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, Lake Michigan and Lake Superior and between measured BSi and diatom biovolume for Lake Erie, Lake Michigan, and Lake Superior but not for Lake Ontario. Diatom silica predicted from diatom species abundance and an estimated silica content per cell in the Lake Erie cores accounted for 117% and 103% of measured BSi, respectively. By contrast, predicted diatom silica could only account for 28% of measured BSi in the Lake Michigan core and only 25% in the Lake Superior core. A few large diatoms with a large silica content per cell comprised a major portion of predicted diatom silica in all cores. The discrepancy between chemically measured BSi and the silica predicted from diatoms in the Lake Michigan and Lake Superior cores was partially due to the inability of the regression model, used to estimate diatom silica content, to account for different degrees of silicification in the diatom asemblages from the more dissolved silica rich Lake Michigan and Lake Superior.     

Biogenic silica record in the sediments of Little Round Lake,Ontario

The biogenic silica (BSi) record has been determined in the sediments of Little Round Lake, Ontario in order to review its postglacial development and study the relationship between BSi and diatoms. BSi concentrations in the sediment stratigraphy were found to correspond for the most part to the trophic history of Little Round Lake. Calculation of accumulation rates for BSi improved the correspondence of the BSi profile to the trophic history. Thus, BSi is a valuable paleoindicator when concentration and flux profiles are considered concurrently. Regression analysis of BSi and diatoms revealed that the concentration of BSi in the sediments was not a simple function of diatom numbers or biovolume, but that factors such as a correction for the rate of dissolution and abundance of chrysophycean scales and cysts were also important.     

Diatom preservation: experiments and observations on dissolution and breakage in modern and fossil material

Selected aspects of diatom preservation in both laboratory and field environments are examined with a view to improving techniques and to help understand why only some lake sediments have good diatom preservation.Laboratory measurements of biogenic silica following diatom dissolution by alkali digestion are questioned because results are shown to be dependant on initial sample size. Diatom breakage experiments identified drying carbonate rich sediment as a major cause of fragmentation of the large robust diatom Campylodiscus clypeus Ehrenb. Diatom dissolution experiments in carbonate media indicated that carbonate rich lakes should preserve diatoms better in order of the particular alkali metal type (Ca > Mg > Na). A preliminary assessment of the role of depth in diatom preservation is made for Lake Baikal where partly dissolved Cyclotella are more common in deep water surface sediments. The effect of time on diatom dissolution is examined in a saline lake sediment core and by comparing dissolution rates of recent and geologically old diatom samples in the laboratory. A simple link between diatom dissolution and sample age was not established. Factors thought to be important in controlling diatom preservation in lake sediments are discussed.     

Influence of bacteria and salinity on diatom biogenic silica dissolution in estuarine systems

Dissolution of diatom biogenic silica (bSiO₂) in estuaries and its control by water salinity and bacteria were investigated using the river euryhaline species Cyclotella meneghiniana as a model. Laboratory-controlled bioassays conducted at different salinities with an estuarine bacteria inoculum showed a faster dissolution of diatom bSiO₂ at the lowest salinity where bacteria were the most abundant. However in another experiment, salinity increase clearly enhanced the dissolution of cleaned frustules (organic matter free). The presence of active bacteria might therefore predominate on the effect of salinity for freshly lysed diatoms whereas salinity might rather control dissolution of organic-matter-free frustule remains. Incubation of cultivated diatoms at different protease concentrations revealed that high proteolytic activities had little effect on bSiO₂ dissolution at a 1-month scale in spite of an efficient removal of organic matter from the frustules. Altogether it is hypothesized that bacterial colonization increases bSiO₂ dissolution by creating a microenvironment at the diatom surface with high ectoproteolytic activity but also via the release of metabolic byproducts since the presence of organic matter seems generally to facilitate diatom bSiO₂ dissolution.     

东北镜泊湖硅藻对近现代气候变化和人类干扰的响应过程

全球气候变暖和人类活动加剧已经导致中国大量湖泊生态系统功能退化,而目前对东北地区湖泊生态系统变化的认识主要源于短期的监测。以东北镜泊湖为例,通过沉积记录和现代监测资料,分析一个多世纪以来以硅藻群落为代表的湖泊生态系统对气候波动和区域人类活动的响应过程。研究结果表明,在人类干扰显著加强之前,风力扰动是镜泊湖硅藻群落变化的一个重要因子,表现为Aulacoseira属种取代小型浮游种(Cyclostephanos、Stephanodiscus和Discostella)成为优势种。20世纪70年代以来,Asterionella formosa、Nitzschia palea和Fragilaria crotonensis的相继增加则反映了流域农业活动加剧、农业化肥大量施用以及污水排放导致的湖泊营养水平升高。温度的持续上升已经引起东北地区一些湖泊硅藻群落结构发生显著变化,但镜泊湖的硅藻记录却未显示这一气候变化的信号。考虑湖泊-流域形态和人类活动的不同,研究认为近几十年气候变化对镜泊湖硅藻群落结构的影响被强烈的人类干扰所掩盖而未显现出来。     

Sedimentary diatom assemblages in the northern part of Lake Tanganyika

Surface sediment diatoms from the northern part of Lake Tanganyika were analysed with several ordination and classification techniques. Three sample groups characterized by four diatom assemblages were recognized. The first sample group occurs in a rather shallow area near the delta of the Rusizi River on a coarse-grained sand substrate. The second and most important sample group occurs on the silty bottom of an underwater depression situated off the delta of the Rusizi River in the north-eastern part of Lake Tanganyika; its diatom composition has a great affinity to the Rusizi River diatom population. The third sample group contains all the other samples and covers an area corresponding to the west-, east- and southward continuation of the area of the second group: its diatom composition is also related to the Rusizi River diatom population, but in a less pronounced manner.     

Benthic diatom distribution and grazing by Sarotherodon mossambicus in Lake Sibaya, South Africa

SUMMARY. Distributions of benthic diatoms and benthic floc in Lake Sibaya were examined to determine if preferential grazing by juvenile Sarotherodon mossambicus on benthic detrital aggregate in shallow water maximized diatom concentrations in the diet of the fish. Between 0.1 and 12.0 m depth, the range of diatom densities was 1–60 × 10⁴ cells cm⁻² with high but extremely variable densities above 3 m and consistently low densities at greater depths. Light intensity and burial by wave action appear to be primary factors affecting diatom abundance, but the effect of unidentified factors causing local patchiness is also evident. Substrate stabilization by diatoms was observed between 0.3 and 1.8 m depth. Weight of benthic detrital aggregate generally increased with depth such that diatom concentrations were variable above 3 m but were extremely low in benthic detrital aggregate at greater depths. Comparison of diatom concentrations in fish stomachs and benthic detrital aggregate shows that within the shallow waters, fish do not selectively graze those areas richest in diatoms.     

上海淀山湖2种硅藻植物中国新记录

该文报道了采自上海淀山湖的硅藻门中国新记录植物2种,分别为粗肋小环藻(Cyclotella costei Druart&Straub)和假凸腹鞍形藻[Sellaphora pseudoventralis(Hustedt)Chudaev&Gololobova]。对2个中国新记录种的形态特征、生境和地理分布进行了详细描述,丰富了中国硅藻植物的生物多样性。     

Paleodepth determination from Antarctic benthic diatom assemblages

Analysis of modern surface sediments from fjords in the Vestfold Hills (Antarctica) indicates that 58% of the variation in benthic diatom assemblages can be attributed to changes in environmental parameters with water depth. Attenuation of light through the water column is suggested to account for 45% of the variation, and the decrease in substrate grain size with depth possibly accounts for a further 13%. Cluster analysis and principal component analysis were used to objectively circumscribe five floral zones between the surface and 35 m depth. The depth distribution of the benthic diatoms was then used to interpret the paleodepth of relict fjord (Holocene) sediments exposed around Deep Lake in the Death Valley (Vestfold Hills). Paleodepths measured from the sea-ice bench around Deep Lake combined with data from grain size analysis indicate that the relict fjord sediments have no analogue amongst the modern fjord sediments sampled in the Vestfold Hills. Without a comparable modern habitat on which to model the diatom depth zones, however, this study was unable to accurately determine the paleowater depth at Deep Lake using diatoms. Paleodepth determination will be possible using grain size analysis and diatom data when the substrate and light requirements of benthic diatoms are understood.     

Biogenic silica and phosphorus accumulation in sediments as indices of eutrophication in the Laurentian Great Lakes

Biogenic silica (BSi), total phosphorus (TP), and biologically available phosphorus (AVP) were measured in short cores from Lake Michigan, Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario. Peaks in BSi concentration and peaks in BSi:TP or BSi:AVP ratios provided stratigraphic signals of water column silica (Si) depletion as a response of increased diatom production to P enrichment and decreased diatom production resulting from silica depletion. By contrast the stratigraphic record of P accumulation provided very weak signals of the historical nutrient enrichment in the water column. These results indicate that system P recycling has a higher rate constant than Si recycling and, as a consequence, that relatively small levels of P enrichment can increase diatom production and sedimentation eventually causing Si depletion and Si-limited diatom production in the water mass.     

Lake Ecosystem Responses to Holocene Climate Change at the Subarctic Tree-Line in Northern Sweden

A Holocene sediment sequence from Lake Seukokjaure, a subarctic lake at tree-line in northern Sweden, was analyzed to assess major changes in the structure and functioning of the aquatic ecosystem in response to climate change and tree-line dynamics. The compiled multi-proxy data, including sedimentary pigments, diatoms, chironomids, pollen, biogenic silica (BSi), carbon (C), nitrogen (N) elemental and stable-isotope records, and total lake-water organic carbon (TOC) concentration inferred from near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), suggest that the Holocene development of Lake Seukokjaure was closely coupled to changes in terrestrial vegetation with associated soil development of the catchment, input of allochthonous organic carbon, and changes in the light regime of the lake. A relatively productive state just after deglaciation around 9700 to 7800 cal years BP was followed by a slight long-term decrease in primary production. The onset of the local tree-line retreat around 3200 cal years BP was accompanied by more diverse and altered chironomid and diatom assemblages and indications of destabilized soils in the catchment by an increase in variability and absolute values of δ¹³C. An abrupt drop in the C/N ratio around 1750 cal years BP was coupled to changes in the internal lake structure, in combination with changes in light and nutrient conditions, resulting in a shift in the phototrophic community from diatom dominance to increased influence of chlorophytes, likely dominated by an aquatic moss community. Thus, this study emphasizes the importance of indirect effects of climate change on tree-line lake ecosystems and complex interactions of in-lake processes during the Holocene.     

Historic Trends in Lake Michigan Silica Concentrations

Historic data on soluble silica in the offshore waters of Lake Michigan were compiled and analyzed to determine whether the data supported a decrease in silica concentration which had been hypothesized previously on the basis of other studies. Although the data base was limited and no data were obtained for offshore waters (depths >40 m) prior to 1954, the available data support the conclusion that the silica concentration decreased rapidly after 1954. The thesis is developed that rapid silica depletion occurred in the 15-year period from 1954 to 1969 when the winter maximum concentration decreased from approximately 4.4 to 1.4 mg SiO₂ · 1⁻¹ and the summer minimum decreased from approximately 2.2 to <0.2 mg SiO₂ · 1⁻¹. The decrease in silica concentration is attributed to increased production and sedimentation of diatoms that resulted from increased anthropogenic phosphorus loading. Total phosphorus in offshore waters was probably <10 μg P · 1⁻¹ during the period of rapid silica depletion. The rapid decrease in silica concentration with relatively small phosphorus enrichment demonstrates that the tight coupling of biological and geochemical processes drastically affected the biogeochemistry of silica in a large, aquatic system within a relatively short period of time.     

Diatoms in recent Atlantic (20° S to 70° N latitude) sediments: abundance patterns and what they mean

Valve abundances of marine planktonic, marine benthic and freshwater diatoms in 780 sediment surface samples from the North and Equatorial Atlantic between 20° S 75° W and 70° N 10° E display patterns that do not correspond to published records of primary production in the photic zone. On the contrary, their abundance is more closely related to dissolution and dilution by terrigenous minerogenic and biogenic carbonate material. Highest abundances of marine planktonic diatoms occur in the northern North Atlantic south of Iceland and in the equatorial regions. The central North Atlantic and the central Caribbean, which feature lower primary production in the photic zone, contain few or no diatoms in surface sediments. African derived freshwater diatoms are concentrated in a lobe between 5° S and 20° N latitude decreasing in numbers from the African continent westward.Lars Gronlien died unexpectedly in January 1992.     

Diatom elemental and morphological changes in response to iron limitation: a brief review with potential paleoceanographic applications

Diatoms are a major group of phytoplankton that account for approximately 40% of the ocean carbon fixation and the vast majority of biogenic silica production through the construction of their cell walls (termed frustules). These frustules accumulate and are partially preserved in the ocean sediments. Diatom growth and nutrient utilization in high‐nitrate, low‐chlorophyll regions of the world’s oceans are mostly regulated by iron availability. Diatoms acclimate to iron limitation by decreasing cell size. The associated increase in surface area‐to‐volume ratio and decrease in diffusive boundary layer thickness may improve nutrient uptake kinetics. In parallel, cellular silicon (Si) contents are elevated in iron‐limited diatoms relative to nitrogen (N) and carbon (C). Variations in degree of silicification and nutritional requirements of iron‐limited diatoms have been hypothesized to account for higher cellular Si and/or lower cellular N and C, respectively. However, in some diatoms, frustule silicification does not significantly change when cells are iron‐limited. Instead, changes in the Si‐containing valve surface area relative to volume within these diatoms is hypothesized to be responsible for the variations in the cellular Si : N and Si : C ratios. In particular, some examined iron‐limited pennate diatoms have reduced widths relative to their lengths (i.e. lower length‐normalized widths, LNW) compared to iron‐replete cells. In the pennate diatom Fragilariopsis kerguelensis, the mean LNWs of valves preserved in sediments throughout the Southern Ocean (a well‐characterized iron‐limited region) is positively correlated with satellite‐derived, climatological net primary productivity in the overlying waters. Because of the specific morphological changes in pennate diatom frustules in response to iron availability, the valve morphometerics (e.g. LNWs) can potentially be used as a diagnostic tool for iron‐limited diatom growth and relative changes in the Si : N (and Si : C) ratios in extant diatom assemblages as well as those preserved in the sediments.     

星云湖硅藻群落响应近现代人类活动与气候变化的过程

随着人类活动的增强与全球气候变暖的持续,近年来云南湖泊的生态系统功能持续退化,而目前对云南湖泊生态系统的研究还主要集中于单一环境压力的生态效应。以星云湖为研究对象,通过沉积物记录与现代监测资料,识别在湖泊富营养化、气候变化以及人类强烈干扰下硅藻群落结构响应的过程,并甄别驱动群落变化的主要环境压力及其强度。结果显示随着湖泊生产力水平(如沉积物叶绿素a浓度)的增加,硅藻物种组成发生了明显的变化,主成分分析表明了水体富营养化是驱动群落变化的主要环境因子(r=-0.63,P0.001)。简约模型与方差分解的结果表明近200年来(钻孔长度38cm),湖泊营养水平和水动力是驱动星云湖硅藻群落变化的主要环境因子,分别解释了群落变化的18.8%和2.9%;而1951年以后,湖泊营养水平和温度分别解释了硅藻群落结构变化的31.4%和26.8%。研究结果表明了硅藻群落长期变化的主控因子是湖泊营养水平,而人类活动及气候变化等可以通过改变湖泊水动力及湖水温度来驱动硅藻群落的演替,同时抚仙湖-星云湖的连通性也对硅藻群落的演替产生了一定影响。     

Multiparametric Analyses Reveal the pH-Dependence of Silicon Biomineralization in Diatoms

Diatoms, the major contributors of the global biogenic silica cycle in modern oceans, account for about 40% of global marine primary productivity. They are an important component of the biological pump in the ocean, and their assemblage can be used as useful climate proxies; it is therefore critical to better understand the changes induced by environmental pH on their physiology, silicification capability and morphology. Here, we show that external pH influences cell growth of the ubiquitous diatom Thalassiosira weissflogii, and modifies intracellular silicic acid and biogenic silica contents per cell. Measurements at the single-cell level reveal that extracellular pH modifications lead to intracellular acidosis. To further understand how variations of the acid-base balance affect silicon metabolism and theca formation, we developed novel imaging techniques to measure the dynamics of valve formation. We demonstrate that the kinetics of valve morphogenesis, at least in the early stages, depends on pH. Analytical modeling results suggest that acidic conditions alter the dynamics of the expansion of the vesicles within which silica polymerization occurs, and probably its internal pH. Morphological analysis of valve patterns reveals that acidification also reduces the dimension of the nanometric pores present on the valves, and concurrently overall valve porosity. Variations in the valve silica network seem to be more correlated to the dynamics and the regulation of the morphogenesis process than the silicon incorporation rate. These multiparametric analyses from single-cell to cell-population levels demonstrate that several higher-level processes are sensitive to the acid-base balance in diatoms, and its regulation is a key factor for the control of pattern formation and silicon metabolism.     

A Shift in the Biogenic Silica of Sediment in the Larsen B Continental Shelf,Off the Eastern Antarctic Peninsula,Resulting from Climate Change

In 2002, section B of the Larsen ice shelf, off of the Eastern Antarctic Peninsula, collapsed and created the opportunity to study whether the changes at the sea surface left evidence in the sedimentary record. Biogenic silica is major constituent of Antarctic marine sediment, and its presence in the sediment column is associated with diatom production in the euphotic zone. The abundance of diatom valves and the number of sponge spicules in the biogenic silica was analyzed to determine how the origin of the biogenic silica in the upper layers of the sediment column responded to recent environmental changes. Diatom valves were present only in the upper 2 cm of sediment, which roughly corresponds to the period after the collapse of the ice shelf. In contrast, sponge spicules, a more robust form of biogenic silica, were also found below the upper 2 cm layer of the sediment column. Our results indicate that in this region most of the biogenic silica in the sedimentary record originated from sponge spicules rather than diatoms during the time when the sea surface was covered by the Larsen ice shelf. Since the collapse of the ice shelf, the development of phytoplankton blooms and the consequent influx of diatom debris to the seabed have shifted the biogenic silica record to one dominated by diatom debris, as occurs in most of the Antarctic marine sediment. This shift provides further evidence of the anthropogenic changes to the benthic habitats of the Antarctic and will improve the interpretation of the sedimentary record in Polar Regions where these events occur.     

藏东南巴松错200年沉积过程及其对硅藻记录的影响

青藏高原东南部高寒山区广泛发育冰川湖泊,湖泊沉积过程同时受控于区域气候、流域水文、地质条件及湖泊形态特征。基于放射性210Pb/137Cs和14C定年法,对巴松错沉积物理(粒度、分选系数)和化学指标(TOC、TN、C/N)进行分析,发现18世纪末到19世纪末湖泊沉积过程显著变化,表现为迅速变缓趋势。通过分析区域树轮重建的气候序列(温度、降水及相对湿度)及冰川地貌调查资料,认为气候变化及流域冰川分布位置是影响该湖泊沉积过程的重要因素。小冰期末期冰川前缘靠近湖区,随后温度上升导致冰川融水激增、水动力加强,从而引起湖泊沉积粒度的粗化。随着冰川前缘不断后退,径流输送距离增长、沉积分选变好、粒度细化。此外,该地区活跃的地质活动也可能是湖泊沉积过程明显变化的重要诱因。湖泊沉积硅藻是研究气候环境变化的有力指标。过去200多年巴松错硅藻组合变化不明显(DCCA=0.47 SD),说明该地区气候环境变化未超过其生态阈值。通过与其他沉积指标进行对比分析发现,巴松错硅藻记录受到流域水文和湖泊沉积过程影响,主要表现为外源输入和/或湖岸浅水区来源的底栖属种在湖心沉积物中的相对丰度增加。1770-1901年总体上具有较低的Procruste残差,说明期间沉积硅藻和粒度具有较一致的波动过程,也说明了巴松错沉积硅藻记录对沉积过程的响应较为敏感。藏东南地区很多湖区均受到冰川和地质作用的强烈影响,因此在利用微体古生物手段对该地区湖泊进行气候变化研究时,建议考虑沉积过程的影响并进行多指标对比分析。     

Luminescence properties of a nanoporous freshwater diatom

Freshwater diatom frustules show special optical properties. In this paper we observed luminescence properties of the freshwater diatom Cyclotella meneghiniana. To confirm the morphological properties we present scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images. X‐ray diffraction (XRD) studies were carried out to visualize the structural properties of the frustules, confirming that silica present in diatom frustules crystallizes in an α‐quartz structure. Study of the optical properties of the silica frustules of diatoms using ultra‐violet‐visible (UV‐vis) spectroscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy confirmed that the diatom C. meneghiniana shows luminescence in the blue region of the electromagnetic spectrum when irradiated with UV light. This property of diatoms can be exploited to obtain many applications in day‐to‐day life. Also, using time‐resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy (TRPL) it was confirmed that this species of diatom shows bi‐exponential decay. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Silica fluxes and trapping in two contrasting natural impoundments of the upper Mississippi River

Human activities have altered riverine silica cycling and diminished the supply of silica to the oceans, but few rivers have been intensively monitored to evaluate the magnitude of these changes. In this study we measured dissolved silica (DSi) and amorphous silica (ASi) fluxes into and out of two large, culturally-impacted natural impoundments of the upper Mississippi River, Lakes St. Croix and Pepin, USA. ASi sedimentation rates and sediment–water fluxes of DSi were calculated for each lake, and a mass-balance approach was used to determine in-lake ASi production. ASi from terrestrial phytoliths in the lake sediments was determined to be only partially available to biotic recycling, and in-lake ASi dissolution was small relative to the total silica budgets. The river reaches upstream of the two lakes were found to have abundant DSi, and riverine diatom production was found to contribute significant amounts of ASi to each lake. The average total phosphorus concentration in Lake Pepin is four times that in Lake St. Croix but ASi production in Lake Pepin is only 2.3 times higher than in Lake St. Croix, indicating that diatom growth in Pepin is limited by factors such as turbidity. Lake St. Croix currently traps about 10% of the inflowing total bioavailable silica (TSi_b = DSi + ASi) while Lake Pepin traps closer to 20% of its inflowing TSi_b, clearly demonstrating the importance of silica retention in lakes and reservoirs along the land–ocean continuum.