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.     

Winter anoxic layer in Lake Hibara

The concentration of dissolved oxygen in waters 0.5–0.6 m above the bottom of Lake Hibara, a dimictic lake, was zero in early spring of 1994 and 1997. The concentrations in early spring of 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, and 1998 ranged from 3.75 to 10.1 mg l⁻¹. The depth profiles of water temperature suggest that water had not circulated prior to the sample collections of 1994 and 1997, but it had done so in the cases of the other years, suggesting that winter conditions were well preserved in the former years. On the other hand, the dissolved oxygen in the same strata decreased severely in summer. However, more or less titratable amounts of dissolved oxygen still remained (0.01–0.73 mg l⁻¹) at the final stages of summer stratification from 1992 to 1998. These facts show that a completely anoxic condition is not formed in this lake in summer but is sometimes formed in winter. It is interesting to note that in spite of unfavorable winter conditions for oxygen consumption, i.e., shorter duration and lower water temperature, oxygen is exhausted. These facts suggest that ventilation to the depths is much greater in summer than in winter. Received: March 5, 1999 / Accepted: October 18, 1999     

Community Shift from Phototrophic to Chemotrophic Sulfide Oxidation following Anoxic Holomixis in a Stratified Seawater Lake

Most stratified sulfidic holomictic lakes become oxygenated after annual turnover. In contrast, Lake Rogoznica, on the eastern Adriatic coast, has been observed to undergo a period of water column anoxia after water layer mixing and establishment of holomictic conditions. Although Lake Rogoznica''s chemistry and hydrography have been studied extensively, it is unclear how the microbial communities typically inhabiting the oxic epilimnion and a sulfidic hypolimnion respond to such a drastic shift in redox conditions. We investigated the impact of anoxic holomixis on microbial diversity and microbially mediated sulfur cycling in Lake Rogoznica with an array of culture-independent microbiological methods. Our data suggest a tight coupling between the lake''s chemistry and occurring microorganisms. During stratification, anoxygenic phototrophic sulfur bacteria were dominant at the chemocline and in the hypolimnion. After an anoxic mixing event, the anoxygenic phototrophic sulfur bacteria entirely disappeared, and the homogeneous, anoxic water column was dominated by a bloom of gammaproteobacterial sulfur oxidizers related to the GSO/SUP05 clade. This study is the first report of a community shift from phototrophic to chemotrophic sulfide oxidizers as a response to anoxic holomictic conditions in a seasonally stratified seawater lake.     

Chemical stratification and partial meromixis in reservoirs in Tasmania

During the first summer after impoundment, chemical stratification occurred in four deep, steep-sided reservoirs of the Pieman River Power Development, Tasmania, under the influence of thermal stratification and anoxic hypolimnia caused by decaying vegetation in the flooded river valleys. Marked increases occurred in temperature, conductivity, pH, and in concentrations of dissolved iron, manganese, calcium, magnesium and bicarbonate in the sulphuretted, reducing, waters which accumulated as monimolimnetic pools adjacent to the dams. This partial, incipient meromixis persisted only in Lake Murchison, where a shallow monimolimnetic pool remained three years later. In the other reservoirs of the Pieman scheme it decayed after one or two years. Reservoir morphometry, degree of shelter, nature of major inflows, and alignment with respect to prevailing winds, are primary factors determining the persistence or eventual decay of chemical stratification in the respective impoundments. In Lake Barrington, another meromictic Tasmanian reservoir, the initial chemical gradient decayed and virtually disappeared, but was reestablished with greater severity than on any previous occasion. The severity of partial meromixis may wax and wane in relation to seasonal or longer-term meteorological events.     

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.     

Partitioning of CO2 Incorporation Among Planktonic Microbial Guilds and Estimation of In Situ Specific Growth Rates

Partitioning of CO₂ incorporation into oxygenic phototrophic, anoxygenic phototrophic, and chemolithoautotrophic guilds was determined in a freshwater lake (Lake Cisó, Banyoles, Spain). CO₂ incorporation into the different types of microorganisms was studied at different depths, during diel cycles, and throughout the year. During winter holomixis, the whole lake became anoxic and both the anoxygenic and chemolithoautotrophic guilds were more active at the surface of the lake, whereas the activity of the oxygenic guild was negligible. During stratification, the latter guild was more active in the upper metalimnion, whereas the anoxygenic guild was more active in the lower metalimnion. Specific growth rates and doubling times were estimated for the most conspicuous phototrophic microorganisms. Doubling times for Cryptomonas phaseolus ranged between 0.5 and 192 days, whereas purple sulfur bacteria (Chromatiaceae-like) ranged between 1.5 and 238 days. These growth rates were similar to those calculated with a different approach in previous papers and indicate slow-growing populations with very large biomass. Overall, the annual total CO₂ incorporation in Lake Cisó was 220 g C m⁻². Most of the CO₂ incorporation, however, was due to the chemolithoautotrophic guild (61% during holomixis and 56% during stratification), followed by the anoxygenic phototrophic guild (35 and 19%, respectively) and the oxygenic phototrophs (4 and 25%, respectively), making dark carbon fixation the key process in the autotrophic metabolism of the lake.     

Chemical composition of the sponge Chondrosia reniformis from [2pt] the Canary Islands

Lake Zempoala was studied throughout 16 months in 1996–1997. It is a shallow monomictic lake situated at 2800 masl at the Neovolcanic Belt, well within the Mexican tropical zone. Most of the phytoplankton species in this lake may be characterized as temperate, according to their geographical distribution. A break down in phytoplankton biomass was observed before the lake's circulation, and open to question if a clear-water phase could be present in a tropical lake.     

Limnological characteristics of subtropical Lakes Phewa, Begnas, and Rupa in Pokhara Valley, Nepal

Limnological characteristics were studied and analyzed in the subtropical Lakes Phewa, Begnas, and Rupa of Pokhara Valley, Nepal, from 1993 to 1997. The annual water temperature ranged from 12° to 29°C in all lakes. Lake Phewa and Lake Begnas were monomictic and anoxic in the hypolimnion during thermal stratification from April to September. Dissolved oxygen was drastically depleted in April and/or May in shallow Lake Rupa when the macrophyte community began to decompose. NH₄ ⁺-N accumulated below 5 m during March–September when dissolved oxygen was depleted in Lakes Phewa and Begnas. The PC : PP ratio was higher, but the PC : PN and PN : PP ratios were close to the Redfield ratio (106C : 16N : 1P) in Lakes Phewa and Begnas, denoting that P was limited. Annual net primary production showed that the lakes were productive but will tend to become heterotrophic in the future. The seasonal variation of chlorophyll a concentration was high, but its annual variation was low. Ceratium hirundinella and Peridinium spp. in Lake Phewa, Microcystis aeruginosa and Aulacoseira granulata in Lake Begnas, and Tabellaria fenestra in Lake Rupa were the dominant species. The zooplankton population and species varied irregularly. On the basis of chlorophyll a concentration in the euphotic zone and phytoplankton species composition, the lakes seem to be oligoeutrophic and to have some characteristics of temperate lakes rather than tropical lakes. Received: April 26, 1999 / Accepted: September 20, 1999     

Interactions between calcite precipitation (natural and artificial) and phosphorus cycle in the hardwater lake

The influence of calcite precipitation on the phosphorus cycle in stratified hardwater lake was studied before and during experiments with a new restoration technique. Surveys of the chemical composition of water column and monitoring of settling particles of Lake Luzin (North–East) showed that calcite precipitation occurs each year over 2–3 periods during spring and summer. The change of the phosphorus content influenced the calcite precipitation intensity. The sedimentation fluxes of phorphorus and the calcite precipitation were closely associated. Based on the hypothesis that calcite precipitation acts as an improvement to the trophic state by enhancing the internal phosphorus sink, this new technology for lake restoration was developed. The hypolimnetic Ca(OH)₂ addition during summer stratification in 1996–1997 induced the calcite precipitation in the deep water layer of Basin Carwitz of Lake Schmaler Luzin. The treatment also supported the natural calcite precipitation in the epilimnion. The annual total phosphorus content decreased from 0.46 tons in 1995 to 0.35 tons in 1997. The annual SRP content decreased from 0.02 tons in 1996 to 0.01 tons in 1997 after beginning the artificial calcite precipitation in 1996. The decrease of the annual Chl-a concentration in 1998 on 38% compared with that in 1996 pointed out the lake recovering. According to the one box model, the artificial calcite precipitation affected the P cycle in the lake by suppressing the P release from the sediments.     

Characterization of a small eutrophic Antarctic lake (Otero Lake, Cierva Point) on the basis of algal assemblages and water chemistry

Otero Lake is the main water body of Cierva Point, Danco Coast (SSSI No. 15). During the 1992/1993 and 1994/1995 seasons, abiotic parameters and the structure and dynamics of the phytoplankton were studied. Algal assemblages from the phytoplankton, from algal clumps encased in the lake ice and from the benthic algal felt were compared. Low Jaccard similarity indices between these three assemblages suggest different survival strategies. The higher species richness of phytoplankton when studied during the whole summer also suggests that external propagule inputs can heavily influence the structure of this community. High levels of phosphate, nitrate and ammonium throughout the study periods indicate that they do not limit summer growth of the phytoplankton community. Blooms of Chlamydomonas subcaudata Wille are apparently characteristic. This group of features define Otero Lake as a highly eutrophic water body, in which outflow seems to be the main cause of phytoplankton loss during summer. Received: 23 December 1996 / Accepted: 29 August 1997     

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.     

Pelagic larvae of benthic gastropods from shallow Antarctic waters of Admiralty Bay,King George Island

The occurrence, distribution and summer variation of pelagic larvae of benthic gastropods in the shallow coastal area of Admiralty Bay were determined for the summers of 1993/1994, 1994/1995 and 1996/1997 from plankton samples taken at 15- to 30-m depths in 12 stations. Significant differences were found among years at the end of January and February. Results of Principal Component Analysis showed the inverse relation of high wind speed and abundance of gastropod larvae in the three austral summers sampled, and suggested that environmental conditions prevalent during 1994/1995 and 1995/1997 were similar and differed from those of 1993/1994, which may have influenced the number of larvae observed.     

Phytoplankton-metaphyton seasonal dynamics in a newly-created subtropical wetland lake

The dynamics of the algal populations of Lake Agmon, a newly created shallow lake in the Hula Valley, Israel, were monitored following its filling in April 1994 through 1996. Additional limited field observations and measurements were taken throughout 1997. Following an initial establishment period, the dynamics of the algal populations showed a repetitive annual pattern comprised of three phases: I. a clear water phase in January–February, with low phytoplankton biomass and no metaphyton; II. a metaphyton dominance phase during March–June when mats of filamentous chlorophytes covered most of the lake's sediments while phytoplankton biomass remained low; and III. an intense phytoplankton bloom phase from June till December. The shifts from phase I to II and from phase II to III were gradual, resulting from interplay between phosphorus availability, the underwater light climate, temperature effects and zooplankton grazing pressure. The shift from phase III back to phase I was abrupt, due to winter flushing of Lake Agmon. The summer phytoplankton blooms intensified from 1994 to 1996 and shifted from chlorophyte dominance in 1994 and 1995 to cyanobacteria-dominance in 1996 and 1997. These observations, jointly with the nutrient chemistry of Lake Agmon, suggest intense eutrophication. Criteria based on phytoplankton taxonomy also indicate that Lake Agmon is eutrophic to hypertrophic. Due to the typical unstable nature of hypertrophic systems, careful management is essential to maintain the delicate ecological balance needed to ensure that the lake will fulfill its intended role as a center for eco-tourism.     

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.     

Lake Chisholm,a polyhumic forest lake in Tasmania

Lake Chisholm is a polyhumic, warm monomictic forest lake in western Tasmania. Its large relative depth and sheltering forest result in nine months stratification. The high humic content is a dominant feature, producing a sharp, shallow thermocline, a shallow euphotic depth (< 1 m) and an underwater light climate dominated by red wavelenghts. The hypolimnion is anoxic and sulphide-laden and even in winter circulation is sluggish. For much of the year the lake resembles a biogenically meromictic lake, and though there is only slight chemical enrichment of the hypolimnion there is nonetheless considerable vertical structure in the water column. Chromophyte flagellates are the dominant algae, a few species often forming monospecific blooms in a sporadic manner. Lake Chisholm is seen as an oceanic, mid-latitude counterpoint to dimictic, polyhumic, flagellate haunts in Scandinavia.     

The Morphometry of Lake Palmas,a Deep Natural Lake in Brazil

Lake Palmas (A = 10.3km²) is located in the Lower Doce River Valley (LDRV), on the southeastern coast of Brazil. The Lake District of the LDRV includes 90 lakes, whose basic geomorphology is associated with the alluvial valleys of the Barreiras Formation (Cenozoic, Neogene) and with the Holocene coastal plain. This study aimed to investigate the relationship of morphometry and thermal pattern of a LDRV deep lake, Lake Palmas. A bathymetric survey carried out in 2011 and the analysis of hydrographic and wind data with a geographic information system allowed the calculation of several metrics of lake morphometry. The vertical profiling of physical and chemical variables in the water column during the wet/warm and dry/mild cold seasons of 2011 to 2013 has furnished a better understanding of the influence of the lake morphometry on its structure and function. The overdeepened basin has a subrectangular elongated shape and is aligned in a NW-SE direction in an alluvial valley with a maximum depth (Z_max) of 50.7m, a volume of 2.2×10⁸ m³ (0.22km³) and a mean depth (Z_mv) of 21.4m. These metrics suggest Lake Palmas as the deepest natural lake in Brazil. Water column profiling has indicated strong physical and chemical stratification during the wet/warm season, with a hypoxic/anoxic layer occupying one-half of the lake volume. The warm monomictic pattern of Lake Palmas, which is in an accordance to deep tropical lakes, is determined by water column mixing during the dry and mild cold season, especially under the influence of a high effective fetch associated with the incidence of cold fronts. Lake Palmas has a very long theoretical retention time, with a mean of 19.4 years. The changes observed in the hydrological flows of the tributary rivers may disturb the ecological resilience of Lake Palmas.     

Studies on ciliated protozoa in eutrophic lakes: 1. Seasonal distribution in relation to thermal stratification and hypolimnetic anoxia

An investigation into the spatial and temporal distribution of ciliate populations in a small monomictic eutrophic lake was carried out over a one-year period. A community of large cilates dominated by Loxodes striatus, L. magnus, Spirostomum teres and Frontonia leucas occurred in the deep water sediments during the period of winter mixis. These cilates vacated the sediment during summer stratification, progressively colonising the hypolimnion in phase with the upwards spread of anoxic conditions, returning once more to the sediment following destratification. The possible significance of this ciliate community is discussed.     

Distribution and diversity of archaea corresponding to the limnological cycle of a hypersaline stratified lake (Solar lake, Sinai, Egypt)

The vertical and seasonal distribution and diversity of archaeal sequences was investigated in a hypersaline, stratified, monomictic lake, Solar Lake, Sinai, Egypt, during the limnological development of stratification and mixing. Archaeal sequences were studied via phylogenetic analysis of 16S rDNA sequences as well as denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis. The 165 clones studied were grouped into four phylogenetically different clusters. Most of the clones isolated from both the aerobic epilimnion and the sulfide-rich hypolimnion were defined as cluster I, belonging to the Halobacteriaceae family. The three additional clusters were all isolated from the anaerobic hypolimnion. Cluster II is phylogenetically located between the genera Methanobacterium and Methanococcus. Clusters III and IV relate to two previously documented groups of uncultured euryarchaeota, remotely related to the genus Thermoplasma. No crenarchaeota were found in the water column of the Solar Lake. The archaeal community in the Solar Lake under both stratified and mixed conditions was dominated by halobacteria in salinities higher than 10%. During stratification, additional clusters, some of which may possibly relate to uncultured halophilic methanogens, were found in the sulfide- and methane-rich hypolimnion.     

Thermal,chemical, and optical properties of Crater Lake,Oregon

Crater Lake covers the floor of the Mount Mazama caldera that formed 7700 years ago. The lake has a surface area of 53 km² and a maximum depth of 594 m. There is no outlet stream and surface inflow is limited to small streams and springs. Owing to its great volume and heat, the lake is not covered by snow and ice in winter unlike other lakes in the Cascade Range. The lake is isothermal in winter except for a slight increase in temperature in the deep lake from hyperadiabatic processes and inflow of hydrothermal fluids. During winter and spring the water column mixes to a depth of about 200–250 m from wind energy and convection. Circulation of the deep lake occurs periodically in winter and spring when cold, near-surface waters sink to the lake bottom; a process that results in the upwelling of nutrients, especially nitrate-N, into the upper strata of the lake. Thermal stratification occurs in late summer and fall. The maximum thickness of the epilimnion is about 20 m and the metalimnion extends to a depth of about 100 m. Thus, most of the lake volume is a cold hypolimnion. The year-round near-bottom temperature is about 3.5°C. Overall, hydrothermal fluids define and temporally maintain the basic water quality characteristics of the lake (e.g., pH, alkalinity and conductivity). Total phosphorus and orthophosphate-P concentrations are fairly uniform throughout the water column, where as total Kjeldahl-N and ammonia-N are highest in concentration in the upper lake. Concentrations of nitrate-N increase with depth below 200 m. No long-term changes in water quality have been detected. Secchi disk (20-cm) clarity varied seasonally and annually, but was typically highest in June and lowest in August. During the current study, August Secchi disk clarity readings averaged about 30 m. The maximum individual clarity reading was 41.5 m in June 1997. The lowest reading was 18.1 m in July 1995. From 1896 (white-dinner plate) to 2003, the average August Secchi disk reading was about 30 m. No long-term changes in the Secchi disk clarity were observed. Average turbidity of the water column (2–550 m) between June and September from 1991 to 2000 as measured by a transmissometer ranged between 88.8% and 90.7%. The depth of 1% of the incident solar radiation during thermal stratification varied annually between 80 m and 100 m. Both of these measurements provided additional evidence about the exceptional clarity of Crater Lake.     

Long-term observations of deepwater renewal in Crater Lake,Oregon

We examine observations of key limnological properties (primarily temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen), measured over a 14-year period in Crater Lake, Oregon, and discuss variability in the hypolimnion on time scales of days to a decade. During some years (e.g., 1994–1995), higher-than-average wintertime deep convection and ventilation led to the removal of significant amounts of heat and salt from the hypolimnion, while dissolved oxygen concentrations increase. In other years, such as the winter of 1996–1997, heat and salt concentrations increase throughout the year and dissolved oxygen levels drop, indicating conditions were dominated by the background geothermal inputs and dissolved oxygen consumption by bacteria (i.e., minimal deep convection). Over the entire 14 year period, no statistically significant trend was observed in the annual hypolimnetic heat and salt content. Measurements from several thermistors moored in the hypolimnion provide new insight into the time and space scales of the deep convection events. For some events, cool water intrusions are observed sequentially, from shallower depths to deeper depths, suggesting vertical mixing or advection from above. For other events, the cooling is observed first at the deepest sensors, suggesting a thin, cold water pulse that flows along the bottom and mixes more slowly upwards into the basin. In both cases, the source waters must originate from the epilimnion. Conditions during a strong ventilation year (1994–1995) and a weak ventilation year (1996–1997) were compared. The results suggest the major difference between these 2 years was the evolution of the stratification in the epilimnion during the first few weeks of reverse stratification such that thermobaric instabilities were easier to form during 1995 than␣1997. Thus, the details of surface cooling and wind-driven mixing during the early stages of␣reverse stratification may determine the net␣amount of ventilation possible during a particular year.