用镶嵌组合植物群落控制湖泊饮用水源区藻类及氮污染

依据湖泊中不同生态类型水生高等植物的微生境特点,设计建造了由漂浮、浮叶、沉水植物为优势种的斑块小群丛构成的镶嵌组合水生植物群落（ＭｏｓａｉｃＣｏｍｍｕｎｉｔｙｏｆＭａｃｒｏｐｈｙｔｅｓ：ＭＣＭ）,并在太湖五里湖一湖湾内以动态模拟试验,从群落水平研究了水生高等植物群落对富营养化湖泊饮用水源区湖水的净化能力。结果表明,富营养化湖水经ＭＣＭ净化后,藻类生物量（以Ｃｈｌａ计）下降５７７％,藻类数量下降２～３个数量级,氨氮下降６６７％,总氮下降６００％,水质得到明显改善。与以该湖湾湖水为水源的水厂出水相比,经ＭＣＭ净化的湖水其氨氮比水厂出水的氨氮平均低４５１％,总氮低３７３％,可见经ＭＣＭ净化的湖水部分指标优于同源的自来水。综合群落的微生境特征及水生高等植物群落内硝化反硝化细菌分布特点,探讨了ＭＣＭ的除氮机理。     

Fertile sediment and ammonium enrichment decrease the growth and biomechanical strength of submersed macrophyte Myriophyllum spicatum in an experiment

Decline of submersed macrophytes has occurred in eutrophic lakes worldwide. Little is known about effects of nutrient enrichment on biomechanical properties of submersed macrophytes. In a 30-day experiment, Myriophyllum spicatum was cultured in aquaria containing two types of sediment (mesotrophic clay vs. fertile loam) with contrasting water NH₄ ⁺ concentrations (0 vs. 3.0 mg L^?1 NH₄–N). The plant growth, shoot and root morphology, stem biomechanical properties, and stem total nonstructure carbohydrates content (TNC) were examined. The NH₄ ⁺-enriched water, particularly combined with the fertile sediment, caused adverse effects on M. spicatum as indicated by reductions in the growth, stem biomechanical properties (tensile force, bending force and structural stiffness), and TNC content. These results indicate that increased sediment fertility and water NH₄ ⁺-enrichment made the plant more fragile and vulnerable to hydraulic damage, particularly for the upper stem, implying that M. spicatum was prone to uprooting and fracture by hydraulic force, and the broken fragment from parent shoot of M. spicatum might have low-survival potential due to its low-TNC content. This may be a mechanical aspect for the decline of submersed macrophytes and makes it more difficult to restore submersed vegetation in the eutrophic lakes.     

Bimodality in stable isotope composition facilitates the tracing of carbon transfer from macrophytes to higher trophic levels

Even though the suitability of macrophytes to act as a carbon source to food webs has been questioned by some studies, some others indicate that macrophyte-derived carbon may play an important role in the trophic transfer of organic matter in the food web of shallow lakes. To evaluate the importance of macrophytes to food webs, we collected primary producers—macrophytes and periphyton—and consumers from 19 South American shallow lakes and analyzed their carbon stable isotopes composition (δ¹³C). Despite the diversity of inorganic carbon sources available in our study lakes, the macrophytes’ δ¹³C signatures showed a clear bimodal distribution: ¹³C-depleted and ¹³C-enriched, averaging at ?27.2 and ?13.5‰, respectively. We argue that the use of either CO₂ or HCO₃ ^? by the macrophytes largely caused the bimodal pattern in δ¹³C signals. The contribution of carbon from macrophytes to the lake’s food webs was not straightforward in most of the lakes because the macrophytes’ isotopic composition was quite similar to the isotopic composition of periphyton, phytoplankton, and terrestrial carbon. However, in some lakes where the macrophytes had a distinct isotopic signature, our data suggest that macrophytes can represent an important carbon source to shallow lake food webs.     

Plant community structure determines primary productivity in shallow,eutrophic lakes

相似文献   

Ecological Significance of Nitrogen Cycling by Tubificid Communities in Shallow Eutrophic Lakes of the Danube Delta

Importance of tubificid populations on nitrogen cycle in two categories of shallow eutrophic lakes in the Danube Delta was quantitatively assessed for the 1992-1993 period. The structure of the primary producers in the studied lakes was used to discriminate between the two categories:(i) lakes dominated by macrophytes (A₁) and (ii) lakes dominated by phytoplankton (A₂). In both categories tubificid worms represented important fraction of the entire benthic community (35 and 32%, respectively, as number of individuals). They influence the sediment-water exchange of nutrients. The main processes involved are excretion of nutrients and their continuous release from sediments by molecular diffusion or through channels created by bioturbation. Inorganic nitrogen released from bottom sediments may regulate nitrogen load in the water body and thus, phytoplankton production. In 1992-1993, nitrogen stocks in tubificid biomass accounted for 5.3% in A₁ lakes and 15.6% in A₂ lakes of the amount stocked in phytoplankton, and only for 1.2 and 2.9% respectively, of the nitrogen load in water body. Nitrogen excretion rates ranged between 60.52 and 153.74 mg N m^–2 year^–1, and release rates from sediments between 378.26 and 960.87 mg N m^–2 year^–1, the lowest values being recorded for A₂ category. Differences are related to tubificid biomass, structure and abundance of primary producers and to nutrient load in different ecosystems. Ratios between release rate of inorganic nitrogen by tubificid worms and sedimentation rate of organic nitrogen in the two categories of lakes were 8.3 and 6.4% respectively. Contribution of nitrogen released daily from sediments to the dissolved inorganic nitrogen load in the water column was less than 0.5%. However, in A₁ and A₂ lakes, the released nitrogen had a potential to sustain 24.74 and 8.01%, respectively, of the annual phytoplankton production. These values suggest the significance of tubificids in keeping the eutrophication process at a high level, especially during the periods when nitrogen is the main limiting factor for phytoplankton production.     

Lake responses to reduced nutrient loading – an analysis of contemporary long-term data from 35 case studies

1. This synthesis examines 35 long‐term (5–35 years, mean: 16 years) lake re‐oligotrophication studies. It covers lakes ranging from shallow (mean depth <5 m and/or polymictic) to deep (mean depth up to 177 m), oligotrophic to hypertrophic (summer mean total phosphorus concentration from 7.5 to 3500 μg L^?1 before loading reduction), subtropical to temperate (latitude: 28–65°), and lowland to upland (altitude: 0–481 m). Shallow north‐temperate lakes were most abundant. 2. Reduction of external total phosphorus (TP) loading resulted in lower in‐lake TP concentration, lower chlorophyll a (chl a) concentration and higher Secchi depth in most lakes. Internal loading delayed the recovery, but in most lakes a new equilibrium for TP was reached after 10–15 years, which was only marginally influenced by the hydraulic retention time of the lakes. With decreasing TP concentration, the concentration of soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) also declined substantially. 3. Decreases (if any) in total nitrogen (TN) loading were lower than for TP in most lakes. As a result, the TN : TP ratio in lake water increased in 80% of the lakes. In lakes where the TN loading was reduced, the annual mean in‐lake TN concentration responded rapidly. Concentrations largely followed predictions derived from an empirical model developed earlier for Danish lakes, which includes external TN loading, hydraulic retention time and mean depth as explanatory variables. 4. Phytoplankton clearly responded to reduced nutrient loading, mainly reflecting declining TP concentrations. Declines in phytoplankton biomass were accompanied by shifts in community structure. In deep lakes, chrysophytes and dinophytes assumed greater importance at the expense of cyanobacteria. Diatoms, cryptophytes and chrysophytes became more dominant in shallow lakes, while no significant change was seen for cyanobacteria. 5. The observed declines in phytoplankton biomass and chl a may have been further augmented by enhanced zooplankton grazing, as indicated by increases in the zooplankton : phytoplankton biomass ratio and declines in the chl a : TP ratio at a summer mean TP concentration of <100–150 μg L^?1. This effect was strongest in shallow lakes. This implies potentially higher rates of zooplankton grazing and may be ascribed to the observed large changes in fish community structure and biomass with decreasing TP contribution. In 82% of the lakes for which data on fish are available, fish biomass declined with TP. The percentage of piscivores increased in 80% of those lakes and often a shift occurred towards dominance by fish species characteristic of less eutrophic waters. 6. Data on macrophytes were available only for a small subsample of lakes. In several of those lakes, abundance, coverage, plant volume inhabited or depth distribution of submerged macrophytes increased during oligotrophication, but in others no changes were observed despite greater water clarity. 7. Recovery of lakes after nutrient loading reduction may be confounded by concomitant environmental changes such as global warming. However, effects of global change are likely to run counter to reductions in nutrient loading rather than reinforcing re‐oligotrophication.     

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.     

Zooplankton Seasonal Abundance of South AmericanSaline Shallow Lakes

The central provinces of Argentina are characterized by the presence of a high number of shallow lakes, located in endorheic basins, many of which have elevated salinities as well as eutrophic or hypereutrophic condition. The zooplankton of four saline shallow lakes of the province of La Pampa was studied on a monthly basis during a 2‐year period to determine its temporal and spatial variation. The surface of these shallow lakes (<2.5 m depth) varied between 56.8 and 215.9 ha, and some have from 8.4 to 20.8 g · l^–1. The more saline lakes have “clear” water and the less saline lakes “turbid” water. Fishes, Jenynsia multidentata , were present in only two lakes during the last two months of the studied period. The zooplankton was composed of 17 taxa of Rotifera, 5 taxa of Cladocera and 4 taxa of Copepoda. The low diversity and the faunistic composition are characteristic of saline environments. Although the studied lakes share 38% of the species, the faunistic similarity was higher between the two least saline lakes. The lowest diversity was found in the two most saline lakes. All four shallow lakes were characterized by their very high zooplankton density, especially in the least saline lakes (<80000 ind · l^–1). The abundance is significantly correlated with the water transparency but not with salinity. The zooplankton temporal variation was characterized by the alternation of macro‐ and microzooplankton, probably regulated by competition and intrazooplanktonic predation. In each lake, the spatial abundance distribution of the macro‐ and microzooplankton was homogeneous. It was related to the shallow depht of the lakes and their polymictic condition. The Scheffer model on alternative states in shallow lakes acknowledges that it cannot be applied to saline lakes because Daphnia , the main responsible for the clear water state, is not tolerant to high salinity. Our study shows that the most saline lakes, where the halophylic Daphnia menucoensis is abundant, have also the most clear waters. Another difference that we found with regards to the mentioned model is that, in turbid lakes, it could not have had a top‐down control on macrozooplankton exerted by fishes because in these lakes fishes were practically absent. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Fish manipulation as a lake restoration tool in shallow,eutrophic, temperate lakes 2: threshold levels,long-term stability and conclusions

In order to evaluate short-term and long-term effects of fish manipulation in shallow, eutrophic lakes, empirical studies on relationships between lake water concentration of total phosphorus (P) and the occurrence of phytoplankton, submerged macrophytes and fish in Danish lakes are combined with results from three whole-lake fish manipulation experiments. After removal of less than 80 per cent of the planktivorous fish stock a short-term trophic cascade was obtained in the nutrient regimes, where large cyanobacteria were not strongly dominant and persistent. In shallow Danish lakes cyanobacteria were the most often dominating phytoplankton class in the P-range between 200 and 1 000μg P l⁻¹. Long-term effects are suggested to be closely related to the ability of the lake to establish a permanent and wide distribution of submerged macrophytes and to create self-perpetuating increases in the ratio of piscivorous to planktivorous fish. The maximum depth at which submerged macrophytes occurred, decreased exponentially with increasing P concentration. Submerged macrophytes were absent in lakes>10 ha and with P levels above 250–300μg P l⁻¹, but still abundant in some lakes<3 ha at 650μg P l⁻¹. Lakes with high cover of submerged macrophytes showed higher transparencies than lakes with low cover aboveca. 50μg P l⁻¹. These results support the alternative stable state hypothesis (clear or turbid water stages). Planktivorous fish>10 cm numerically contributed more than 80 per cent of the total planktivorous and piscivorous fish (>10 cm) in the pelagical of lakes with concentrations above 100μg P l⁻¹. Below this threshold level the proportion of planktivores decreased markedly toca. 50 per cent at 22μg P l⁻¹. The extent of the shift in depth colonization of submerged macrophytes and fish stock composition in the three whole-lake fish manipulations follows closely the predictions from the relationships derived from the empirical study. We conclude that a long-term effect of a reduction in the density of planktivorous fish can be expected only when the external phosphorus loading is reduced to below 0.5–2.0 g m⁻² y⁻¹. This loading is equivalent to an in-lake summer concentration below 80–150μg P l⁻¹. Furthermore, fish manipulation as a restoration tool seems most efficient in shallow lakes.     

Growth and nutrient absorption of two submerged aquatic macrophytes in mesocosms, for reinsertion in a eutrophicated shallow lake

Aquatic macrophytes play a central role in preserving the ecological equilibrium of shallow lakes and in the restoration of eutrophic lakes that have switched to phytoplankton-dominated turbid water. Massaciuccoli Lake, a shallow lake located along the Tuscan coast in Italy, has shown a constant and progressive simplification of the submerged plant community, for anthropogenic reasons, leading, in recent years, to turbid water. The growth and nutrient absorption capability of two macrophyte species, Myriophyllum verticillatum L. and Elodea canadensis Michaux, in the lake was investigated, with the prospect of a future lake restoration programme centred on their replacement. Mesocosm experiments were conducted to monitor the plant growth and nutrient (NO₂⁻, NO₃⁻, NH₄⁺, Ntot, PO₄³⁻, Ptot) content in the plant dry matter and water at the beginning and at the end of the trial. Bacterial activity was analysed in the water in order to verify the possible nutrient absorption contribution by organisms other than plants. Both M. verticillatum and E. canadensis showed satisfactory growth and nutrient reduction in the water body. Moreover, their different growth patterns suggested that optimal replacement can be performed with their introduction in two steps, starting with M. verticillatum, which shows the best capacity to colonise the aquatic environment, due to its tendency towards lengthening.     

Long- and short-term dynamics of submerged macrophytes in two shallow eutrophk lakes

1. Periods with clear water and abundant submerged vegetation have alternated with periods of turbid water and sparse vegetation during recent decades in Lake Tåkern and Lake Krankesjön, two shallow, calcium-rich, moderately eutrophic lakes in southern Sweden, Between 1983 and 1991, submerged vegetation (predominant species: Chara tomentosa, Nitellopsis obtusa, Myriophyllum spicatum) covered about 50% of the open lake area in Lake Tåkern. In Lake Krankesjön, submerged vegetation was sparse during 1983–84, but increased continuously in the following years and covered about 50% of the open lake area by 1990 and 1991. Potamogeton pectinatus was the first species to expand in Lake Krankesjön, but was later replaced by C. tomentosa. 2. During 1983–84, turbidity was high in Lake Krankesjön, which indicated that submerged macrophytes were light-limited. During 1986–91, there was a negative correlation between the areal coverage of charophytes and angiosperms, indicating that competition for space had become an important limiting factor. The same negative correlation was found in Lake Tåkern for 1983–91. 3. Charophytes had much higher biomass per unit area than angiosperms in both lakes and reduced water movement considerably. This was probably one reason for the increase of water transparency in Lake Krankesjön during the spatial expansion of these plants. Charophytes also stored large amounts of phosphorus and nitrogen, Charophytes are probably superior competitors for both space and nutrients and thus have competitive advantage over angiosperms in this lake type. 4. In Lake Krankesjön, both P. pectinatus and C. tomentosa were negatively affected by high water level during the growing period. Total disappearance of submerged vegetation occurred in both lakes after catastrophic events (dry-out during summer or mechanical damage by ice) caused by extremely low water level. Changes in water level are thus one of the most important reasons for among-year fluctuations in areal coverage of submerged macrophytes in these lakes.     

Long-term pattern of alternative stable states in two shallow eutrophic lakes

• 1 Lake Tåkern and Lake Krankesjön, two moderately eutrophic, shallow lakes in southern Sweden, have during the past few decades shifted several times between a clear-water state with abundant submerged vegetation and a turbid state with high phytoplankton densities.
• 2 Between 1985 and 1991, Lake Takern was in a clear state, whereas Lake Krankesjon shifted from a turbid to a clear state. During this shift, the area covered by submerged macrophytes expanded, followed by an increase in water transparency, plant-associated macroinvertebrates, and piscivorous fish. Nutrient concentrations, phytoplankton biomass and abundance of planktonic cladocerans decreased.
• 3 In both lakes, water level fluctuations were the most common factor causing shifts, affecting submerged macrophytes either through changes in light availability or through catastrophic events such as dry-out or mechanical damage by ice movement.
• 4 Our data give further support for the existence of two alternative stable states in shallow lakes maintained by self-stabilizing feedback mechanisms.

     

Submerged macrophytes as indicators of the ecological quality of lakes

1. We analysed submerged macrophyte communities from 300 Danish lakes to determine the efficacy of different species, maximum colonisation depth (C_max) of plants as well as coverage and plant volume inhabited (PVI) as indicators of eutrophication. 2. Most species occurred at a wide range of phosphorus and chlorophyll a (Chla) concentrations, but some species of isoetids (Lobelia, Isoëtes) and Potamogeton (Potamogeton gramineus, Potamogeton alpinus and Potamogeton filiformis) were mainly found at low nutrient concentrations and hence may be considered as indicators of nutrient poor conditions. However, species typically found in nutrient‐rich conditions, such as Elodea canadensis and Potamogeton pectinatus, were also found at total phosphorus (TP) <0.02 mg P L^?1 and Chla <5 μg L^?1 and therefore cannot be considered as reliable indicators of eutrophic conditions. 3. Submerged macrophyte coverage, PVI and the C_max were negatively correlated with TP and Chla. However, variability among lakes was high and no clear thresholds were observed. At TP between 0.03 and 0.07 mg P L^?1 plant coverage in shallow lakes ranged from nearly 0 to 100%, whilst at concentrations between 0.10 and 0.20 mg P L^?1 only 29% of the lakes had coverage >10%. C_max was found to be a useful indicator only in deep lakes with unvegetated areas in the deeper part, whereas the use of coverage was restricted to shallow lakes or shallow areas of deep lakes. 4. Overall, submerged macrophytes responded clearly to eutrophication, but the metrics investigated here showed no well‐defined thresholds. We developed a simple index based on species richness, presence of indicator species, coverage and C_max, which might be used to track major changes in macrophyte communities and for lake classification.     

Impact of fish predation on cladoceran body weight distribution and zooplankton grazing in lakes during winter

1. It is well accepted that fish, if abundant, can have a major impact on the zooplankton community structure during summer, which, particularly in eutrophic lakes, may cascade to phytoplankton and ultimately influence water clarity. Fish predation affects mean size of cladocerans and the zooplankton grazing pressure on phytoplankton. Little is, however, known about the role of fish during winter. 2. We analysed data from 34 lakes studied for 8–9 years divided into three seasons: summer, autumn/spring and winter, and four lake classes: all lakes, shallow lakes without submerged plants, shallow lakes with submerged plants and deep lakes. We recorded how body weight of Daphnia and then cladocerans varied among the three seasons. For all lake types there was a significant positive correlation in the mean body weight of Daphnia and all cladocerans between the different seasons, and only in lakes with macrophytes did the slope differ significantly from one (winter versus summer for Daphnia). 3. These results suggest that the fish predation pressure during autumn/spring and winter is as high as during summer, and maybe even higher during winter in macrophyte‐rich lakes. It could be argued that the winter zooplankton community structure resembles that of the summer community because of low specimen turnover during winter mediated by low fecundity, which, in turn, reflects food shortage, low temperatures and low winter hatching from resting eggs. However, we found frequent major changes in mean body weight of Daphnia and cladocerans in three fish‐biomanipulated lakes during the winter season. 4. The seasonal pattern of zooplankton : phytoplankton biomass ratio showed no correlation between summer and winter for shallow lakes with abundant vegetation or for deep lakes. For the shallow lakes, the ratio was substantially higher during summer than in winter and autumn/spring, suggesting a higher zooplankton grazing potential during summer, while the ratio was often higher in winter in deep lakes. Direct and indirect effects of macrophytes, and internal P loading and mixing, all varying over the season, might weaken the fish signal on this ratio. 5. Overall, our data indicate that release of fish predation may have strong cascading effects on zooplankton grazing on phytoplankton and water clarity in temperate, coastal situated eutrophic lakes, not only during summer but also during winter.     

Surface sediment diatom assemblages and epilimnetic total phosphorus in large, shallow lakes of the Yangtze floodplain: their relationships and implications for assessing long-term eutrophication

1. The Yangtze floodplain (SE China) is characterized by a number of large shallow lakes, many of which have undergone eutrophication due to the intensification of agriculture and urban growth over recent decades. As monitoring data are limited and in order to determine lake baseline nutrient concentrations, 49 lakes were sampled, covering a total phosphorus (TP) gradient (c. 30–550 μg L⁻¹) to develop a diatom-based inference model. 2. There are three dominant diatom assemblages in these shallow lakes with a marked change in assemblage structure near the boundary between eutrophic and hypereutrophic nutrient levels (as indicated by their TP value). Canonical correspondence analysis indicated that TP was the most important and significant variable in explaining the diatom distributions, independently accounting for 9.5% variance of diatoms. 3. Forty-three lakes were used to generate a transfer function using weighted averaging (WA) with inverse deshrinking. This model had low predictive error (root mean squared error of prediction; RMSEP_jack = 0.12) and a high coefficient of prediction (R²_jack = 0.82), comparable with regional TP models elsewhere. The good performance of this TP model may reflect the low abundance of benthic diatom species which are commonly regarded as the main error source in European shallow lake WA models. 4. The WA model was used to reconstruct the past-TP concentrations for Taibai Lake, a shallow hypereutrophic lake in Hubei province. The results showed that TP concentration varied slightly (43–62 μg L⁻¹) prior to the 1920s, indicating an eutrophic state since the 1800s. A period of sustained eutrophication occurred after 1950, because of the development of agriculture, reflecting by maximum values of Aulacoseira alpigena and increased abundance of Cyclotella meneghiniana, C. atomus and Cyclostephanos dubius. The steep increase in nutrient concentration after 1970 was related to the overuse of chemical fertilizer and fish farming in the catchment. 5. The shift in fossil diatoms from epiphytic to planktonic forms in the lake sediment core during 1950–70 provides useful information on the transformation from macrophyte-dominated to alga-dominated states. It is plausible that the TP concentration of 80–110 μg L⁻¹ observed in this study is the critical range for switching between the two stable states in the lake. 6. The regional diatom-TP model developed in this study allows, therefore, the possibility of reconstructing historical background nutrient concentrations in lakes. It will provide an indication of the onset and development of eutrophication at any site. This is particularly important for the many lakes in the Yangtze floodplain where information about historical changes in water quality is lacking.     

Microbial decomposition of organic matter in the bottom sediments of small lakes of the urban landscape (Lithuania)

Bacterial abundance and the rates of sulfate reduction (SR) and total organic matter decomposition (D_total) were studied in the bottom sediments of nine lakes in the vicinity of Vilnius (Lithuania) during the ice-free seasons of 2006–2009. During the spring mixing of the water, aerobic processes of organic matter decomposition prevailed in the bottom sediments of most lakes, while anaerobic processes predominated (up to 80–90% D_total) in summer and early autumn. SR rates in the bottom sediments made up 0.16–2.6 and 0.09–2.0 mg S^2?/(dm³ day) for the medium-depth and shallow lakes, respectively. The highest numbers of sulfate-reducing bacteria (up to 10⁶ cells/cm³) and SR rates were observed in summer. SR rate in mediumdepth lakes increased with development of anaerobic conditions at the bottom and elevated sulfate concentrations (up to 96.0 mg/dm³). In shallow lakes, where O₂ concentration at the bottom was at least 6.7 mg/L, SR rates increased with temperature and inflow of fresh organic matter, especially during cyanobacterial blooms. The average SR rates in the bottom sediments of the lakes of urbanized areas were 4 times higher than in the shallow lakes of protected areas. Accumulation of organic matter and its intensive decomposition during summer may enhance the processes of secondary eutrophication of these small and shallow lakes.     

Differences in food webs and trophic states of Brazilian tropical humid and semi-arid shallow lakes: implications of climate change

Global warming may intensify eutrophication of shallow lakes by affecting nutrient loading, evaporation rates, and water level and thus produce major changes in food webs. We investigated to what degree food webs in tropical humid lakes differed from those in more eutrophic semi-arid lakes of the same latitude. Our results indicate that the catchment area-to-lake area ratio, nutrients, chlorophyll a, suspended solids, abundances of phytoplankton, zooplankton, and omnivorous fish as well as total fish catch per unit effort were all higher in the semi-arid lakes, whereas inlet water-to-evaporation ratio (proxy for water balance), water transparency, percentage macrophytes cover, and the piscivores:omnivores ratio were higher in the humid lakes. Our results suggest that reduced inlet water-to-evaporation ratio will increase lake eutrophication, which, in turn, as in temperate regions, will alter trophic structure of the freshwater community.

     

Seasonal Changes in Chlorophyll-containing Picoplankton Populations of Ten Lakes in Northern England

Key features of photosynthetic picoplankton populations were compared during 1988 in ten lakes in northern England ranging from oligotrophic to slightly eutrophic; two of the three eutrophic lakes were shallow and lacked a thermocline. Measurements were made at 0.5 m depth of temperature, total chlorophyll a, chlorophyll-containing picoplankton cell density, mean picoplankton cell volume and percentage of phycoerythrin-rich cells in the total picoplankton population. All lakes showed maxima for total chlorophyll concentration and picoplankton cell density in mid- to late summer. The maximum value for picoplankton density ranged from 3.4 × 10³ (Esthwaite Water) to 1.3 × 10⁶ cells ml⁻¹ (Ennerdale Water). There was a significant negative relationship (p < 0.05) between log₁₀ of maximum picoplankton cell density and maximum total chlorophyll, the latter being taken as an indicator of lake trophic status. The ratio of maximum to minimum picoplankton density during the year in a particular lake ranged from 39 to 2360 and showed no obvious relationship to lake type. Overall, the seasonal range in picoplankton density was about one order of magnitude greater than the range in total chlorophyll a, but there were considerable differences between lakes. Phycoerythrin-rich picoplankton as a percentage of total picoplankton reached a maximum in summer in all lakes. Values were always very low (<5%) in the two shallow eutrophic lakes, but reached 97% and over in the four most oligotrophic lakes. In two of the oligotrophic lakes, Wast-water and Ennerdale Water, phycoerythrin-rich picoplankton was a major component of the summer phytoplankton biomass.     

Functional groups of phytoplankton shaping diversity of shallow lake ecosystems

Phytoplankton of eutrophic shallow lakes are frequently dominated by one species or species of the same functional group, resulting in species-pure algal assemblages. Knowledge of the structure of these assemblages is essential to understand their functioning; therefore, species and functional diversity were investigated in five sub-types of eutrophic shallow lake. Among the sub-types, astatic saline lakes and hypertrophic ponds had type-specific assemblages dominated by S_N and W0, W1 codons. The diversity of the phytoplankton in the sub-types was quite similar, except for the astatic saline lakes, which were characterised by lower values of both functional and species diversity. We found that both functional and species diversity were low when bloom-forming cyanobacteria (H1, S_N functional groups) became dominant. Dominance of other groups (J, Y, L_O and W1) did not coincide with decrease in species diversity. Analysis of the biovolume versus diversity relationships revealed that decrease in diversity might be expected at biovolume >20 mm³ l⁻¹ for shallow lakes.     

Habitat selection and diel distribution of the crustacean zooplankton from a shallow Mediterranean lake during the turbid and clear water phases

1. The fish fauna of many shallow Mediterranean Lakes is dominated by small‐bodied exotic omnivores, with potential implications for fish–zooplankton interactions still largely unknown. Here we studied diel variation in the vertical and horizontal distribution of the crustacean plankton in Lake Vela, a shallow polymictic and eutrophic lake. Diel sampling was carried out on three consecutive days along a horizontal transect, including an open‐water station and a macrophyte (Nymphaea alba) bed. Since transparency is a key determinant of the predation risk posed by fish, the zooplankton sampling campaigns were conducted in both the turbid (autumn) and clear water (spring) phases. 2. In the turbid phase, most taxa were homogeneously distributed along the vertical and horizontal axes in the three consecutive days. The only exception was for copepod nauplii, which showed vertical heterogeneity, possibly as a response to invertebrate predators. 3. In the clear water phase, most zooplankton taxa displayed habitat selection. Vertically, the general response consisted of a daily vertical migration (DVM), despite the limited depth (1.6 m). Horizontally, zooplankters showed an overall preference for the pelagic zone, independent of the time of the day. Such evidence is contrary to the postulated role of macrophytes as an anti‐predator refuge for the zooplankton. 4. These vertical (DVM) and horizontal (macrophyte‐avoidance) patterns were particularly conspicuous for large Daphnia, suggesting that predation risk from size‐selective predators (fish) was the main factor behind the spatial heterogeneity of zooplankton in the spring. Thus, the difference in the zooplankton spatial distribution pattern and habitat selection among seasons (turbid and clear water phases) seems to be mediated the predation risk from fish, which is directly related to water transparency. 5. The zooplankton in Lake Vela have anti‐predator behaviour that minimises predation from fish. We hypothesise that, due to the distinct fish community of shallow Mediterranean lakes, aquatic macrophytes may not provide adequate refuge to zooplankters, as seen in northern temperate lakes.