Representation of aquatic vegetation change by plant macrofossils in a small and shallow freshwater lake

We explored spatial and temporal relationships between contemporary aquatic vegetation and surface sediment macrofossil remains in a small, shallow, English lake (Green Plantation Pond). The aquatic vegetation of Green Plantation Pond underwent a marked compositional change after 2005 with a shift from Elodea spp.-Potamogeton pusillus-Chara spp. to Ceratophyllum spp.-Chara spp.-Potamogeton crispus dominance. By comparing macrophyte and plant macrofossil distributions at multiple, closely spaced points in Green Plantation Pond for 2000 and 2008–2009, we studied the ability of macrofossils to track this major aquatic vegetation change. Representation of macrophytes by macrofossils was high with 63 and 76 % of extant plant species recorded by macro-remains in the 2000 and 2009 sediment surveys respectively. Nevertheless, plants were both over-represented (Nitella flexilis, Chara spp. and Zannichellia palustris) and under-represented (Ranunculus sect. Batrachium, Potamogeton spp.) in the sediment record in terms of relative macrofossil abundances and the number of occupied sample points. The study also revealed a lack of preservation of Elodea spp. leaf remains in the second (2009) survey compared to the first (2000) probably due to a longer time interval (5 vs. 10 months) between macrophyte and sediment sampling. Nevertheless, the macrofossils reliably recorded both the main shift in the contemporary vegetation (e.g. especially increases in Ceratophyllum spp. and P. crispus abundance) and other more subtle floristic changes (e.g. increases in Myriophyllum spicatum and Lemna spp.) exceptionally well. This study highlights the huge potential of macrofossils for tracking sub-decadal changes in the aquatic vegetation of small, shallow lakes.     

Similarity between contemporary vegetation and plant remains in the surface sediment in Mediterranean lakes

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Palaeofloristic assemblages and palaeoecology of the Lower Oligocene Bembridge Marls, Hamstead Ledge, Isle of Wight

A sequence of nine, plant-macrofossil-bearing horizons has been recognized in the Lower Oligocene from the Isle of Wight, England. The plant fossils are contained in finely laminated, olive-brown to black silty-clays and clays. Some horizons exhibit rhythmic alternation of sediment couplets; others show evidence of bioturbation and rootlet penetration. These horizons are included within a sequence of finely laminated greenish grey silty-clays and clays, largely devoid of plant macrofossil material. The plant-bearing horizons contain abundant fruits, seeds, fern sporangia, Azolla megaspores, and rare leaves. The nearest living relatives of the fossils all inhabit an aquatic or marginal aquatic environment. The associated fossil fauna includes lake bottom and lake margin species. The palynoflora of the plant-bearing and immediately underlying horizons includes large numbers of planktonic algae and limited representatives of a forest vegetation. It shows a strong relationship between the occurrences of Sparganiaceaepollenites pollen and of Typha macrofossils. Palaeoecological interpretations of this plant-fossil-bearing sequence are discussed with particular reference to modern environments.
One new genus and three new species are described. Emendations are presented for four other species. Stratiotes leaf margin teeth are described.     

Long-term changes in aquatic plant species composition in North-eastern European Russia and Finnish Lapland,as evidenced by plant macrofossil analysis

Three lake sediment sequences from North-eastern European Russia and one from Finnish Lapland were studied for aquatic plant macrofossils. Ages of sediment sequences varied between 12 800 and ca. 10 500 radiocarbon years. Historical records showed distinct changes in the diversity and abundances of aquatic plant remains in each lake's history. Despite the studied lakes being located in different vegetation and climate zones, the records showed a similar long-term pattern of the early Holocene immigration of aquatics, a subsequent maximum in aquatic species richness, and a decline or disappearance after the mid Holocene. It seems that the warming temperature together with sufficient nutrient status enabled establishment of aquatic plant communities during the early Holocene. Afterwards the presence of the limnophytes was probably mainly controlled by the length of the open-water season (i.e. temperature), with changes in nutrient status and water level possibly being additional minor factors. Climate-driven change is supported by the fact that currently aquatic macrophytes are often absent from the lakes beyond tree lines, which are characterized by a short growing season.     

Geochemical and physical characteristics of river and lake [2pt] sediments at Naivasha,Kenya

Prior studies on Lake Naivasha relevant to understanding sediment dynamics include a bathymetric map, a paleolimnological study of fossil invertebrate assemblages in lake sediment, an overview of lake level fluctuations throughout the 20th century, and identification of a dynamic assemblage of macrophyte zones that has responded both to these changes in lake level and to more recent, alien species. Sediment samples collected from the rivers systems and the lake were examined physically and chemically. River sediment characteristics reflect geology and geomorphological processes in the catchment, whereas lake sediment stratigraphy has responded to past lake level changes. Such changes have caused significant changes in aquatic vegetation assemblages. Present day sediment dynamics in the lake are governed by the presence of river point sources in the north and wave-induced re-suspension, such that sediments introduced by rivers are transported in easterly and southerly directions, and are eventually deposited in the eastern, central and southern parts of the lake. Sedimentary deposition is also occurring in northern areas that once were protected by papyrus swamp vegetation but now only have a narrow fringe, highlighting the important role of swamp vegetation in filtering out suspended particulates and thereby controlling water quality in the lake. Geochemical analyses of river and lake sediments indicate that they represent fairly undisturbed background conditions. Higher-than-expected concentrations of cadmium, iron, nickel and zinc found in both river and lake sediment are likely to derive from volcanic rocks and/or lateritic soils found in the lake catchment.     

Connecting through space and time: catchment-scale distributions of bacteria in soil,stream water and sediment

Terrestrial and aquatic environments are linked through hydrological networks that transport abiotic components from upslope environments into aquatic ecosystems. However, our understanding of how bacteria are transported through these same networks is limited. Here, we applied 16S rRNA gene sequencing to over 500 soil, stream water and stream sediment samples collected within a native forest catchment to determine the extent to which bacterial communities in these habitats are connected. We provide evidence that while the bacterial communities in each habitat were significantly distinct from one another (PERMANOVA pairwise P < 0.001), the bacterial communities in soil and stream samples were weakly connected to each other when stream sediment sample locations were downhill of surface runoff flow paths. This pattern decreased with increasing distance between the soil and sediment samples. The connectivity between soil and stream water samples was less apparent and extremely transient; the greatest similarity between bacterial communities in soil and stream water overall was when comparing stream samples collected 1 week post soil sampling. This study shows how bacterial communities in soil, stream water and stream sediments are connected at small spatial scales and provides rare insights into the temporal dynamics of terrestrial and aquatic bacterial community connectivity.     

Centennial‐scale changes to the aquatic vegetation structure of a shallow eutrophic lake and implications for restoration

1. We investigate long‐term (>200 years) changes to the composition and spatial structure of macrophyte communities in a shallow, eutrophic lake (Barton Broad, eastern England) and consider the implications for lake restoration. 2. Historical macrophyte data were assembled from a variety of sources: existing plant databases, museum herbaria, journal articles, old photographs and eyewitness accounts. Additionally, two types of sediment core sample were analysed for plant macro‐remains and pollen; bulk basal samples from multiple core sites analysed to provide information on ‘pre‐disturbance’ macrophyte communities and two whole cores analysed to determine historical change. 3. Prior to the late 1800s, macrophyte communities were diverse and included a multilayered mosaic of short‐stature submerged taxa and taller submerged and floating‐leaved species. With the progression of eutrophication after around 1900, the former community was displaced by the latter. Diversity was maintained, however, since an encroaching Schoenoplectus–nymphaeid swamp generated extensive patches of low‐energy habitat affording refugia for several macrophytes otherwise unable to withstand the hydraulic forces associated with open water conditions. When this swamp vegetation disappeared in the 1950s, many of the ‘dependent’ aquatic macrophytes also declined leaving behind a sparse, species‐poor community (as today) resilient to both eutrophication and turbulent open waters. 4. The combination of historical and palaeolimnological data sources offers considerable benefits for reconstructing past changes to the aquatic vegetation of lakes and for setting restoration goals. In this respect, our study suggests that successful restoration might often be better judged by reinstatement of the characteristic structure of plant communities than the fine detail of species lists; when nutrients are low and the structure is right, the right species will follow.     

Influence of an ecosystem engineer,the emergent macrophyte Sparganium erectum,on seed trapping in lowland rivers and consequences for landform colonisation

1. Plant physical ecosystem engineers can influence vegetation population and community dynamics by modifying, maintaining or creating habitats. They may also have the potential to act upon biotic processes, such as seed dispersal. 2. Examples exist of reduction in seed dispersal distances in vegetated compared to unvegetated terrestrial environments, and concentration of seed deposits associated with plant patches. Such effects in aquatic environments have been little studied, but the engineering effect of plant patches on patterns of flow velocity and sediment deposition in streams suggests that they may play a similar role. 3. In this study, we assess the potential of an emergent aquatic species, Sparganium erectum, to play a role in physically modifying river habitats and trapping seeds by examining patterns of seed deposition and substrate type in 47 river reaches across England and southern Scotland, U.K. 4. Areas of the river channel within or adjacent to S. erectum patches harboured more plant seeds and more species than unvegetated areas and had finer, sandier substrates with higher organic matter, total nitrogen and total phosphorus content. Most seed species were competitive, indicating that they were well suited to colonise the competitive environment of an S. erectum patch, and could potentially further stabilise accumulated sediments and contribute to landform development. 5. We demonstrate that S. erectum patches influence both the physical environment and the retention of seeds, in consistent patterns across the channel bed, for a range of lowland rivers that vary in stream power and geology and which can be expected to vary in levels of supply of fine sediment and seeds. 6. Our findings support the hypothesis that the fundamental influence of a riverine ecosystem‐engineering species on slowing fluid flow links the habitat creation process of sediment sorting and retention to seed trapping. We suggest the process is applicable to a wide range of aquatic and riparian vegetation. We also suggest that the mono‐specific and competitive growth, which is typical of these engineering species, will strongly influence the recruitment of trapped seeds.     

Natural and anthropogenic forcing of aquatic macrophyte development in a shallow Danish lake during the last 7000 years

Aim To investigate the long‐term changes in aquatic vegetation in a lowland, shallow lake, and to assess the relationship between aquatic vegetation and natural and anthropogenic catchment changes. Location Gundsømagle Sø, Zealand, Denmark: a shallow (mean depth 1.2 m), hypereutrophic lake (mean annual total phosphorus (TP) c. 700 μg TP L^?1) located in a predominantly agricultural catchment (88% cultivated land). The lake is presently devoid of macrophytes. Methods One hundred and forty‐seven contiguous samples from a sediment core (taken in 2000) were analysed for macrofossil remains together with loss‐on‐ignition and dry weight. From an earlier sediment core (taken in 1992), 67 samples were analysed for pollen and the two cores were correlated using the ignition residue profiles. Core chronology was determined by ²¹⁰Pb and ¹³⁷Cs dating of the recent lake sediments, while older sediments were dated by pollen‐stratigraphical correlation, as ¹⁴C dating proved problematical. Aquatic macrofossil abundance was used to reconstruct past changes in the lake's plant community and water‐level. The contemporary catchment land‐use change was inferred from sedimentary pollen data, and soil erosion to the lake was deduced from the minerogenic content of the lake sediments. Results The macrofossil record covers the last 7000 years, but aquatic plant remains were scarce prior to c. 1300 bc . After this date the abundance of submerged and emergent macrophyte remains increased dramatically, paralleled by an increase in sediment minerogenic matter and non‐arboreal pollen (NAP). Aquatic plant remains were abundant for more than 3000 years until the mid 1900s. Macrofossils of Linum usitatissimum (L.) (flax) and high pollen percentages of ‘Cannabis type’ (hemp) were recorded in periods between c. 1150 bc and 1800 ad . Main conclusions Our study suggests that, between c. 5000 bc and 1300 bc , the submerged plant community was confined to the littoral zone. From 1300 bc onwards, the submerged macrophyte vegetation expanded rapidly across the lake bed, presumably as a response to lake shallowing caused by a combination of climatic‐induced water‐level lowering and enhanced erosional infilling of the lake basin due to intensified anthropogenic activities in the catchment. The lake was meso‐eutrophic and had an extensive and diverse aquatic flora for more than 3000 years, until the middle of the twentieth century. In periods between c. 1150 bc and 1800 ad , the lake experienced direct anthropogenic impact from retting of fibre plants (Linum and Cannabis). Over the last 200 years, erosional infilling of the lake basin increased drastically, probably as a result of agricultural intensification. In the twentieth century, the lake was strongly affected by nutrient enrichment from both point sources (sewage from built‐up areas) and diffuse agricultural run‐off which led to hypertrophic conditions and the collapse of the submerged vegetation c. 1950–60. The concept of ‘naturalness’ and the implications for lake conservation are discussed.     

沉积硅藻揭示的历史时期水生植被信息以梁子湖为例

水生植被是浅水湖泊生态系统最重要的生态特征之一, 了解其群落历史演化特征, 对生态退化湖泊的修复有着重要指导意义。研究选择长江中下游地区代表性草型湖泊梁子湖, 基于梁子湖沉积岩芯210Pb/137Cs测年、沉积硅藻序列和梁子湖长期水生植被监测记录, 探讨利用沉积硅藻记录来重建该湖历史时期水生植被演替特征的可行性。研究结果表明: 梁子湖沉积硅藻记录对历史时期水生植被的演替有较好的反映; 基于此, 对梁子湖过去近200年的水生植被覆盖度进行了重建; 与湖泊流域历史环境信息的对比分析表明洪水是影响该湖水生植被发育的一个重要因素。研究结果证实了在浅水湖泊中, 沉积硅藻可揭示历史水生植被的信息, 并为该湖的水生植被保护提供科学依据, 同时对该区富营养湖泊的生态修复有重要的指导价值。       

A 250 year comparison of historical, macrofossil and pollen records of aquatic plants in a shallow lake

1. Sedimentary remains of aquatic plants, both vegetative (turions, leaves, spines) and reproductive (fruits, seeds, pollen), may provide a record of temporal changes in the submerged vegetation of lakes. An independent assessment of the degree to which these remains reflect past floristic change is, however, rarely possible. 2. By exploiting an extensive series of historical plant records for a small shallow lake we compare plant macrofossil (three cores) and pollen (one core) profiles with the documented sequence of submerged vegetation change since c. 1750 AD. The data set is based on 146 site visits with 658 observations including 42 taxa classified as aquatic, spanning 250 years. 3. Approximately 40% of the historically recorded aquatic taxa were represented by macro‐remains. In general macrofossils underestimated past species diversity, with pondweeds (three of eight historically recorded Potamogeton species were found) particularly poorly represented. Nonetheless, several taxa not reported from historical surveys (e.g. Myriophyllum alterniflorum and Characeae) were present in the sediment record. 4. The pollen record revealed taxa which left no macro‐remains (e.g. Littorella uniflora), and the macrofossil record provided improved taxonomic resolution for some taxa (e.g. Potamogeton) and a more reliable record of persistence, appearance and loss of others (e.g. Myriophyllum spp. and Nymphaeaceae). 5. Detrended correspondence analysis indicated that changes in the community composition evidenced by the palaeolimnological and historical records were synchronous and of a similar magnitude. Both records pointed to a major change at around 1800, with the historical record suggesting a more abrupt change than the sedimentary data. There was good agreement on a subsequent change c. 1930. 6. The palaeolimnological data did not provide a complete inventory of historically recorded species. Nevertheless, these results suggest that combined macrofossil and pollen records provide a reliable indication of temporal change in the dominant components of the submerged and floating‐leaved aquatic vegetation of shallow lakes. As such palaeolimnology may provide a useful tool for establishing community dynamics and successions of plants over decadal to centennial timescales.     

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

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Effects of Farmhouse Hotel and Paper Mill Effluents on Bacterial Community Structures in Sediment and Surface Water of Nanxi River,China

The pyrosequencing technique was used to evaluate bacterial community structures in sediment and surface water samples taken from Nanxi River receiving effluents from a paper mill and a farmhouse hotel, respectively. For each sample, 4,610 effective bacterial sequences were selected and used to do the analysis of diversity and abundance, respectively. Bacterial phylotype richness in the sediment sample without effluent input was higher than the other samples, and the surface water sample with addition of effluent from the paper mill contained the least richness. Effluents from both the paper mill and farmhouse hotel have a potential to reduce the bacterial diversity and abundance in the sediment and surface water, especially it is more significant in the sediment. The effect of the paper mill effluent on the sediment and surface water bacterial communities was more serious than that of the farmhouse hotel effluent. Characterization of microbial community structures in the sediment and surface water from two tributaries of the downstream river indicated that various effluents from the paper mill and farmhouse hotel have the similar potential to decrease the natural variability in riverine microbial ecosystems.     

Bacterial Community Composition in Central European Running Waters Examined by Temperature Gradient Gel Electrophoresis and Sequence Analysis of 16S rRNA Genes

The bacterial community composition in small streams and a river in central Germany was examined by temperature gradient gel electrophoresis (TGGE) with PCR products of 16S rRNA gene fragments and sequence analysis. Complex TGGE band patterns suggested high levels of diversity of bacterial species in all habitats of these environments. Cluster analyses demonstrated distinct differences among the communities in stream and spring water, sandy sediments, biofilms on stones, degrading leaves, and soil. The differences between stream water and sediment were more significant than those between sites within the same habitat along the stretch from the stream source to the mouth. TGGE data from an entire stream course suggest that, in the upper reach of the stream, a special suspended bacterial community is already established and changes only slightly downstream. The bacterial communities in water and sediment in an acidic headwater with a pH below 5 were highly similar to each other but deviated distinctly from the communities at the other sites. As ascertained by nucleotide sequence analysis, stream water communities were dominated by Betaproteobacteria (one-third of the total bacteria), whereas sediment communities were composed mainly of Betaproteobacteria and members of the Fibrobacteres/Acidobacteria group (each accounting for about 25% of bacteria). Sequences obtained from bacteria from water samples indicated the presence of typical cosmopolitan freshwater organisms. TGGE bands shared between stream and soil samples, as well as sequences found in bacteria from stream samples that were related to those of soil bacteria, demonstrated the occurrence of some species in both stream and soil habitats. Changes in bacterial community composition were correlated with geographic distance along a stream, but in comparisons of different streams and rivers, community composition was correlated only with environmental conditions.     

巢湖崩岸湖滨基质-水文-生物一体化修复

湖滨带生态修复不是简单的水生植物移种,还必须提供其适于生存的基质、水文等外部物理条件。基质作为水生植被的载体,既需要适宜的柔度,也要求一定的刚度。在巢湖崩岸湖滨综合调查的基础上,系统分析了崩岸湖滨带生态退化的成因,研发了基质、水文、生物一体化修复技术,解决了水生植物在恢复生长时期受基质流失和水力切割影响的问题,为水生植物营造了适宜的水生环境。通过西北岸万年埠湖滨的示范工程建设,取得了良好的治理效果,为巢湖崩岸湖滨的生态修复提供一种生态型的、可工程化实施的技术方法。     

Modern pollen from the catchment and surficial sediments of a Scottish sea loch (fjord)

Modern pollen was extracted both from moss polster samples collected from a range of sites across the land surface of the Loch Sunart catchment, north‐west Scotland and from a number of marine sediment‐water interface sites in the sea loch. Comparisons between the pollen results and the major vegetation types growing in the catchment area revealed that in general the moss polsters contained a localised picture of the vegetation whilst the sea loch sediments varied much less from sample to sample and better represented a regional picture of the vegetation. It was anticipated that the pollen in the sea loch samples would be in a much poorer state of preservation because of the many pathways through which it travels in order to become incorporated into the sediments of the loch. However, this proved not to be the case and the study demonstrates that marine sediments of the kind found in Loch Sunart have the potential to provide a new source of Holocene vegetation data which is as good as the freshwater lake sediments that have been preferentially sampled in the past.     

Diversity,abundance, and spatial distribution of riverine microbial communities response to effluents from swine farm versus farmhouse restaurant

The 454 pyrosequencing technique was applied to evaluate microbial community composition in sediment and water samples collected from the river receiving effluents from a swine farm and a farmhouse restaurant, respectively. For each sample, 4,600 effective sequences were selected and used to do the bacterial diversity and abundance analysis, respectively. Bacterial phylotype richness in the river sediment sample without effluent input was higher than the other samples, and the river water sample with addition of effluent from the swine farm had the least richness. Effluents from both the swine farm and the farmhouse restaurant have the potential to decrease the bacterial diversity and abundance in the river sediment and water, especially it is more significant in the river sediment. Effect of effluent from the swine farm on riverine bacterial communities was more significant than that from the farmhouse restaurant. Characterization of bacterial community composition in sediments from two tributaries of the downstream river showed that various effluents from the swine farm and the farmhouse restaurant have the similar potential to reduce the natural variability in riverine ecosystems, and contribute to the biotic homogenization in the river sediment.     

Estimating past floristic diversity in montane regions from macrofossil assemblages

The relationship between the diversity of higher plant macrofossils in surface sediments of lakes and the surrounding vegetation is examined in two mountain regions; Grødalen in central Norway and the south-east Cairngorms in Scotland. Two lake sediment cores from each area were also analysed to examine vegetation history and to estimate changes in biodiversity through the Holocene. The diversity of present day vegetation in each region was estimated using both quadrat data and classified satellite images of the study areas. The mean surface sample macrofossil representation of species recorded in quadrats collected within 250 m of the lakes was c. 17%. This figure drops to only c. 2% when the satellite imagery of the same area is used to provide a maximal species list. The macrofossil data from the Norwegian cores show that deglaciation in this region occurred earlier on the mountain summit than in the valley and that the maximum tree line elevation was during the interval 9100–4400 ¹⁴C yr BP . In the Cairngorms the maximum tree line elevation was prior to c. 4500 ¹⁴C yr BP . The changes in higher plant diversity recorded at these sites through the Holocene show that c. 4000 ¹⁴C yr BP the reduction in the tree line resulted in decreased β-diversity at higher altitudes but an increase at the lower altitude as the forest cover opened up. Under conditions of climatic warming it is likely areas that come to lie below the tree line will experience reduced diversity and that a permanent loss of biodiversity would result from a severe reduction in the area above the tree line.     

武汉月湖水生植被重建的实践与启示

通过生物操纵、浮水植物和植物浮岛原位净化、岸边人工湿地净化和科学种植等措施,2－3年内,在长江中游地区、面积为0.66km2、水质为劣Ⅴ类的重富营养湖泊武汉月湖重建了以菹草和伊乐藻为优势种的沉水植物先锋群落,2005年春季的沉水植物盖度达到45％,提高了透明度。利用水位低、透明度相对高的冬季种植伊乐藻、菹草等适合冬春季生长的沉水植物是建立沉水植物先锋群落的一个有效途径。重污染水体过低的透明度是重建沉水植被的主要限制因子,在低水位或较高透明度时期,水生植物可以耐受相对较高的污染负荷,并且在有条件降低水位时,会大大提高重建沉水植被的成功率。重建并保持长期稳定的水生植被必须截污,并把营养盐浓度削减到一定范围内。水生植被重建初期是最脆弱的时期,水位、污染负荷等生态因子的较大波动很容易破坏植物群落,在这一时期要尽量保持关键因子的稳定,注意控制浮萍的扩张,使形成的生态系统逐步走向成熟。清除鱼类对提高水的透明度有重要作用,但必须伴随着水生植被的恢复或重建才能维持长久的良好效果。