Water colour, phosphorus and alkalinity are the major determinants of the dominant phytoplankton species in European lakes (original) (raw)
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Phytoplankton indicator taxa for reference conditions in Northern and Central European lowland lakes
Hydrobiologia, 2013
low alkalinity and the high alkalinity lakes, but there were also country-specific differences. Most common indicator taxa for the northern reference lakes were chrysophytes (e.g. Bitrichia, Dinobryon). In the Central European reference lakes, diatoms (e.g. Cyclotella) were more characteristic. Despite the differences, there was a general finding that taxa present in reference lakes were often also present in non-reference lakes, but typically in lower biomass proportions; another characteristic of the reference communities is the absence of many taxa typically found in non-reference lakes.
Quantitative responses of lake phytoplankton to eutrophication in Northern Europe
Aquatic Ecology, 2008
Article (refereed) Ptacnik, R.; Lepisto, L.; Willen, E.; Brettum, P.; Andersen, T.; Rekolainen, S.; Lyche Solheim, A.; Carvalho, Laurence. 2008 Quantitative responses of lake phytoplankton to eutrophication in Northern Europe. Aquatic Ecology, 42
Patterns in phytoplankton taxonomic composition across temperate lakes of differing nutrient status
Limnology and Oceanography, 1997
We describe the relationships between summer average total phosphorus (TP) and the biomass of six major phytoplankton taxonomic groups from 91 north temperate lakes. Both regression and a locally weighted smoothing (LOWESS) analyses show that all groups increase with TP but over different nutrient ranges. At nutrient extremes, i.e. very low and high levels of TP, the few taxonomic groups that dominate total biomass are generally dissimilar. In oligotrophic and eutrophic lakes, most group biomass curves show corresponding increases or decreases, but different rates of change. The curves converge at intermediate TP levels (-10-30 p,g liter-l) where there is increased equitability among algal groups. In highly eutrophic lakes, the slope of the total biomass curve decreases, as do all the relative abundances of all groups except blue-greens and diatoms. We conclude that the curvilinearity of the TP-total biomass curve is not attributable to a single taxonomic group, because all groups show some nonlinearity in relation to TP We suggest that morphological diversity, differential herbivory, and, in particular, mixing regime may explain some of the-observed patterns.
Site-specific chlorophyll reference conditions for lakes in Northern and Western Europe
Hydrobiologia, 2009
The Water Framework Directive (WFD) requires EU Member States to assess the "ecological status" of surface waters. As a component of ecological status, many European countries are developing a classification scheme for chlorophyll concentrations as a measure of phytoplankton biomass. The chlorophyll classification must be based on the degree of divergence of a water body from an appropriate baseline, or 'reference condition'. This paper describes the development of a series of regression models for predicting reference chlorophyll concentrations on a sitespecific basis. For model development a large dataset of European lakes considered to be in reference condition, 466 lakes in total, was assembled. Data were included from 12 European countries, but lakes from Northern and Western Europe dominated and made up 92% of all reference lakes. Data have been collated on chlorophyll concentration, altitude, mean depth, alkalinity, humic type, surface area, and geographical region. Regression models were developed for estimating site-specific reference chlorophyll concentrations from significant predictor 'typology' variables.
Hydrobiologia, 2009
A new phytoplankton metric is presented, which is developed from a large dataset of Norwegian lakes ([2,000 samples from [400 lakes). In contrast to previous metrics, this index is not built on selected 'indicative' taxa, but uses all available taxonomic information at genus and species level. Taxa optima with respect to lake trophic status (derived from total phosphorus concentrations) are used to calculate a phytoplankton trophic index (TI) for each sample. Analysis of the TI shows that phytoplankton communities exhibit highly non-linear responses to eutrophication in Norwegian lakes. Reference lakes are characterized by very similar TIs despite having considerable variation in total phosphorus and chlorophyll a concentrations. TI exhibits a non-linear distribution along the eutrophication gradient which separates unimpacted from impacted sites in the study area. We further show that TI exhibits smaller seasonal variations than chlorophyll a, making it a more reliable indicator for lake monitoring. Implications for its applicability within the WFD are discussed.
Hydrobiologia, 2012
This study demonstrated how the impact of eutrophication in a deep lake at the southern border of the Alps (Lake Garda) was regulated by specific modes of atmospheric circulation relevant for the Mediterranean area. At the decadal scale, nutrients and phytoplankton increased concurrently since the 1970s. At the annual scale, year-to-year fluctuations in nutrients and phytoplankton were controlled through a chain of causal factors centred on deeply penetrative mixing events determining an upward transport of phosphorus from the hypolimnion to the trophogenic layers. The extent of mixing was in turn controlled by lake and air winter temperature, which were ultimately regulated by the winter fluctuations of the East Atlantic pattern (EA). In its negative state, the EA shows an intense high pressure over the West Atlantic, causing a north-easterly air flow bringing cold air from continental Europe to Mediterranean, thus favouring greater lake mixing and nutrient fertilisation. Cyanobacteria (mostly Planktothrix rubescens) were the organisms which greatly benefitted from the long-term increase in phosphorus concentrations and the year-toyear fluctuations in surface phosphorus availability controlled by the EA. Given the same availability of phosphorus in the water column, positive winter EA phases weakened the eutrophication effects and phytoplankton development.
Getting to know the response of different groups of aquatic organisms tested in altered thermal environments to environmental conditions makes it possible to understand processes of adaptation and limitation factors such as temperature and light. Field sites were located in three thermally abnormal lakes (cooling system of power plants), in eastern part of Wielkopolska region (western Poland): Pątnowskie, Wąsosko-Mikorzyńskie and Licheńskie. Water temperatures of these lakes do not fall below 10°C throughout the year, and the surface water temperature in spring is about 20˚C. In this study, we investigated the species structure of the spring phytoplankton community in a temperature gradient and analyzed diversity of periphyton collected from alien species (Vallisneria spiralis) and stones. 94 taxa belonging to 56 genera of algae (including phytoplankton and periphyton) were determined. The highest number of algae species were observed among Chlorophyta (49), Bacillariophyceae (34) and Cyanobacteria (6). In spite of important differences in temperature in the investigated lakes, taxonomic composition of phytoplankton was comparable. Thermophilic species: Glochidinium penardiforme and Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii were found in the species structure (blooms were not observed). The obtained data also showed that the biotic surface of Vallisneria spiralis was a better substrate for Bacillariophyceae colonization than stones. The examination in the spring season of these thermally altered lakes, indicated the taxonomic composition of phytoplankton typical for eutrophic reservoirs (not heated). There was no replacement of any phytoplankton groups which are characteristic for spring conditions, even if there were changes in the competition dynamics.
Trends in the Phytoplankton Variability of the Selected Polish Lakes
2019
The directional changes of phytoplankton in Polish lakes were presented to show some tendency concerning the total biomass, composition, and biodiversity as related to environmental variables. The selected lakes were analyzed concerning various types of antropopressure, e.g., relatively low, medium, and huge human impact including sewage inflow history, different hydrological regime nature as natural phenomenon of flow-through lakes and as a consequence of artificial including into water-cooling system with short retention time, and different restoration actions (biomanipulation and artificial aeration).