Abstract
Algal bloom in a freshwater lake is a rapid increase of aquatic plants, which disrupts the ecological balance and its potential for beneficial uses. This problem has been managed by relating the trophic levels of a lake with nutrient loading. This traditional management approach is less than satisfactory as it neglects considering the intricate relationship between nutrient loading and the algal community. As a result, it often fails to detect an imminent algal bloom and fails to formulate and implement timely remedial measures. The advancement of modern molecular biosciences has provided an opportunity to improve this traditional approach. In this study, field and laboratory experiments on lake bioproductivity and biodiversity were conducted in Lake Wilson on central Oahu, Hawaii. Bioproductivity or algal productivity was evaluated in terms of the rate of chlorophyll growth in the lake water, and the biodiversity or genetic biodiversity was evaluated by using the method of denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis of the algae species and the Shannon index. Research results indicated that eukaryote communities in Lake Wilson were more diverse under the mesotrophic state of algal productivity than those under the oligotrophic and eutrophic states. Therefore, the reduction of the biodiversity of a mesotrophic lake can be used in water quality management as a warning sign of an imminent algal bloom.
Highlights
Many researchers have assessed the problem of lake eutrophication and have tried to formulate water quality management strategies to control the problem by either reducing the nutrient loading or by altering hydrodynamic characteristics [1,2]
The objective of this study is to show that genetic biodiversity should be considered for achieving more effective lake eutrophication control and water quality management, and to present a practical procedure for the determination of lake biodiversity
The denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analysis of the eukaryote showed The eukaryotic biodiversity of the downstream of the sewage treatment plant (DSTP) site was H0 = 1.725, while the eukaryotic biodiversity of Wahiawa State Freshwater Park (WSFP) site is H0 = 2.571 (Table 2)
Summary
Many researchers have assessed the problem of lake eutrophication and have tried to formulate water quality management strategies to control the problem by either reducing the nutrient loading or by altering hydrodynamic characteristics [1,2]. One popular method of lake water quality assessment is the Vollenweider phosphorus loading plots, which relates a lake’s nutrient loading with its trophic state [3]. More detailed lake assessments have been conducted using water quality models of varying levels of sophistication [4]. These traditional methods do not consider the intricate relationships between nutrient loading and the algal community structure and species composition, or biodiversity and further improvement of water quality assessment of freshwater lakes can be achieved by a better understanding of their biodiversity as well as bioproductivity [5]. The species biodiversity in a freshwater lake denotes the number of
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