Abstract
BackgroundEutrophication of freshwater systems can result in blooms of phytoplankton, in many cases cyanobacteria. This can lead to shifts in structure and functions of phytoplankton communities adversely affecting the quality of drinking water sources, which in turn impairs public health. Relationships between structures of phytoplankton communities and concentrations of the toxicant, microcystin–leucine–arginine (MC-LR), have not been well examined in large shallow lakes. The present study investigated phytoplankton communities at seven locations from January to December of 2015 in Tai Lake, and relationships between structures and diversities of phytoplankton communities and water quality parameters, including concentrations of MC-LR and metals, were analyzed.ResultsA total of 124 taxa of phytoplankton were observed, and the predominant taxa were Microcystis sp. and Dolichospermum flos-aquae of Cyanophyta and Planctonema sp. of Chlorophyta. The greatest diversities of phytoplankton communities, as indicated by species richness, Simpson, Shannon–Wiener, the Berger and Parker, and the Pielou evenness indices, were observed in spring. Furthermore, productivity of phytoplankton was significantly and negatively correlated with diversities. These results demonstrated that Simpson, Shannon–Wiener, the Berger and Parker, and the Pielou evenness indices of phytoplankton communities were significantly related to trophic status and overall primary productivity in Tai Lake. In addition, temperature of surface water, pH, permanganate index, biochemical oxygen demand, total phosphorus, arsenic, total nitrogen/total phosphorous ratio, and MC-LR were the main factors associated with structures of phytoplankton communities in Tai Lake.ConclusionThe present study provided helpful information on phytoplankton community structure and diversity in Tai Lake from January to December of 2015. Our findings demonstrated that Simpson, Shannon–Wiener, the Berger and Parker, and the Pielou evenness indices could be used to assess and monitor for status and trends in water quality of Tai Lake. In addition, MC-LR was one of the main factors associated with structures of phytoplankton communities in Tai Lake. The findings may help to address important ecological questions about the impact of a changing environment on biodiversity of lake ecosystems and the control of algae bloom. Further studies are needed to explore the relationship between MC-LR and phytoplankton communities in the laboratory.
Highlights
Eutrophication of freshwater systems can result in blooms of phytoplankton, in many cases cyanobacteria
Results of previous studies have suggested that water temperature (WT), water level, seasonality, optical properties, and nutrients, especially nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) are the main factors that affect the composition of phytoplankton communities [9,10,11,12,13,14,15]
To protect biodiversity and restore aquatic ecosystems, there is a need for regular monitoring to ascertain that these water quality parameters are within acceptable levels, and it is important to understand the impact of the changing environment on the structure of phytoplankton communities
Summary
Eutrophication of freshwater systems can result in blooms of phytoplankton, in many cases cyanobacteria This can lead to shifts in structure and functions of phytoplankton communities adversely affecting the quality of drinking water sources, which in turn impairs public health. Understanding the ecological processes, as well as abiotic and biotic factors that contribute to absolute and relative abundances of taxa in these communities are major goals of basic and applied community ecology Metrics, such as species richness and the Shannon–Wiener diversity index, represent important tools for the characterization of changes in phytoplankton communities in aquatic ecosystems [3,4,5]. To protect biodiversity and restore aquatic ecosystems, there is a need for regular monitoring to ascertain that these water quality parameters are within acceptable levels, and it is important to understand the impact of the changing environment on the structure of phytoplankton communities. Productivity of phytoplankton, expressed as concentrations of Chlorophyll a, has been suggested as a robust indicator for assessment of quality of ecosystems [20], relationships between productivity and composition and diversity of phytoplankton have been seldom studied in aquatic ecosystems
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
