Hydrodynamic change recorded by diatoms in sediments of Liuxihe Reservoir, southern China

Abstract

Diatoms are used widely for paleolimnological studies in lakes, but their use for studying the environmental history of reservoirs has not been tested extensively. Reservoirs have hydrodynamic characteristics intermediate between those of rivers and lakes. This study assessed the utility of diatom assemblages as recorders of long-term changes in hydrodynamics and spatial gradients in Liuxihe Reservoir, an impoundment in southern China. Four sediment cores were collected in the reservoir, from the riverine, transition and lacustrine zones. Each core was sectioned at 2-cm intervals to investigate the stratigraphic distribution of accumulated diatoms. Varve counting was used to develop a chronology for one of the cores. The unique characteristics of Liuxihe Reservoir, including its large size, great depth, long narrow morphology and strong thermal stratification for 10 months of the year, limit secondary sedimentation processes and preserve the varves, enabling development of an accurate chronology. Damming profoundly altered the physical environment of the former river, especially in the lacustrine zone, where the change is clearly illustrated by diatoms in the sediment. Diatom abundance increased as a consequence of nutrient enrichment after construction of the dam in 1958, but later decreased as the new impoundment stabilized. After damming, relative abundance of Cyclotella increased along with a simultaneous decrease of Navicula and Achnanthes in the lacustrine zone, most significantly in 1963, when Cyclotella replaced Navicula as the dominant genus. This switch was indicative of a general shift from a lotic to a lentic habitat. A longitudinal gradient was apparent in the patterns of sedimentation and diatom accumulation at different sites in the reservoir, with diatom abundance highest in the transition zone. In the long term, water discharge from the reservoir showed a weak, but significant negative correlation with diatom abundance in the lacustrine zone (r = −0.320, P = 0.03). In summary, diatom assemblages in the Liuxihe Reservoir sediments recorded past changes in hydrodynamics, suggesting that paleolimnological study of some impoundments is feasible.