Phytobenthos and Phytoplankton as Potential Indicators of Climate Change in Mountain Lakes and Ponds: A HPLC-Based Pigment Approach

Abstract

Shallow mountain lakes and ponds may function as reference systems for monitoring the effects of global climate change. A survey of phytobenthos and phytoplankton communities was conducted along an altitudinal gradient of Canadian Rocky Mountain lakes and ponds to relate patterns in algal abundance and community composition to catchment and climate-related variables. Algal abundance and community composition were quantified using pigments as analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Regression analyses revealed that the abundance of rock-attached algae (epilithon) was negatively correlated (r 2 = 0.54, p 2 = 0.52, p cond. DOC < 0.01). Redundancy analysis (RDA) showed that elevation, conductivity, and DOC were also significant predictors of epilithon community composition. Epilithic diatoms (diatoxanthin, diadinoxanthin, fucox...