Abstract
Abstract In a time of rapid environmental changes, identification of the effects of climate warming on charophytes (Characeae, Charophyta) will enable the optimization of conservation measures, especially for extremely rare species. Lychnothamnus barbatus is one of the rarest charophytes worldwide, which has decreased in the number of occupied sites over the last century. However, the recolonization of former sites has been observed in recent years (e.g. Lake Kuźnickie, Poland). The study aimed to analyse the effects of climatic changes and human pressure on the L. barbatus population. Three 30 cm sediment cores were collected from minimum, average, and maximum depths of L. barbatus occurrence to determine the past vegetation composition. Sediment cores were dated using the radioisotopes lead‐210, caesium‐137, and carbon‐14. A spatial analysis of the lake catchment changes during the last 120 years was also conducted. The study demonstrated L. barbatus presence in Lake Kuźnickie at the beginning of the 16th century. However, a sharp increase in the proportion of this species in the vegetation community occurred in the 19th century and during climate warming at the end of the Little Ice Age. Factors that significantly influenced the present occurrence of the L. barbatus population included improvement in water quality and the oospore bank deposited in the bottom sediments. This study is the first palaeoreconstruction in a modern lake dominated by L. barbatus. Based on the history of L. barbatus in Lake Kuźnickie after the end of the Little Ice Age, the positive effect of climate warming on the contemporary recovery of this charophyte is postulated. The reaction of L. barbatus to climate warming appears to differ from commonly accepted scenarios for aquatic macrophytes because its recovery in the past and at present coincided with increases in air temperature. This research indicated the appropriate management and conservation practices for lakes with L. barbatus populations.
Highlights
Charophytes are macroscopic green algae, currently represented by six genera worldwide (Chara, Nitellopsis, Lychnothamnus, Lamprothamnium, Nitella, and Tolypella)
There are a few antagonists of stoneworts in the environment, including competitively stronger higher plants in areas with increased water fertility (Blindow, Hargeby & Hilt, 2014) and increased human activity, which causes the loss of charophyte species and their habitats
Classical succession theory suggests that whereas stoneworts are early or ‘pioneer’ components of aquatic vegetation (Stewart & Church, 1992), they are replaced by angiosperms and phytoplankton when the nutrient concentration and turbidity increase (Blindow, 1992)
Summary
Charophytes (stoneworts, Charophyta) are macroscopic green algae, currently represented by six genera worldwide (Chara, Nitellopsis, Lychnothamnus, Lamprothamnium, Nitella, and Tolypella). According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2013), the global average temperature will increase between 0.3C and 6.4C by the end of this century This may have profound effects on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning of fresh waters, lakes (Moss et al, 2009; Dziuba et al, 2020), including the growth of charophytes (Puche et al, 2018). Based on the literature (Raabe et al, 2012; Sinkevicienė & Urbaitė-Maževic, 2012; Karol et al, 2017) and our observations (Pełechaty, Brzozowski & Pietruczuk, 2017), a research hypothesis was formulated: that environmental changes related to global warming provide a competitive advantage to the endangered and indicatory L. barbatus, favouring its spread and expansion in the littoral regions of lakes in temperate climatic zones. Based on this research, the most crucial management and conservation practices for Chara lakes, especially with abundant L. barbatus, are discussed
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