Lake Primary Production Research Articles

Relationship between the sediment pigment records of Lake Lugu and the regional climate change over the last 200 a

近百年来云贵高原区域气候变暖明显.为探讨湖泊生态系统变化与气候变化的关系,本文采集泸沽湖沉积物柱,分析测定了近200 a来沉积物柱芯中叶绿素及其衍生物(CD)、总胡萝卜素(TC)、颤藻黄素(Osc)和蓝藻叶黄素(Myx)4类色素及烧失量(LOI_550℃)、生物硅、C/N值等指标,并与1951-2010年丽江地区气温和降雨量资料进行相关性分析.结果表明,以上4种色素含量及其比值(CD/TC,Osc/Myx)对区域气温变化较为敏感;近60 a来CD、TC、Osc、Myx、LOI_550℃和生物硅含量与年均气温呈显著正相关;而CD、TC、Osc、Myx和C/N仅与5 a滑动年均降雨量呈正相关,表明气温可能是驱动泸沽湖初级生产力升高的主要因素之一,降雨量为次要因素.1990年后4种色素和有机质含量明显增加,C/N值呈下降趋势,湖泊初级生产力增强,内源有机质在沉积物总有机质中的比重增高.此外,Osc和Myx含量及其比值升高,反映蓝藻类生产力增长,颤藻类比重呈增大趋势,表明近20 a来在气温为主导因素的影响下不仅泸沽湖初级生产力增加,初级生产者群落组成也发生了变化.;A great number of palaeoclimatic proxies and modern instrumental data have indicated that the climate of Yunnan- Guizhou Plateau has undergone a significant warming during the past hundred years. In this study to reveal the impact of the region climate change on lake ecosystems, physical and chemical proxies in sediment core from the Lake Lugu were examined, including Loss-on-ignition at 550℃(LOI_550℃), the concentrations of pigments, chlorophyll derivatives (CD), total carotenoids (TC), Oscillaxanthin (Osc), Myxanthophyll (Myx), biogenic silicon and C/N values. The correlations of those proxies with climate data of both temperature and precipitation from nearby Lijiang station during 1951-2010 AD were analyzed. The results showed that four pigment contents and two ratios CD/TC and Osc/Myx were sensitive to regional temperature changes. The CD, TC, Osc, Myx, LOI_550℃ and biogenic silica content showed significantly positive correlations with average annual temperature in the last 60 years, while CD, TC, Osc, Myx and C/N had significantly positive correlations with the 5 years moving average precipitations. The result indicated that warming was possibly one of the main factors driving the increasing of primary productivity of the lake, while the effect of precipitation shows a secondary factor in the comparison. Since 1990, all the four pigments and LOI_550℃ increased significantly while C/N ratios decreased, which indicated that the lake primary productivity were enhanced and its contribution to the total organic matter in sediments increased as well. The increasing of Osc and Myx contents and Osc/Myx ratio in the lake sediments reflected the increase of productivity of Cyanophyceae and the proportion of Oscillatoria in Cyanophyceae. The results indicated that the regional climate change over the last 20 years not only led to the increase of lake primary productivity, but also the change of composition of phytoplankton community, in Lake Lugu.

Landscape Controls over Major Nutrients and Primary Productivity of Arctic Lakes

Increasing surface temperatures in the Arctic are affecting the dynamics between lakes and their landscapes. In this paper, we use landscape metrics for land cover and statistical analysis to explore the interactions between such measures as shape and patch density indices for land cover and lake primary productivity. The objective was to identify metrics that could be used to predict lake primary productivity, as measured by chlorophyll a, total nitrogen and total phosphorus estimates. Land cover and landscape metrics for the Toolik region of Alaska were derived using satellite imagery and Fragstats software. The metrics, treated as independent variables in a stepwise regression, were derived for two levels of land cover. The first comprised the entire watershed studied; the second was derived using buffers created around water channels within each watershed. A statistically significant model for each dependent variable was obtained. Results suggest that, of the metrics tested; those related to broad leaf vegetation complexes were most useful in predicting lake primary productivity. The Landscape Shape Index for riparian patches and the Patch Density for heath complex were the two most important metrics for predicting variation in chlorophyll a (p<0.001, r2 = 0.52). For total nitrogen estimates, the most significant metrics were Percentage of riparian complex and Patch Density for fen complex (p<0.001, r2 = 0.48). Total phosphorus estimates were most influenced by the Patch Density for shrub complex, the Mean Shape Index for moist acidic tundra complex, and the Patch Density for aquatic vegetation (p<0.001, r2 = 0.52).

Fish Reliance on Littoral–Benthic Resources and the Distribution of Primary Production in Lakes

Pelagic, littoral, and terrestrial resources can all play a role in supporting consumers in lakes. The role of benthic algal-derived food web pathways in lakes is perhaps the least understood because limnologists have historically focused on pelagic (open-water) production and processes. We compiled carbon stable isotope data from 546 fish populations (75 lakes), and used a two end-member mixing model to calculate littoral–benthic reliance for each fish species in each lake. Fish littoral–benthic reliance values were averaged by lake to assess overall fish species benthic reliance for each lake. Lake-specific mean littoral reliance (BRL; fish species not weighted according to production or biomass) averaged 57% and was independent of lake morphological and limnological attributes. For these same lakes, water column nutrients, light, and morphometry data were used to estimate whole-lake benthic algal and phytoplankton primary production. On average, benthic algae comprised 36% of whole-lake primary production (BPf = 0.36). BPf and BRL were weakly correlated: BRL tends to be high even in large/deep lakes in which benthic algae is a minor contributor to whole-lake primary production. The high littoral–benthic contribution to individual fish species appears to reflect the high concentration of fish species diversity in the littoral zone. Our work cannot be extrapolated to whole-lake fish production. However, the result is consistent with other work indicating that most fish species inhabit the littoral zone, whereas relatively few exclusively inhabit the pelagic. Our results suggest that it takes less primary production to support a single fish species in the littoral zone than is required to support a species in the pelagic.

Climate Change and Mercury Accumulation in Canadian High and Subarctic Lakes

Mercury (Hg) profiles were compared to profiles of climate indicators including microfossil remains and algal-derived or S2 carbon (C) in dated sediment cores from 14 lakes spanning latitudinal and longitudinal gradients across the Canadian high and subarctic. Hg fluxes increased postindustrialization (post-∼1850) in 11 of these lakes (postindustrialization Hg fluxes (ΔHgF(F)) = 2-24 μg m(-2) y(-1)). Correction of HgF(F) for catchment contributions demonstrated that Hg deposition originating from catchment-independent factors, such as atmospheric deposition, increased since industrialization in all 14 lakes. Several of these lakes also showed postindustrial shifts in algal assemblages consistent with climate-induced changes. Eleven lakes showed post-1850s increases in S2F(F), suggesting that lake primary productivity has recently increased in the majority of our sites (ΔS2F(F) = 0.1-4 g m(-2) y(-1)). Other studies have interpreted significant relationships between Hg:S2 concentrations in Arctic sediment as support for the algal scavenging hypothesis, which postulates that Hg fluxes to Arctic sediments are largely driven by S2. However, in six of our lakes we observed no Hg:S2 relationship, and in one lake a significant negative Hg:S2 relationship was observed due to increased Hg and decreased S2 C deposition during the postindustrialization period. In six of the seven lakes where a significant positive Hg:S2 relationship was observed, algal assemblages either did not change through time or the timing of the shifts did not correspond to changes in Hg deposition. Our results demonstrate that, although Arctic lakes are experiencing a myriad of changes, including increased Hg and S2 deposition or changing algal assemblages, increased lake primary productivity does not appear to be driving changes in Hg fluxes to sediments.

Rapid Ecological Shift Following Piscivorous Fish Introduction to Increasingly Eutrophic and Warmer Lake Furnas (Azores Archipelago, Portugal): A Paleoecological Approach

Lake ecosystems are nowadays often subjected to multi-stressors, such as eutrophication, climate change, and fish manipulations, the effects of which can be difficult to disentangle, not least from the usual short-term limnological time-series that are available. However, multi-proxy paleoecological approaches may offer such opportunities, especially in the study of remote island lakes characterized by being species poor and buffered somewhat against the recent climate change. We used a paleoecological multi-proxy approach to determine the relative importance of nutrient loading, meteorological forcing, and fish species introduction for recent lake ecosystem development in Lake Furnas on the island of Sao Miguel, the Azores. The lake was stocked with cyprinids in the late nineteenth century and recently also with piscivorous fish, and has been affected by increasing agricultural activities in its catchment. We analyzed marker pigments, cladoceran remains, and subfossil diatoms in a 46-cm core representing the last 40 years. Remains of large-bodied cladocerans were virtually absent until the introductions of piscivorous pike and pikeperch in 1980 and 1982, respectively, after which the zooplankton community composition changed abruptly. First Ceriodaphnia sp. appeared (ca. 1980), followed by Daphnia a few years later. Carotenoids from cyanobacteria (myxoxanthophyll, aphanizophyll) were regularly present in the lake sediment with a major shift occurring around 1994, from N2-fixing to non-fixing groups. This shift coincided with the onset of anoxia in the lake water, evidenced by the presence of pigments from Chlorobiaceae (BChl-e homologues and isorenieratene), and with a rapid decrease in benthic-tychoplanktonic diatoms and an increase in cyanobacteria, chlorophytes, dinoflagellates, and cryptophytes. The composition of microbial and algal assemblages changed rapidly after Daphnia appearance, and the covariance between fish stocking, nutrient loading, and enhanced temperatures captured most of the variability in algae accumulation, and thus likely in lake primary production as well. Thus, lake production apparently did not respond strongly to specific changes in temperature, food-web structure, or nutrient input, but rather to the combined effects of all the three forcing mechanisms, emphasizing the role of multi-stressors in lake ecosystem functioning. Our study demonstrates the sensitivity of these remote species-poor lakes to increased nutrient loading, introduction of non-native species, such as fish and climate change.

A multi-proxy sediment record of late Holocene and recent climate change from a lake near Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard

The Arctic constitutes a unique and important environment with a significant role in the dynamics and evolution of the earth system. Arctic lake sediments, which accumulate slowly over time, contain abundant information about the biological communities that lived within the water body, as well as in the surrounding catchment. In this study, we collected a sediment core from Ny-Alesund, Svalbard, performed multi-proxy analyses on sediment pigments, mineral magnetic susceptibility, various sediment quality (i. e. organic matter content, CaCO3 content, carbon and nitrogen isotope), and diatom composition, and reconstructed the history of ecosystem responses to environmental variations, especially regarding aquatic productivity and lake catchment surface processes. Ny-Alesund has undergone distinct ecological and climatic changes. During the Little Ice Age, the cold climate was unfavourable for the growth of lake algae, and therefore the lake primary productivity declined. After about AD 1890 and during the 20th century, the warming climate and reduced ice cover led to rapid lithological change and growth of lake algae, enhanced lake pri- mary productivity, and increased input of nutrients derived from increased chemical weathering into the lake. The lake ecosystem on Ny-Alesund has had rapid responses to climatic and environmental changes in the Arctic.

Climate Change and Mercury Accumulation in Canadian High and Subarctic Lakes

Mercury (Hg) profiles were compared to profiles of climate indicators including microfossil remains and algal-derived or S2 carbon (C) in dated sediment cores from 14 lakes spanning latitudinal and longitudinal gradients across the Canadian high and subarctic. Hg fluxes increased postindustrialization (post-∼1850) in 11 of these lakes (postindustrialization Hg fluxes (ΔHgF(F)) = 2-24 μg m(-2) y(-1)). Correction of HgF(F) for catchment contributions demonstrated that Hg deposition originating from catchment-independent factors, such as atmospheric deposition, increased since industrialization in all 14 lakes. Several of these lakes also showed postindustrial shifts in algal assemblages consistent with climate-induced changes. Eleven lakes showed post-1850s increases in S2F(F), suggesting that lake primary productivity has recently increased in the majority of our sites (ΔS2F(F) = 0.1-4 g m(-2) y(-1)). Other studies have interpreted significant relationships between Hg:S2 concentrations in Arctic sediment as support for the algal scavenging hypothesis, which postulates that Hg fluxes to Arctic sediments are largely driven by S2. However, in six of our lakes we observed no Hg:S2 relationship, and in one lake a significant negative Hg:S2 relationship was observed due to increased Hg and decreased S2 C deposition during the postindustrialization period. In six of the seven lakes where a significant positive Hg:S2 relationship was observed, algal assemblages either did not change through time or the timing of the shifts did not correspond to changes in Hg deposition. Our results demonstrate that, although Arctic lakes are experiencing a myriad of changes, including increased Hg and S2 deposition or changing algal assemblages, increased lake primary productivity does not appear to be driving changes in Hg fluxes to sediments.

Interdecadal declines in flood frequency increase primary production in lakes of a northern river delta

AbstractHuman activities and climate change have greatly altered flooding regimes in many of the world's river deltas, but the impact of such changes remains poorly quantified on decadal to multidecadal timescales. This study identified the response of delta lake primary production (measured as the concentration of sedimentary pigments) to variations in flood frequency using spatial surveys and paleolimnological analyses of lakes in the Peace‐Athabasca Delta (PAD), Canada. Surveys of 61 lakes spanning a range of hydrological conditions showed that those lakes that received flood waters less frequently were associated with elevated algal production (surface sedimentary pigments) and, in some lakes, increased growth of emergent macrophytes and epiphytic diatoms. Paleolimnological analyses of five lakes corroborated the contemporary spatial survey results by showing that production of pigments from most algal groups increased during recent periods of lower flood frequency in the 20th century as determined from increases in cellulose‐inferred lake‐water oxygen isotope composition and plant macrofossils, but remained stable in a ‘reference’ basin. In general, past periods of elevated algal production coincided with the increased abundance of submerged macrophytes or emergent vegetation that provide habitat for attached algae. These results suggest that interdecadal declines in river discharge arising from increased aridity, hydrologic regulation or consumptive water use will cause long‐term increases in primary production and alter ecosystem processes (carbon sequestration, biological diversity) in aquatic delta ecosystems similar to the PAD where lakes become nutrient‐rich in the absence of flooding.

Direct and indirect effects of fish on pelagic nitrogen and phosphorus availability in oligotrophic Arctic Alaskan lakes

The importance of fish nutrient recycling for lake primary production increases with lake productivity. However, fish in low-productivity lakes may have substantial indirect effects on nutrient recycling from lower trophic levels. We measured nutrient excretion rates from fish and zooplankton in oligotrophic Arctic lakes and investigated direct and indirect fish effects on consumer nutrient recycling. Fish nutrient excretion rates were small relative to phytoplankton nutrient demand. Zooplankton excretion, however, supplied 19%–130% and 37%–200% of phytoplankton nitrogen and phosphorus demand, respectively. Fish had a significant effect on zooplankton biomass; in lakes with fish, this was approximately 80% lower than in lakes without fish. The difference in zooplankton biomass was due primarily to a decrease in zooplankton density; no significant difference in average zooplankton size was observed between fish and fishless lakes. Fish also impacted zooplankton community composition; communities in lakes with fish were dominated by copepods compared with cladoceran dominance in lakes without fish. Because of lower zooplankton biomass, lakes with fish showed lower rates of zooplankton nitrogen and phosphorus excretion relative to lakes without fish. Thus, our results support the hypothesis that fish have major indirect effects on lake nutrient cycles, even when direct excretion from fish is minimal.

Molecular fingerprinting of wetland organic matter using pyrolysis-GC/MS: an example from the southern Cape coastline of South Africa

Pyrolysis–gas chromatography mass spectrometry (py-GC/MS) allows the characterisation of complex macromolecular organic matter. In lakes and wetlands this can potentially be used to assess the preservation/diagenesis and provenance of sediment organic matter. It can complement palaeoenvironmental investigations utilising ‘bulk’ sediment variables such as total organic carbon (TOC) and TOC/total nitrogen ratios. We applied py-GC/MS analyses to a ~32,000-year sediment record from the southern Cape coastline of South Africa. We used the results to evaluate the sources and extent of degradation of organic matter in this semi-arid environment. Marked down-core changes in the relative abundance of multiple pyrolysis products were observed. Correspondence analysis revealed that the major driver of this down-core variability in OM composition was selective preservation/degradation. Samples comprising highly degraded OM are primarily confined to the lower half of the core, older than ~12,000 years, and are characterised by suites of low-molecular-weight aromatic pyrolysis products. Samples rich in organic matter, e.g. surface sediments, are characterised by products derived from fresh emergent or terrestrial vegetation, which include lignin monomers, plant-derived fatty acids and long-chain n-alkanes. Pyrolysates from the late glacial-early Holocene period, approximately mid-way down the core are characterised by distinct suites of long-chain n-alkene/n-alkane doublets, which may reflect the selective preservation of recalcitrant aliphatic macromolecules and/or enhanced inputs of the algal macromolecule algaenan/polymerised algal lipids. Increased TOC, lower δ13C and increased abundance of more labile lignin and fatty acid products at the same depths suggest this period was associated with increased lake primary productivity and enhanced inputs of terrestrial OM. TOC is the only ‘bulk’ parameter correlated with the correspondence analysis axes extracted from the py-GC/MS data. Distinct fluctuations in TOC/total nitrogen ratio are not explained by variation in organo-nitrogen pyrolysis products. Notwithstanding, the study suggests that py-GC/MS has potential to complement palaeolimnological investigations, particularly in regions such as southern Africa, where other paleoenvironmental proxy variables in sediments may be lacking or equivocal.

A century of bottom‐up‐ and top‐down driven changes on a lake planktonic food web: A paleoecological and paleoisotopic study of Lake Annecy, France

We reconstructed the changes in the planktonic food web of an oligotrophic subalpine lake over the past century, combining paleoecological methods and historical monitoring data. Analyses of organic matter δ15N from sediment cores show that nutrient enrichment started in the 1910s and intensified from the 1930s. Subsequent changes in sediment organic carbon content and accumulation rates, carotenoid pigment concentrations, organic matter δ13C, and cladoceran subfossil remains show that excess nutrient inputs triggered bottom‐up‐driven increases in lake primary production, as well as in Daphnia abundance. Daphnia size, however, started to decrease in the late 1930s, indicating an increasing size‐selective predation from zooplanktivorous whitefish populations (Coregonus lavaretus) that had been fostered by stocking and increased food availability. Whitefish predation is likely to have indirectly facilitated the establishment of Bosmina longirostris. With decreasing nutrient concentrations, Daphnia abundance decreased, but their size declined, presumably due to an ongoing size‐selective predation. At this same time, Bosmina abundance doubled as a likely result of released interspecific competition from smaller Daphnia. δ15N analyses on subfossil cladoceran remains revealed that these changes in cladoceran community structure were accompanied by major changes in the food web. In spite of successful measures to reduce nutrient inputs from the late 1960s and reduced primary production, anoxia still occurs every summer at the lake bottom. These patterns are the consequence of a still relatively high export of phytoplankton‐derived organic matter to the sediment as a result of strong top‐down effects on the planktonic food chain.

Optimized extraction of daily bio-optical time series derived from MODIS/Aqua imagery for Lake Tanganyika, Africa

Lake Tanganyika is one of the world's great freshwater ecosystems. In recent decades its hydrodynamic characteristics have undergone important changes that have had consequences on the lake's primary productivity. The establishment of a long-term Ocean Color dataset for Lake Tanganyika is a fundamental tool for understanding and monitoring these changes. We developed an approach to create a regionally calibrated dataset of chlorophyll- a concentrations (CHL) and attenuation coefficients at 490 nm (K490) for the period from July 2002 to December 2006 using daily calibrated radiances retrieved from the MODIS-Aqua sensor. Standard MODIS Aqua Ocean Color products were found to not provide a suitable calibration for high altitude lakes such as the Lake Tanganyika. An optimization of the extraction process and the validation of the dataset were performed with independent sets of in situ measurements. Our results show that for the geographical, atmospheric and optical conditions of Lake Tanganyika: (i) a coastal aerosol model set with high relative humidity (90%) provides a suitable atmospheric correction; (ii) a significant correlation between in situ data and CHL estimates using the MODIS specific OC3 algorithm is possible; and (iii) K490 estimates provide a good level of significance. The resulting validated time series of bio-optical properties provides a fundamental information base for the study of phytoplankton and primary production dynamics and interannual trends. A comparison between surface chlorophyll- a concentrations estimated from field monitoring and from the MODIS based dataset shows that remote sensing allows improved detection of surface blooms in Lake Tanganyika.

A geochemical record of recent anthropogenic nutrient loading and enhanced productivity in Lake Nansihu, China

Total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes (δ13C, δ15N), total phosphorus (TP) and organic phosphorus (OP) were measured in surface sediments and two short cores (DU-3 and WS-4) from Lake Nansihu, China to infer historical changes in anthropogenic nutrient inputs and corresponding shifts in lake primary productivity. Results indicate that organic matter preserved in the sediments is mainly autochthonous and that analyzed sediment variables were affected little by post-burial diagenesis. Increasing TOC, TN, OP and TP concentrations since the 1940s reflect increased P loading and elevated lake productivity. The δ13C values varied from −21.5 to −26.6‰ in the two sediment cores. Values were relatively more negative before the 1940s, but thereafter increased until the mid-1980s, reflecting elevated lake productivity. Since the mid-1980s, δ13C values remained relatively constant in core WS-4 and decreased in core DU-3, perhaps reflecting a change in the phytoplankton community. The δ15N values ranged from −0.5 to 1.3‰ in core DU-3 and from 1.2 to 2.5‰ in core WS-4 before the mid-1980s, and increased to between 2.1 and 8.0‰ and 5.2 and 7.8‰, respectively, thereafter. Topmost sediments in the two cores display δ15N values similar to those recorded in the surface sediments (5.5–7.5‰). Higher δ15N values in recent deposits correspond to greater nitrogen concentration in water, and likely indicate anthropogenic nitrogen input, mainly from human and animal wastes.

Effects of ultraviolet radiation on the productivity and composition of freshwater phytoplankton communities

The net influence of ultraviolet radiation (UVR; 280-400 nm) on freshwater phytoplankton communities depends on the photon flux density, duration, and spectral quality of exposure and the UVR sensitivity of the assemblage in terms of photosynthetic impairment, biochemical composition, and nutrient assimilation mechanisms. Such effects are mitigated to varying degrees by photoacclimation and selective adaptation at the community level. Variation in UVR penetration among lakes is considerable, largely due to differences in chromophoric dissolved organic matter concentrations. Documented losses of areal daily primary production in lakes due to UVR range from negligible (2.5%) to appreciable (26%). UVR has the potential to alter algal biochemical composition and therefore indirectly affect higher trophic levels. There is evidence that algal nutritional status can influence UVR sensitivity, and that UVR can inhibit uptake and assimilation of inorganic nutrients, but results have been inconsistent. Taxonomic variability in susceptibility to the effects of UVR exists, and likely reflects variation in cell size and shape, concentrations of photoprotective pigments, and capacity to repair UVR photodamage. Suggestions for future research include: (1) resolution of taxon-specific UVR responses by way of single-cell techniques (e.g. enzyme-labelled fluorescence assays, microscope-based variable fluorometers) and (2) systematic comparative studies to link UVR exposure in natural habitats to community responses using the biological weighting function modelling approach. A more robust understanding of how sensitivity to UVR varies according to taxon and habitat is needed if predictions of its role in ecosystem functioning, particularly in connection with climate change, are to be meaningful.

Terrestrial organic matter and light penetration: Effects on bacterial and primary production in lakes

We investigated productivity at the basal trophic level in 15 unproductive lakes in a gradient ranging from clear‐water to brown‐water (humic) lakes in northern Sweden. Primary production and bacterial production in benthic and pelagic habitats were measured to estimate the variation in energy mobilization from external energy sources (primary production plus bacterial production on allochthonous organic carbon) along the gradient. Clear‐water lakes were dominated by autotrophic energy mobilization in the benthic habitat, whereas humic lakes were dominated by heterotrophic energy mobilization in the pelagic habitat. Whole‐lake (benthic + pelagic) energy mobilization was negatively correlated to the light‐extinction coefficient, which was determined by colored terrestrial organic matter in the lake water. Thus, variation in the concentration of terrestrial organic matter and its light‐absorbing characteristics exerts strong control on the magnitude, as well as on the processes and pathways, of energy mobilization in unproductive lakes. We suggest that unproductive lakes in general are sensitive to input of terrestrial organic matter because of its effects on basal energy mobilization in both benthic and pelagic habitats.

Phosphorus Sorption and Potential Phosphorus Storage in Sediments of Lake Istokpoga and the Upper Chain of Lakes, Florida, USA

Phosphorus (P) can be an important nutrient in regulating primary productivity in lakes. The ability of lake sediments to retain P from external sources depends on the physiochemical characteristics of the sediment. To assess the P dynamics in Lake Istokpoga and the upper chain of lakes that drain into Lake Okeechobee, Florida, USA, sorption properties of batch sediment samples for Lakes Tohopekaliga, Cypress, Hatchineha, Kissimmee, and Istokpoga were characterized under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Langmuir model parameters fit the experimental data well (in general, r(2) > 0.70). There were strong correlations between P sorption and total C, total P, Ca, Mg, Fe, and Al (r = 0.83-0.97). Equilibrium P concentration values ranged between 0.001 and 0.192 mg L(-1) for aerobic conditions. A single-point isotherm (initial concentration, 5 mg L(-1)) was found for a wide range of sediment types, which allows estimation of the maximum potential sorption (S(max)) as 1.7 times the sorption (S(max) = 1.7 S(5)). Results suggest that although these sediments have high P sorption capacities, the lake sediments may release P into the water column by desorption under aerobic conditions if water-column P concentrations are low enough (<0.036 mg L(-1) for Lake Tohopekaliga and <0.003-0.027 mg L(-1) for the other four lakes). Current watershed management strategies must balance efforts to reduce P inputs into the lakes from point and nonpoint sources against lowering the water-column P concentration to such a low level that the lake sediments become a source of P to downstream Lake Okeechobee.

Estimation of the phytoplankton productivity in three Estonian lakes

INTRODUCTION Light provides the energy necessary for the transformation of inorganic matter into organic matter by the planktonic algae and all other photoautotrophic plants. Primary production is the direct product of photosynthesis, and primary productivity is the sum of all photosynthetic rates in an ecosystem (Fee, 1998). Information on the primary production enables to improve the understanding of food web relationships in aquatic ecosystems. Because of changing light conditions, primary production has a pronounced diel pattern. In order to acquire integrated results over longer time periods (days, months, years), many consecutive measurements of instantaneous photosynthesis rate should be carried out and integrated. In some studies (Joniak et al., 2003; Yoshida et al., 2003; Forget et al., 2007) the values of daily primary production integrated over the photic zone were estimated from in situ incubations. However, such approach gives reliable results only in clear waters, while in highly productive waters incubation cannot be performed during a long period (e.g. from morning to evening) as part of the [sup.14]C-label gets lost from the cells during long-term incubation due to respiration of photosynthetic products (Lancelot & Mathot, 1986) and release of extracellular products (holler Jensen, 1985). Bio-optical model calculations could provide an alternative to the time-consuming 14C method. Several studies estimate primary production from light intensity and abundance of phytoplankton pigments (cited in Arst et al., 2008a). In cases the processes of interest occur on a longer time-scale, it is common to ignore diurnal variations and use mean daily photosynthetically available irradiance (PAR) to force models of primary producers. Widely used methods include those where the dependence of photosynthesis on available light is expressed by an equation containing two parameters: the initial slope [[alpha].sup.[[beta] and the assimilation number [P.sup.B.sub.m] (Sathyendranath et al., 1989). In these models also data on the vertical profiles of the photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) (Einst [h.sup.-1] [m.sup.-2]) are needed. This is a rather complicated way and gives results on the basis of radiation integrated over the PAR region. For reliable description of primary production profiles, however, it is preferable to use a 'spectral approach', in which the model is based on spectral data of underwater quantum irradiance and absorption coefficients of phytoplankton (Sathyendranath et al., 1989; Smith et al., 1989; Schofield et al., 1990; Kyewalyanga et al., 1992; Kirk, 1994; Sosik, 1996; Arst et al., 2006, 2008a). Two versions (spectral and integral) of a semi-empirical model for calculation of the vertical profiles of primary production in lakes were elaborated by Arst et al. (2008a). The main difference between the models resides in the data on underwater irradiance (spectral or integral). Quantification of these models was performed using the data of in situ measurements of bio-optical parameters in three turbid Estonian lakes (Peipsi, Vortsjarv, and Harku) in 2003-2005. The objectives of the present study were (1) to demonstrate the variability of underwater quantum irradiance by calculating its spectral and diurnal variations at different depths of three lakes for all measurement days; (2) to compare in situ primary production measurement results obtained in 2007 2008 with corresponding model results; and (3) using model calculations to estimate the diurnal variability of the vertical profiles of primary production as well as the corresponding integrated (over water column) values. MATERIALS AND METHODS Study sites The measurements were carried out in three Estonian lakes: Peipsi, Vortsjarv, and Harku. Morphometric data and other parameters of the lakes are shown in Table 1. Lake Peipsi is a large shallow lake on the border of Estonia and Russia. …

The effect of geographic factors on the primary production of lacustrine and terrestrial ecosystems

It is shown that, with increasing latitude, the primary production of lakes increasingly lags behind the primary production of land, with a resulting strengthening of the dependence of aquatic ecosystems on allochthonous input of biogenic and organic substances. An ecological model is presented, which allows the primary production of terrestrial and lacustrine ecosystems to be predicted given the geographic coordinates and climatic characteristics.

Aplicação dos isótopos estáveis em aqüicultura

O produto mais importante do conhecimento é a ignorância. A situação sugere a imagem de alguém que vive numa ilha de conhecimento cercado por um mar de ignorância. Quando a área dessa ilha aumenta pelo progresso da ciência, também aumenta o litoral, - a fronteira com o desconhecido. Esta expansão é o fruto mais valioso do conhecimento (David Gross, Nobel em Física, 2004). O uso dos isótopos estáveis dos bioelementos (CHON'S) presentes na Atmosfera, Hidrosfera, Litosfera e Biosfera enquadra-se neste contexto, surgindo como ferramenta de alto potencial em pesquisas nas diversas áreas das Ciências da Vida. Com organismos aquáticos, a aplicação dos isótopos estáveis do carbono (δ 13C) e do nitrogênio (δ 15N) tem ocorrido em diversas áreas. Em larvas de pacu Piaractus mesopotamicus, a técnica evidenciou a escolha voluntária entre organismos vivos e dieta seca pelos animais, desde as primeiras alimentações até o final da larvicultura. Na carcinicultura, o crescimento do Penaeus vannamei resultou do aproveitamento dos alimentos oferecidos e da produtividade primária do lago (biota). Por meio do balanço de massa e isotópico foi possível determinar a contribuição da biota, da ordem de 44 a 86% do carbono assimilado pelos animais durante o crescimento. Outro exemplo é com o caranguejo de mangue Sesarma rectum, em que sua preferência alimentar por Spartina alterniflora (C4) versus Rhizophora mangle (C3) ou Hibiscus tiliaceus (C3) foi evidenciada pelo modelo isotópico de duas fontes alimentares e os isótopos estáveis do carbono (δ13C). A técnica dos isótopos estáveis associada ao conhecimento dos conceitos básicos da variabilidade isotópica natural e ao uso criterioso das razões 13C/12C; ²H/¹H; 18O/16O; 15N/14N e 36S/34S revela-se como um avanço na fronteira dos conhecimentos, nas diversas reentrâncias do litoral da aqüicultura.

Effects of alpine hydropower operations on primary production in a downstream lake

During the past century, the construction of hydropower dams in the watershed of Lake Brienz has significantly altered the dynamics of turbidity, which has important implications for lake productivity. To assess these effects, we measured in situ carbon assimilation rates and ambient light intensities over 18 months. Based on experimental data, a numerical model was developed to assess gross primary production under present light conditions and those under a hypothetical case without upstream dams. Light conditions for the hypothetical ‘no-dam’ situation were estimated from pre-dam Secchi depths and simulated ‘no-dam’ particle concentrations. Current gross primary production is low (~66 gC m−2 yr−1), and could increase ~44% if the lake was less turbid. Disregarding nutrient retention in reservoirs, we estimate gross primary production would be ~35% lower in summer and ~23% higher in winter in the absence of reservoirs. The annual primary production (~58 gC m−2 yr−1) would decrease ~12% compared to the current primary production with dams. According to model calculations, hydropower operations have significantly altered the seasonal dynamics, but have little effect on annual primary production in Lake Brienz.