Shifts In Diatom Assemblages Research Articles

Evaluating the Response of Cladocera to Recent Environmental Changes in Lakes from the Central Canadian Arctic Treeline Region

ABSTRACTArctic and subarctic ecosystems have undergone considerable environmental changes in recent years as the result of climate warming. Fossil records of freshwater diatoms in lakes throughout the circumpolar Arctic, including the central Canadian Arctic treeline region, have revealed marked directional shifts in diatom assemblages in recent lake sediments. These algal changes have been linked to longer growing seasons, decreased duration of ice cover, and/or increased thermal stability. The effects of these recent environmental changes on higher trophic levels, such as the Cladocera, are still unclear. Using cladoceran remains preserved in the sediments of 50 lakes, which were previously examined for changes in diatoms, we show that significant changes in cladoceran species composition have occurred from pre-industrial times to the present. However, these changes are considerably muted compared to the more substantial changes observed in the diatom record. We found no consistent patterns of change in planktonic cladocerans (i.e. Daphnia, Bosmina) within our study lakes, and the response of the Cladocera to environmental changes does not appear to be strongly coupled to recent changes in diatom communities, thus further confirming that the previously observed diatom changes were related to bottom-up limnological controls. These results highlight the complex response of Arctic freshwater food webs to climate change, and the need for incorporating multi-trophic studies into climate change investigations.

A 700-YEAR PALEOECOLOGICAL RECORD OF BOREAL ECOSYSTEM RESPONSES TO CLIMATIC VARIATION FROM ALASKA

Recent observations and model simulations have highlighted the sensitivity of the forest-tundra ecotone to climatic forcing. In contrast, paleoecological studies have not provided evidence of tree-line fluctuations in response to Holocene climatic changes in Alaska, suggesting that the forest-tundra boundary in certain areas may be relatively stable at multicentennial to millennial time scales. We conducted a multiproxy study of sediment cores from an Alaskan lake near the altitudinal limits of key boreal-forest species. Paleoecological data were compared with independent climatic reconstructions to assess ecosystem responses of the forest tundra boundary to Little Ice Age (LIA) climatic fluctuations. Pollen, diatom, charcoal, macrofossil, and magnetic analyses provide the first continuous record of vegetation fire-climate interactions at decadal to centennial time scales during the past 700 years from southern Alaska. Boreal-forest diebacks characterized by declines of Picea mariana, P. glauca, and tree Betula occurred during the LIA (AD 1500-1800), whereas shrubs (Alnus viridis, Betula glandulosa/nana) and herbaceous taxa (Epilobium, Aconitum) expanded. Marked increases in charcoal abundance and changes in magnetic properties suggest increases in fire importance and soil erosion during the same period. In addition, the conspicuous reduction or disappearance of certain aquatic (e.g., Isoetes, Nuphar, Pediastrum) and wetland (Sphagnum) plants and major shifts in diatom assemblages suggest pronounced lake-level fluctuations and rapid ecosystem reorganization in response to LIA climatic deterioration. Our results imply that temperature shifts of 1-2 degrees C, when accompanied by major changes in moisture balance, can greatly alter high-altitudinal terrestrial, wetland, and aquatic ecosystems, including conversion between boreal-forest tree line and tundra. The climatic and ecosystem variations in our study area appear to be coherent with changes in solar irradiance, suggesting that changes in solar activity contributed to the environmental instability of the past 700 years.

Diatom community response to multiple scales of Holocene climate variability in a small lake on Victoria Island, NWT, Canada

A lake sediment core spanning 9900 years, collected from a small lake on western Victoria Island, NWT, Canada, provides a high-resolution record of diatom community dynamics over the Holocene. Ten radiocarbon dates and 210Pb dating provided the core chronology. Loss-on-ignition (LOI), magnetic susceptibility, biogenic silica content, and diatom concentrations provided information on changes in the sedimentary environment. LOI gradually increased over the Holocene whereas magnetic susceptibility showed an inverse trend. Biogenic silica content showed three distinct peaks spaced approximately 3000 years apart. Major shifts in diatom assemblages occurred at 8100–8000, 5800–5700, and 3800–3500calyrBP. There is evidence of diatom community response to centennial-scale variations such as the ‘Medieval Warm Period’ (∼1000–700calyrBP), ‘Little Ice Age’ (∼800–150calyrBP) and recent warming. Although recent changes in diatom community composition, productivity, and species richness are apparent they were surpassed at other periods throughout the Holocene. Variations of the taxa within the genera Staurosira, Pseudostaurosira, Fragilaria, and Staurosirella, usually combined into one genus in Arctic lake sediment studies, suggest these taxa provide useful insight into paleonvironmental questions.

Tracking long-term acidification trends in Pockwock Lake (Halifax, Nova Scotia), the water supply for a major eastern Canadian city

Pockwock Lake, the drinking water supply for the city of Halifax (Nova Scotia, Canada), has been impacted by the deposition of strongly acidic anions. Because long-term monitoring data are lacking, we used diatom-based paleolimnological techniques to track changes in water quality variables in this important water source. Similar to other acidified lakes in this region, Pockwock Lake has undergone changes in diatom assemblages starting ~1940 with a corresponding lakewater pH decrease of 1.2 units. Before ~1940, Pockwock Lake had a diatom-inferred pH ~6.3 and a diatom assemblage dominated by Cyclotella stelligera and Asterionella ralfsii var. americana (>45 μm). With the onset of acidification, diatom-inferred lakewater pH decreased to ~5.8 and there was a shift to dominance by A. ralfsii var. americana (>45 μm) and Tabellaria flocculosa. A subsequent shift in diatom assemblages and inferred lakewater pH was recorded ~1990 suggesting a decrease in dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and water colour. Since ~1992 Pockwock Lake has undergone further acidification, as evidenced by a shift in the diatom assemblage to dominance by Fragilaria acidobiontica, Eunotia spp., and Frustulia pseudomagaliesmontana. Both diatom-inferred and measured lakewater pH = 5.1 during this time interval. The first (~1940–1992) acidification period followed the trend observed in other humic (high DOC) Nova Scotia lakes, whereas the second (post ~1992) acidification event resulted in a diatom assemblage more common in acidified clearwater (low DOC) lakes. Thus, the acidification signal observed in Pockwock Lake likely indicates a change in diatom assemblage resulting from a loss of DOC, and the sudden drop in diatom-inferred pH suggests that the weak acid buffering system of humic DOC had been exceeded. Further acidification and loss of DOC in this lake has the potential to increase the availability of metals in this important water source.

Caveats on the use of paleolimnology to infer Pacific salmon returns

The ability of paleolimnology to reconstruct historical sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) abundance was assessed at Fraser Lake, an important nursery lake in the interior of British Columbia (BC), Canada. Multiple sediment proxies of lake production, as well as nitrogen and carbon stable isotopes, all portray relatively complacent stratigraphies, despite well‐monitored changes in salmon returns over the most recent 60 years. The separation of autochthonous from total sediment organic matter did not clarify the identification of the nitrogen isotopic fingerprint of marine‐derived nutrients (MDN). Slight shifts in diatom assemblages are better interpreted as responses to either early human activities in the catchment or post‐Little Ice Age climate warming. The low proportion of MDN in the lake's annual budget (3% N and 7% P) is the probable reason their influence is not expressed in lake sediments. Thus, paleolimnology is incapable of providing unequivocal inferences concerning historical salmon abundances in Fraser Lake, in contrast to lakes from southern Alaska, where the same techniques have yielded unambiguous results. Sediment MDN proxies, together with catchment characteristics and escapement data, were collated for an additional nine sockeye nursery lakes spanning southern Alaska to southern BC. Primary production and biogeochemical cycling in Alaskan nursery lakes appears largely driven by MDN from sockeye returns, whereas BC lakes are more strongly influenced by allochthonous organic matter and lake‐water residence times. Alaskan lakes possess the limnological features that are prerequisite for meaningful salmon reconstructions using paleolimnology, while lakes from southern BC do not. This does not suggest that MDN are unimportant in southern BC lakes but rather that they are not readily disentangled from other factors that shape the paleolimnological record.

A diatom-based Holocene record of human impact from a coastal environment: Tuckean Swamp, eastern Australia

Diatom-based paleolimnological studies are being increasingly used to track anthropogenic change in estuaries. Little is known, however, about the direction and nature of long-term environmental changes in Australian estuaries. In this study, shifts in diatom assemblages preserved in a 210Pb and C14 AMS dated sediment core from Tuckean Swamp were analysed to determine environmental changes that had taken place as a result of changing land-use practices. Prior to European impact, the diatom assemblage remained relatively stable and was dominated by Actinocyclus normanii and Diploneis smithii. An increasing dominance of Cyclotella meneghiniana correlates well with changed land use activities in the catchment area and indicates an increase of freshwater influence in the swamp’s environment. A major shift in species composition began ∼1970, Eunotia flexuosa becoming dominant. The assemblage shifts recorded at this site appear to be consistent with environmental changes triggered by human activities such as vegetation clearance, drainage and the construction of a barrage. This study demonstrates the use of paleolimnoology in an estuarine environment to provide pre-impact data necessary for management of the aquatic environment.

Early-20th Century Environmental Changes Inferred Using Subfossil Diatoms from a Small Pond on Melville Island, N.W.T., Canadian High Arctic

Diatom-based paleolimnological studies are being increasingly used to track long-term environmental change in arctic regions. Little is known, however, about the direction and nature of such environmental changes in the western Canadian high Arctic. In this study, shifts in diatom assemblages preserved in a 210Pb-dated sediment core collected from a small pond on Melville Island, N.W.T., were interpreted to record marked environmental changes that had taken place since the early 20th century. For most of the history of the pond recorded in this core, the diatom assemblage remained relatively stable and was dominated by Fragilaria capucina. A major shift in species composition began in the early-20th century, with a sharp decline in F. capucina and a concurrent increase in Achnanthes minutissima. In the last 20 years, further changes in the diatom assemblage occurred, with a notable increase in the Nitzschia perminuta complex. The assemblage shifts recorded at this site appear to be consistent with environmental changes triggered by recent climatic warming.

Postglacial record of diatom assemblage changes related to climate in an alpine lake in the northern Rocky Mountains, Canada

We relate changes in diatom assemblages to Holocene climate since ca. 10 300 cal. years BP at a small (4 ha), alkaline, alpine tundra lake in the Rocky Mountains of northeast British Columbia. A complex of small benthic Fragilaria-type taxa generally dominated the fossil diatom communities reflecting shallow, alkaline, and likely low light conditions resulting from minerogenic turbidity or extensive ice cover throughout the Holocene. Shifts in diatom assemblages occurred with changes in local vegetation, inferred from pollen and stomate records, and shifts in charcoal-inferred fire frequency (e.g., lowering of tree line and reduced fire frequency (approx. 7500 cal. years BP) and establishment of modern alpine tundra (approx. 3500 cal. years BP). Importantly, striking changes in diatom communities (e.g., during the mid-Holocene (approx. 5500 to approx. 3500 cal. years BP) and Medieval Warm Period (approx. AD 800 to approx. AD 1250)) occurred without evidence of vegetation shifts. During these times, diverse periphytic diatoms dominated suggesting improved benthic habitat availability with longer growing seasons and probably reduced alkalinity and turbidity with warmer- and wetter-than-present climates. Diatom analysis from this alpine lake provides a sensitive record of climate-related limnological responses, but also refines our previous understanding of Holocene climate changes in the northern Rocky Mountains inferred from terrestrial-based paleoecological records.Key words: alkalinity, alpine lakes, climate change, diatoms, Holocene, paleolimnology.

Palaeoenvironmental changes in southern Patagonia during the last millennium recorded in lake sediments from Laguna Azul (Argentina)

Marked environmental changes in the southern Patagonian steppe during the last 1100 years are detected by a multi-proxy study of radiocarbon-dated sediment cores from the crater lake Laguna Azul (52°05′S, 69°35′W). A prominent shift in carbon isotope records occurred between AD 1670 and AD 1890 induced by a change to cooler climate conditions with a concurrent lake level rise. A second perturbation of the lake ecosystem started with a fire event around AD 1830. The fire event triggered increased soil erosion initiating a change of the diatom assemblages. This shift in diatom assemblages may have been enhanced by shrinkage of littoral habitats and higher nutrient supply in the course of permanent European settlement at the end of the 19th century. The introduction of neophytes by European sheep farmers is confirmed by the permanent occurrence of Rumex pollen in the sediment record since the beginning of the 20th century.

Effects of wildfire ash on water chemistry and biota in South‐Western U.S.A. streams

SUMMARY1. We monitored streams within the Gila River drainage in south‐western New Mexico, U.S.A., over a 5‐year period, to investigate the influence of ash input on water quality and stream biota following forest wildfires.2. Nutrients [ammonium, nitrate, soluble reactive phosphate (SRP)], potassium and alkalinity were most affected by fires; all were increased in stream water following ash input. Concentrations of each returned to prefire conditions within 4 months. Ammonium and nitrate also increased in stream water as a result of atmospheric fallout (e.g. smoke) from fires outside the catchment.3. Periphyton biomass was not affected significantly by wildfires, although there was a shift in diatom assemblage to smaller more adnate taxa. Cocconeis placentula was frequently the dominant postfire species.4. The influence of wildfires on macroinvertebrates ranged from minimal to dramatic reductions in density depending upon the duration of ash flows and the characteristics of the ash material that entered each system. Macroinvertebrate densities returned to prefire conditions within 1 year.5. An in‐situ ashing experiment was conducted on a first‐order stream in the Gila River drainage to monitor on‐site physiochemical and biotic responses during and after fire ash addition, for comparison with ash delivery from real wildfires on monitored streams. Physical–chemical parameters and algae and macroinvertebrates were monitored in an ashed and upstream reference reach for 13 months. Results generally substantiated findings from monitored streams.6. Concentrations of major ions and nutrients, as well as turbidity, conductivity and pH, increased immediately in stream water below the point of ashing, while dissolved oxygen decreased. Changes in water chemistry were short‐lived (=24 h) except for SRP. The concentration of SRP in stream water was significantly higher in the ashed reach than the control reach for at least 1 month after ash input.7. Periphyton biomass and diatom assemblages were not significantly altered in the ashing study, whereas macroinvertebrate density was measurably lower in the ashed reach for nearly a year. Macroinvertebrate drift was over 10‐fold greater in the ashed reach compared with the reference reach during ashing. Dissimilarity between macroinvertebrate communities in the reference and ashed reaches was significantly greater than variation within reaches for nearly a year.

Diatom-temperature transfer functions based on the altitudinal zonation of diatom assemblages in Papua New Guinea: a possible tool in the reconstruction of regional palaeoclimatic changes

Indirect and direct gradient ordination techniques were used to study the relationship between present-day benthic and periphytic diatom assemblages and environmental factors along an altitudinal gradient in Papua New Guinea. Both within the screened initial data-set and a narrowly-defined subset of soft-water lakes, shifts in diatom assemblages are clearly related to altitudinal differences. This relation is used to construct transfer functions for inferring altitude (and hence average water temperature) from the diatom records. Calibration by canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) and simple weighted averaging calibration proved to be superior to models using WA with tolerance downweighting and to a simple WA model based on a selection of 52 indicator taxa. From the calibration models and the linear relationship between altitude and epilimnetic water temperature, the average lake water temperature can be predicted with an accuracy of 3.2°C. After further refinement, a transfer function for palaeotemperature based on diatoms would be of potential value for climatic reconstructions in tropical regions.