Dataset Information

Fewer blue lakes and more murky lakes across the continental U.S.: Implications for planktonic food webs.

ABSTRACT: Elevated allochthonous inputs of organic matter are increasingly recognized as a driver of ecosystem change in lakes, particularly when concurrent with eutrophication. Evaluation of lakes in a nutrient-color paradigm (i.e., based on total phosphorus and true color) enables a more robust approach to research and management. To assess temporal and spatial patterns in nutrient-color status for U.S. lakes and associated food web attributes, we analyzed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's National Lakes Assessment (NLA) data. With 1000+ lakes sampled in 2007 and 2012 in a stratified random sampling design, the NLA enables rigorous assessment of lake condition across the continental U.S. We demonstrate that many U.S. lakes are simultaneously experiencing eutrophication and brownification to produce an abundance of "murky" lakes. Overall, "blue" lakes decreased by ~ 18% (46% of lakes in 2007 to 28% in 2012) while "murky" lakes increased by almost 12% (24% of lakes in 2007 to 35.4% in 2012). No statistical differences were observed in the proportions of "green" or "brown" lakes. Regionally, murky lakes significantly increased in the Northern Appalachian, Southern Plains, and Xeric ecoregions. Murky lakes exhibited the highest epilimnetic chlorophyll a concentrations, cyanobacterial densities, and microcystin concentrations. Total zooplankton biomass was also highest in murky lakes, primarily due to increased rotifer and copepod biomass. However, zooplankton : phytoplankton biomass ratios were low, suggesting reduced energy transfer to higher trophic levels. These results emphasize that many lakes in the U.S. are simultaneously "greening" and "browning", with potentially negative consequences for water quality and food web structure.

SUBMITTER: Leech DM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6961962 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Fewer blue lakes and more murky lakes across the continental U.S.: Implications for planktonic food webs.

Leech Dina M DM Pollard Amina I AI Labou Stephanie G SG Hampton Stephanie E SE

Limnology and oceanography 20181101 6

Elevated allochthonous inputs of organic matter are increasingly recognized as a driver of ecosystem change in lakes, particularly when concurrent with eutrophication. Evaluation of lakes in a nutrient-color paradigm (i.e., based on total phosphorus and true color) enables a more robust approach to research and management. To assess temporal and spatial patterns in nutrient-color status for U.S. lakes and associated food web attributes, we analyzed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Nati ...[more]

PMID: 31942083

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Project description:Climate warming is accelerating the retreat of glaciers and recently, many 'new' glacial turbid lakes have been created. In the course of time, the loss of the hydrological connectivity to a glacier causes, however, changes in their water turbidity and turns these ecosystems into clear ones.To understand potential differences in the food-web structure between glacier-fed turbid and clear alpine lakes, we sampled ciliates, phyto-, bacterio- and zooplankton in one clear and one glacial turbid alpine lake, and measured key physicochemical parameters. In particular, we focused on the ciliate community and the potential drivers for their abundance distribution.In both lakes, the zooplankton community was similar and dominated by the copepod Cyclops abyssorum tatricus and rotifers including Polyarthra dolichoptera, Keratella hiemalis, Keratella cochlearis and Notholca squamula. The phytoplankton community structure differed and it was dominated by the planktonic diatom Fragilaria tenera and the cryptophyte alga Plagioselmis nannoplanctica in the glacial turbid lake, while chrysophytes and dinoflagellates were predominant in the clear one.Ciliate abundance and richness were higher in the glacial turbid lake (?4000-27 800 Ind L-1, up to 29 species) than in the clear lake (?570-7150 Ind L-1, up to eight species). The dominant species were Balanion planctonicum, Askenasia cf. chlorelligera, Urotricha cf. furcata and Mesodinium cf. acarus. The same species dominated in both lakes, except for Mesodinium cf. acarus and some particle-associated ciliates, which occurred exclusively in the glacial turbid lake. The relative underwater solar irradiance (i.e. percentage of PAR and UVR at depth) significantly explained their abundance distribution pattern, especially in the clear water lake. In the glacial turbid lake, the abundance of the dominating ciliate taxa was mainly explained by the presence of predatory zooplankton.Our results revealed an unexpected high abundance and richness of protists (algae, ciliates) in the glacial turbid lake. This type of lake likely offers more suitable environmental conditions and resource niches for protists than the clear and highly UV transparent lake.

Dataset Information

Fewer blue lakes and more murky lakes across the continental U.S.: Implications for planktonic food webs.

Publications

Fewer blue lakes and more murky lakes across the continental U.S.: Implications for planktonic food webs.

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