A 200-year perspective on alternative stable state theory and lake management from a biomanipulated shallow lake

Hobbs, William O.; Hobbs, Joy M. Ramstack; Lafrancois, Toben D.; Zimmer, Kyle D.; Theissen, Kevin M.; Edlund, Mark B.; Michelutti, Neal; Butler, Malcolm G.; Hanson, Mark A.; Carlson, Thomas J.

doi:10.1890/1051-0761-22.5.1483

Cited by 60 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…and D. hyalina agg.) appeared and the proportion of B. longirostris increased, probably reflecting increases in pelagic primary production (Vadeboncoeur et al ., ; Davidson et al ., ; Hobbs et al ., ). Diatoms exhibited their first eutrophication‐related shifts from the early 1800s with a rise in C. dubius , a spring and autumn bloomer in eutrophic lakes (Bradshaw & Anderson, ), followed by a more marked increase in this taxon along with S. parvus , another spring bloom former, after c .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Harnessing the potential of the multi‐indicator palaeoecological approach: an assessment of the nature and causes of ecological change in a eutrophic shallow lake

et al. 2015

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SUMMARY1. Multi-indicator palaeoecological studies have become increasingly popular over the last decade as the need for a more complete understanding of lake ecological histories has increased. However, the true potential of the full biological record for assessing the potential drivers of observed ecological shifts in lake sediment records has rarely been demonstrated. 2. Here, we examine the remains of a range of food-web components including algae (diatoms), macrophytes (plant macrofossils), zooplankton (chitinous and ephippial Cladocera remains), invertebrates (including chironomids, bryozoans, Mollusca) and fish (fish scales and fish leech egg cocoons) in multiple sediment cores from Groby Pool, an enriched English shallow lake, to assess whole-ecosystem response to eutrophication over the last two centuries. We focus on three striking changes in the palaeorecord, namely the post-1900 increase in Daphnia spp., the post-1840 decline in Cristatella mucedo and the post-1940 increase in Cocconeis placentula, and utilise the multi-indicator palaeoecological data to evaluate possible explanations for these patterns. 3. Principal curves analysis revealed marked and broadly simultaneous changes in the plant macrofossils, cladocerans, diatoms and chironomids (as well as in other animal remains such as bryozoans and Mollusca), indicating an early period of enrichment most likely associated with land-use change in the late 18th century, followed by a more recent eutrophication phase coincident with the discharge of sewage effluent to the lake from 1935. 4. Ecological change, resulting from eutrophication, was shown to have progressed slowly and steadily and to have occurred at all trophic levels with a shift from a relatively diverse 'mesotrophic' macrophyte assemblage, dominance by benthic diatoms and plant-associated Chydoridae and chironomids towards a relatively species-poor, 'eutrophic' macrophyte community with dominance by planktonic algae (e.g. Cyclostephanoid diatom taxa), planktonic Cladocera (Bosmina, Daphnia) and a chironomid fauna dominated by mud-associated taxa. The inferred shift in the macrophyte community from charophyte to fine-leaved pondweed and Callitriche truncata suggests a reduction in the seasonal duration of plant dominance. 5. The multi-indicator analysis indicates that a combination of increased phytoplankton biomass and low zooplanktivorous fish predation is likely to explain the recent increases in Daphnia spp., while loss of plant habitat and increased competition for food appear to be the most likely causes of the observed decline in C. mucedo, and resistance to increased grazing pressure from invertebrates is the most probable driver of the C. placentula increase. 1423This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.Freshwater Biology (2015Biology ( ) 60, 1423Biology ( -1442Biology ( doi:10.1111 6. Our study illustrates the potenti...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Harnessing the potential of the multi‐indicator palaeoecological approach: an assessment of the nature and causes of ecological change in a eutrophic shallow lake

et al. 2015

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“…The multidisciplinary approach with both paleolimnological data and ecosystem modeling allowed us to combine the strength of both approaches. As many other lakes around the world have (Hobbs et al ., ; Wang et al ., ; Kattel et al ., ), Lake Chaohu was affected by both ‘slow’ ecological (nutrient loading) and ‘fast’ physical (WLC) driving factors. The paleolimnological approach is well suited to detect the timing and magnitude of regime shifts.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hydrological regulation drives regime shifts: evidence from paleolimnology and ecosystem modeling of a large shallow Chinese lake

Kong

Yang

et al. 2016

Global Change Biology

132

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Quantitative evidence of sudden shifts in ecological structure and function in large shallow lakes is rare, even though they provide essential benefits to society. Such 'regime shifts' can be driven by human activities which degrade ecological stability including water level control (WLC) and nutrient loading. Interactions between WLC and nutrient loading on the long-term dynamics of shallow lake ecosystems are, however, often overlooked and largely underestimated, which has hampered the effectiveness of lake management. Here, we focus on a large shallow lake (Lake Chaohu) located in one of the most densely populated areas in China, the lower Yangtze River floodplain, which has undergone both WLC and increasing nutrient loading over the last several decades. We applied a novel methodology that combines consistent evidence from both paleolimnological records and ecosystem modeling to overcome the hurdle of data insufficiency and to unravel the drivers and underlying mechanisms in ecosystem dynamics. We identified the occurrence of two regime shifts: one in 1963, characterized by the abrupt disappearance of submerged vegetation, and another around 1980, with strong algal blooms being observed thereafter. Using model scenarios, we further disentangled the roles of WLC and nutrient loading, showing that the 1963 shift was predominantly triggered by WLC, whereas the shift ca. 1980 was attributed to aggravated nutrient loading. Our analysis also shows interactions between these two stressors. Compared to the dynamics driven by nutrient loading alone, WLC reduced the critical P loading and resulted in earlier disappearance of submerged vegetation and emergence of algal blooms by approximately 26 and 10 years, respectively. Overall, our study reveals the significant role of hydrological regulation in driving shallow lake ecosystem dynamics, and it highlights the urgency of using multi-objective management criteria that includes ecological sustainability perspectives when implementing hydrological regulation for aquatic ecosystems around the globe.

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“…Agriculture contributes large quantities of nutrients and modifies nutrient ratios in lakes within affected watersheds [5], [6], [26], [63], [79] and elevated nutrients may increase lake trophic status and favor turbid regimes [53]. Throughout central North America, anthropogenic changes in hydrologic flow networks, upland cover types, lake depths, and other factors are extensive and have been thoroughly integrated in shallow lake watersheds during the past 100 years [26], [28], [78]. Attempts to identify factors causing further changes in response to present landscape patterns may be limited when studies are based on already-impacted lakes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparing Effects of Lake- and Watershed-Scale Influences on Communities of Aquatic Invertebrates in Shallow Lakes

et al. 2012

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Constraints on lake communities are complex and are usually studied by using limited combinations of variables derived from measurements within or adjacent to study waters. While informative, results often provide limited insight about magnitude of simultaneous influences operating at multiple scales, such as lake- vs. watershed-scale. To formulate comparisons of such contrasting influences, we explored factors controlling the abundance of predominant aquatic invertebrates in 75 shallow lakes in western Minnesota, USA. Using robust regression techniques, we modeled relative abundance of Amphipoda, small and large cladocera, Corixidae, aquatic Diptera, and an aggregate taxon that combined Ephemeroptera-Trichoptera-Odonata (ETO) in response to lake- and watershed-scale characteristics. Predictor variables included fish and submerged plant abundance, linear distance to the nearest wetland or lake, watershed size, and proportion of the watershed in agricultural production. Among-lake variability in invertebrate abundance was more often explained by lake-scale predictors than by variables based on watershed characteristics. For example, we identified significant associations between fish presence and community type and abundance of small and large cladocera, Amphipoda, Diptera, and ETO. Abundance of Amphipoda, Diptera, and Corixidae were also positively correlated with submerged plant abundance. We observed no associations between lake-watershed variables and abundance of our invertebrate taxa. Broadly, our results seem to indicate preeminence of lake-level influences on aquatic invertebrates in shallow lakes, but historical land-use legacies may mask important relationships.

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A 200-year perspective on alternative stable state theory and lake management from a biomanipulated shallow lake

Cited by 60 publications

References 35 publications

Harnessing the potential of the multi‐indicator palaeoecological approach: an assessment of the nature and causes of ecological change in a eutrophic shallow lake

Harnessing the potential of the multi‐indicator palaeoecological approach: an assessment of the nature and causes of ecological change in a eutrophic shallow lake

Hydrological regulation drives regime shifts: evidence from paleolimnology and ecosystem modeling of a large shallow Chinese lake

Comparing Effects of Lake- and Watershed-Scale Influences on Communities of Aquatic Invertebrates in Shallow Lakes

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