An extension of the floodpulse concept (FPC) for lakes

Abstract

This paper delivers a conceptual framework for the ecological functioning and biodiversity patterns of lakes that is based on the floodpulse concept (FPC). The specific characteristics of rivers and lakes considering water-level fluctuations are compared, with respect to catchment linkages, temporal patterns, and hydraulic forces of flooding and drawdown. The influences of floodpulses on element cycles, biodiversity, and adaptations of lake biota are analyzed, and the importance of multi-annual flooding cycles is highlighted. The degree by which these water-level fluctuations influence lake ecosystems strongly depends on lake morphology, where shallow lakes or those with large shallow margins are the most sensitive. Although floodpulses play a major role for ecosystem services such as lake management and climate change mitigation schemes, this issue is only scarcely dealt with. Tenets of the extended FPC for lakes are formulated in order to overcome this problem.

Impact of lake‐catchment processes on phytoplankton community structure in temperate shallow lakes

“…Dissolved organic matter is transported within the catchment, and it may be accumulated in a lake basin, favouring or limiting the development of aquatic life (Wantzen, Junk, & Rothhaupt, 2008). The rate and intensity of in-lake processes are a derivative of local conditions of the lake catchment.…”

Model-Based Evaluation of the Effects of River Discharge Modulations on Physical Fish Habitat Quality

“…Further investigations should examine the aspect of timing and the match and mismatch between the actual hydromorphological situation and the specific habitat requirements of the life stage of the studied species. This can determine the "windows of opportunity" or "windows of susceptibility" for individual species, and result in a "serial biodiversity" of assemblages of species that have similar ecological requirements [91][92][93].…”

Overview of Inland Water Habitats

“…In some areas, such as the Amazon forests, vast floodplain areas transform into highly productive wetlands that allow a greater array of species to thrive in more favorable conditions than found in adjacent rivers, and higher overall levels of primary and secondary productivity. By contrast, tropical dry forests have less continuous rain and more dry periods, thereby affecting species composition and life history attributes for aquatic invertebrates (Wantzen et al, 2008a). By contrast, tropical dry forests have less continuous rain and more dry periods, thereby affecting species composition and life history attributes for aquatic invertebrates (Wantzen et al, 2008a).…”

“…The interactive landscape components of rivers include the riverscape (main channel and lateral slackwaters (e.g., bays, secondary channels, backwaters)) and the floodscape (e.g., oxbows, anabranches, floodscape lakes, floodplain wetlands; Thorp et al, 2008) which are periodically connected to the riverscape by flood pulses (e.g., Haslam, 2008;Junk et al, 1989;Junk and Wantzen, 2004;Wantzen et al, 2008a). Streams are typically more turbulent than lentic systems, and therefore thermal stratification of the water mass is rare except in true backwaters.…”