Diatom communities in the High Arctic aquatic habitats of northern Spitsbergen (Svalbard)

Zgrundo, Aleksandra; Wojtasik, Barbara; Convey, Peter; Majewska, Roksana

doi:10.1007/s00300-016-2014-y

Cited by 12 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 81 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…frustulum , and N . perminuta ), common Arctic taxa that dominate assemblages at sites with greatly elevated nutrients [ 73 , 74 ] and more alkaline pH [ 78 , 83 ], are present in high relative abundances throughout the Moraine Pond record.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ice-cover is the principal driver of ecological change in High Arctic lakes and ponds

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Recent climate change has been especially pronounced in the High Arctic, however, the responses of aquatic biota, such as diatoms, can be modified by site-specific environmental characteristics. To assess if climate-mediated ice cover changes affect the diatom response to climate, we used paleolimnological techniques to examine shifts in diatom assemblages from ten High Arctic lakes and ponds from Ellesmere Island and nearby Pim Island (Nunavut, Canada). The sites were divided a priori into four groups (“warm”, “cool”, “cold”, and “oasis”) based on local elevation and microclimatic differences that result in differing lengths of the ice-free season, as well as about three decades of personal observations. We characterized the species changes as a shift from Condition 1 (i.e. a generally low diversity, predominantly epipelic and epilithic diatom assemblage) to Condition 2 (i.e. a typically more diverse and ecologically complex assemblage with an increasing proportion of epiphytic species). This shift from Condition 1 to Condition 2 was a consistent pattern recorded across the sites that experienced a change in ice cover with warming. The “warm” sites are amongst the first to lose their ice covers in summer and recorded the earliest and highest magnitude changes. The “cool” sites also exhibited a shift from Condition 1 to Condition 2, but, as predicted, the timing of the response lagged the “warm” sites. Meanwhile some of the “cold” sites, which until recently still retained an ice raft in summer, only exhibited this shift in the upper-most sediments. The warmer “oasis” ponds likely supported aquatic vegetation throughout their records. Consequently, the diatoms of the “oasis” sites were characterized as high-diversity, Condition 2 assemblages throughout the record. Our results support the hypothesis that the length of the ice-free season is the principal driver of diatom assemblage responses to climate in the High Arctic, largely driven by the establishment of new aquatic habitats, resulting in increased diversity and the emergence of novel growth forms and epiphytic species.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ice-cover is the principal driver of ecological change in High Arctic lakes and ponds

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The largest grouping of diatom samples belongs to biotype 2 comprising a diverse group of lakes and ponds. The small benthic fragilarioid taxa typical of this biotype are one of the most opportunistic and ubiquitous diatom groups reported in the literature (Schmidt, Kamenik, Lange-Bertalot, & Klee, 2004) and are commonly reported in lakes across the circum-Arctic (Douglas & Smol, 1995;Griffiths, Michelutti, Sugar, Douglas, & Smol, 2017;Laing, Pienitz, & Smol, 1999;Lehnherr et al, 2018;Pienitz et al, 1995;Rühland et al, 2003;Saulnier-Talbot, Larocque-Tobler, Gregory-Eaves, & Pientiz, 2015;Schmidt et al, 2004;Smith, 2002;Weckström et al, 1997;Zgrundo, Wojtasik, Convey, & Majewska, 2017). The generalist nature of these benthic diatoms results in their occurrence in a wide range of habitats where they are able to tolerate low light conditions, as, for instance, under ice (Lotter & Bigler, 2000) or in turbid waters (Karst-Riddoch, Pisaric, Youngblut, & Smol, 2005).…”

Section: Lake Diatom Biotypesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biodiversity patterns of Arctic diatom assemblages in lakes and streams: Current reference conditions and historical context for biomonitoring

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

1. Comprehensive assessments of contemporary diatom distributions across the Arctic remain scarce. Furthermore, studies tracking species compositional differences across space and time, as well as diatom responses to climate warming, are mainly limited to paleolimnological studies due to a lack of routine monitoring in lakes and streams across vast areas of the Arctic.2. The study aims to provide a spatial assessment of contemporary species distributions across the circum-Arctic, establish contemporary biodiversity patterns of diatom assemblages to use as reference conditions for future biomonitoring assessments, and determine pre-industrial baseline conditions to provide historical context for modern diatom distributions.3. Diatom assemblages were assessed using information from ongoing regulatory monitoring programmes, individual research projects, and from surface sediment layers obtained from lake cores. Pre-industrial baseline conditions as well as the nature, direction and magnitude of changes in diatom assemblages over the past c. 200 years were determined by comparing surface sediment samples (i.e. containing modern assemblages) with a sediment interval deposited prior to the onset of significant anthropogenic activities (i.e. containing pre-1850 assemblages), together with an examination of diatoms preserved in contiguous samples from dated sediment cores. 4. We identified several biotypes with distinct diatom assemblages using contemporary diatom data from both lakes and streams, including a biotype typical for High Arctic regions. Differences in diatom assemblage composition across circum-Arctic regions were gradual rather than abrupt. Species richness was lowest in High Arctic regions compared to Low Arctic and sub-Arctic regions, and higher in lakes than in streams. Dominant diatom taxa were not endemic to the Arctic. Species

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Diatoms need silica for cell growth and since conductivity increased throughout the monitoring period, indicating an increased ion input (e.g. silica), this increase in conductivity might explain the increase in diatom biomass (Ryves et al, 2002;Zgrundo et al, 2017). Additionally, Lehnherr et al (2018) and Michelutti et al (2020) showed a shift from benthic diatoms to planktonic diatoms in a High Arctic lake in Canada as a result of a declining ice cover.…”

Section: The Total Nitrogen and Phosphorus Levels In Langemandssø Andmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long‐term phytoplankton dynamics in two High Arctic lakes (north‐east Greenland)

Moedt,

Olrik,

Schmidt

et al. 2024

Freshwater Biology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Primary producers form the base of lake ecosystems and, due to their often short lifecycles, respond rapidly to changing conditions. As the Arctic is warming nearly four times faster than the global average, we see major shifts in environmental conditions, which impacts lake ecosystem functioning. Previous studies have found a general increase in primary productivity due to climate warming. However, few long‐term studies have included changes in phytoplankton community composition and biomass in relation to warming in Arctic lakes and it therefore remains unclear how different algal taxa and thus the community respond. We investigated how climate warming affects phytoplankton community composition, taxon richness and biomass in High Arctic lakes, using a unique 23‐year data series on phytoplankton in two shallow lakes at Zackenberg, north‐east Greenland, one with Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) and one without fish. We further elucidated the role of physico‐chemical variables and zooplankton grazers in the changes observed. Few major changes were observed in phytoplankton community composition over time, but the year‐to‐year variation was large. Taxon richness did, however, increase throughout the monitoring period, and in both lakes there was a significant increase in diatom biomass coinciding with increasing conductivity. Additionally, phytoplankton biomass was greater during warmer years with earlier ice melt. We further found that nutrient levels were positively associated with the total phytoplankton biomass in both lakes, indicating that expected increased nutrient levels, due to climate change, may lead to a greater phytoplankton biomass in High Arctic lakes in the future. The large year‐to‐year variability, in both climate and environmental conditions, makes it difficult to predict weather patterns and their consequences for lake ecosystems in the Arctic region. This underlines the importance of long‐term monitoring programmes across the circumpolar Arctic and collaboration across regions and institutes within large scale studies.

show abstract

Diatom communities in the High Arctic aquatic habitats of northern Spitsbergen (Svalbard)

Cited by 12 publications

References 81 publications

Ice-cover is the principal driver of ecological change in High Arctic lakes and ponds

Ice-cover is the principal driver of ecological change in High Arctic lakes and ponds

Biodiversity patterns of Arctic diatom assemblages in lakes and streams: Current reference conditions and historical context for biomonitoring

Long‐term phytoplankton dynamics in two High Arctic lakes (north‐east Greenland)

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About