Plankton dynamics under different climate conditions in tropical freshwater systems (a reply to the comment by Sarmento, Amado & Descy, )

Abstract

SUMMARY1. In our recent contribution to the special issue on plankton dynamics in a fast-changing world, we outlined some general predictions of plankton dynamics in different climate regions now and in future, building on the Plankton Ecology Group (PEG) model (de Senerpont Domis et al., 2013). 2. We proposed a stylised version of plankton dynamics in Fig. 3 of our article and stated that these patterns need to be further elaborated. Our figure displays annual plankton dynamics now and in future in oligotrophic, mesotrophic and eutrophic lakes in arctic, temperate and tropical climate zones. 3. We fully agree with Sarmento, Amado & Descy (2013) that more data on tropical regions are needed, and we are looking forward to the emergence of published data from tropical regions to extend our still-limited understanding of plankton dynamics in these regions. 4. Sarmento et al. (2013) did not agree with our predictions on plankton dynamics for hydrology-driven water systems in the tropics. Unfortunately, however, Sarmento et al. (2013) did not substantiate their statements with the much-needed data on plankton dynamics in the tropics. Moreover, they merely provide an overview of precipitation patterns in the tropics, not an alternative hypothesis for our predictions. Keywords: climate change, PEG model, phytoplankton, tropical limnology, zooplankton In our recent contribution to the special issue on plankton dynamics in a fast-changing world, we postulated that in tropical systems temporal variability in precipitation can be an important driver of the seasonal dynamics

Extreme drought favors potential mixotrophic organisms in tropical semi-arid reservoirs

“…Although climate change has been reported worldwide, its effects are not distributed homogeneously and some regions are more susceptible to climate variability than others (IPCC, 2014;Jeppesen et al, 2014). Despite the number of studies on climate change effects on freshwater ecosystems (De Senerpont Domis et al, 2013a;Kritzberg et al, 2014;Yang et al, 2016), these predictions on tropical regions can be uncertain (Sarmento et al, 2013). This situation is particularly true for semi-arid regions, which have peculiar phytoplankton patterns (Medeiros et al, 2015;Costa et al, 2016).…”

“…Temperature changes, increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide, and increase in frequency and intensity of extreme events, such as droughts and floods, are considered the major stressors associated with climate change (Woodward et al, 2010). According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, tropical regions are the most susceptible to global warming (IPCC, 2014) and the effects of global warming on tropical aquatic ecosystems is still under debate (De Senerpont Domis et al, 2013a, 2013bSarmento et al, 2013). Furthermore, this scenario will be intensified in tropical semi-arid regions because of the increase in frequency and intensity of droughts (Marengo et al, 2009;Roland et al, 2012).…”

“…Given the uncertainties of the effects of climate change on the biota of tropical systems (De Senerpont Domis et al, 2013a, 2013bSarmento et al, 2013), especially in semi-arid regions where these changes are amplified, this study aimed to determine the effects of water level reduction on phytoplankton communities and environmental variables in an understudied tropical semi-arid region involving 16 aquatic systems inside two sub-basins with distinct rainfall levels during a prolonged extreme drought. Recent studies in the Brazilian semi-arid region, reported some signals on an increase on mixotrophs during extreme and prolonged drought (Medeiros et al, 2015;Costa et al, 2016).…”

Pattern and scale in latitude–production relationships for freshwater fishes

“…This trend is understandably driven by the dramatic shifts in climate being observed at high latitudes. However, increasing research suggests that smaller amounts of climate change can be equally or even more devastating for diverse communities in more tropical and sub-tropical regions (Comte et al 2013, de Senerpont Domis et al 2013, Exton et al 2015. Thus while total community fish production is indeed higher in more species-rich, lowerlatitude ecosystems, species-level production and P/B values can be quite low and thus vulnerable to change.…”

Impacts of Environmental Variables on a Phytoplankton Community: A Case Study of the Tributaries of a Subtropical River, Southern China

“…Sommer with her colleagues summed up the famous PEG (Plankton Ecology Group) model for the seasonal variation of phytoplankton biomass in a temperate mesotrophic lake [5]. Since then, this model has been applied to many comparative studies of different types of lakes and rivers [6,7]. However, at different geographical positions and nutrient levels, the degree of influence of each factor varies [8].…”