Responses of Phytoplankton Communities in Selected Eutrophic Lakes to Variable Weather Conditions

Abstract

It is well-known that recent climatic changes have strongly affected aquatic ecosystems. In this study, we examined the complex factors determining the development of phytoplankton communities during the vegetative growth season in eutrophic lakes located in a temperate zone in eastern Poland. Our analysis enabled us to divide the data into two different periods: years with a cold winter and low total precipitation, and those with a mild winter and high total precipitation. The analysis showed that the soluble and total nitrogen content, concentration of chlorophyll a, total phytoplankton biomass, and biomasses of Cyanobacteria and Cryptophyceae were significantly higher in the vegetative growth season in the year after a mild winter, whereas the soluble and total phosphorus content and phytoplankton biodiversity were significantly lower in these years. Hence, climate warming indirectly led to the loss of biodiversity in the phytoplankton communities in the studied lakes of temperate zone. During this study, we also tested the effects of increases in air temperature and total precipitation on phytoplankton communities over short time periods (14 and 28 days). The results showed that the total phytoplankton biomass and the chlorophyll a concentration were only positively correlated with the air temperature. All of the features described in this study showed how sensitive lake ecosystems are to climatic fluctuations.

Dynamics of Cyanobacteria and Related Environmental Drivers in Freshwater Bodies Affected by Mitten Crab Culturing: A Study of Lake Guchenghu, China

“…Mitten crab ponds are located in the reclamation area around the Lake Guchenghu, pumping water from the lake in spring and discharging wastewater back into the lake in autumn. Due to the reclamation, the lake area is only 39 km 2 , while the storage volume is 65 million m 3 .…”

“…Cyanobacteria are ubiquitous in diverse aquatic environments throughout the world, including lakes, reservoirs, ponds, etc. With accelerating industrial and agricultural development, the rising nutrient pollution intensified the proliferation of cyanobacteria in freshwater bodies worldwide [1][2][3]. The impact of aquaculture on water quality and the expansion of harmful cyanobacteria is a major environmental issue.…”

Rapid Changes in the Phytoplankton Community of a Subtropical, Shallow, Hypereutrophic Lake During the Rainy Season

“…Primary production in tropical and subtropical lakes is sustained throughout the year as a result of higher temperatures, as opposed to temperate lakes, where the productive seasons are spring and summer ( Talling, 1992 ; Cunha et al, 2013 ). The limnology of temperate regions has been increasingly focused on the changes in the phytoplankton communities during different seasons ( Lenard and Wojciechowska, 2013 ; Wojciechowska and Lenard, 2014 ; Hampton et al, 2015 ; Özkundakci et al, 2015 ; Kalinowska and Grabowska, 2016 ; Grosbois et al, 2017 ; Lenard et al, 2019 ; Wei et al, 2020 ). Yet, there are few studies on the temporal dynamics of phytoplankton during different seasons in tropical or subtropical shallow lakes, and even fewer studies that examine the rainy season ( Lewis, 1990 ; Idumah and Ugwumba, 2013 ).…”

Functional Groups of Phytoplankton and Their Relationship with Environmental Factors in the Restored Uzarzewskie Lake

“…Their life strategy allows them to dominate the environment after the population of other algae collapse and they play a connecting role in the succession of summer phytoplankton. Due to their r-life strategy [29] and mixotrophic nutrition they are able to grow well or even outcompete cyanobacteria during colder seasons of the year, i.e., autumn, winter or spring [30].…”