| 1. |
- Myrstener, Maria, et al.
(author)
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Resolving the Drivers of Algal Nutrient Limitation from Boreal to Arctic Lakes and Streams
- 2022
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In: Ecosystems (New York. Print). - : Springer-Verlag New York. - 1432-9840 .- 1435-0629. ; 25, s. 1682-1699
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Nutrient inputs to northern freshwaters are changing, potentially altering aquatic ecosystem functioning through effects on primary producers. Yet, while primary producer growth is sensitive to nutrient supply, it is also constrained by a suite of other factors, including light and temperature, which may play varying roles across stream and lake habitats. Here, we use bioassay results from 89 lakes and streams spanning northern boreal to Arctic Sweden to test for differences in nutrient limitation status of algal biomass along gradients in colored dissolved organic carbon (DOC), water temperature, and nutrient concentrations, and to ask whether there are distinct patterns and drivers between habitats. Single nitrogen (N) limitation or primary N-limitation with secondary phosphorus (P) limitation of algal biomass was the most common condition for streams and lakes. Average response to N-addition was a doubling in biomass; however, the degree of limitation was modulated by the distinct physical and chemical conditions in lakes versus streams and across boreal to Arctic regions. Overall, algal responses to N-addition were strongest at sites with low background concentrations of dissolved inorganic N. Low temperatures constrained biomass responses to added nutrients in lakes but had weaker effects on responses in streams. Further, DOC mediated the response of algal biomass to nutrient addition differently among lakes and streams. Stream responses were dampened at higher DOC, whereas lake responses to nutrient addition increased from low to moderate DOC but were depressed at high DOC. Our results suggest that future changes in nutrient availability, particularly N, will exert strong effects on the trophic state of northern freshwaters. However, we highlight important differences in the physical and chemical factors that shape algal responses to nutrient availability in different parts of aquatic networks, which will ultimately affect the integrated response of northern aquatic systems to ongoing environmental changes.
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| 2. |
- Puts, Isolde, et al.
(author)
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An ecological and methodological assessment of benthic gross primary production in northern lakes
- 2022
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In: Ecosphere. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 2150-8925 .- 2150-8925. ; 13:3
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Benthic gross primary production (GPP) is often the most important part of aquatic food webs in northern lakes, which are gradually warming and receiving increased terrestrial colored dissolved organic carbon loadings due to global change. Yet, measurements of benthic GPP are fairly uncommon, and methods and unit dimensions of benthic GPP are unstandardized and rarely compared. In this study, we measured benthic GPP in 27 headwater lakes from three regions in northern Sweden and analyzed potential constraining drivers of benthic GPPz rates at discrete depths and estimates of benthic GPP averages across the whole lake, as well as across the littoral zone. We also compared in situ measurements of benthic GPP averages across the whole lake with modeled values using the “autotrophic structuring model.” We found that benthic GPPz rates were best explained by, and positively related to, available light (i.e., a function of depth and water color) and temperature. Benthic GPP averages across the whole lake, on the contrary, were best explained by the relative size of the littoral area, which is a measure that combines lake bathymetry and water color. The comparison between in situ measured and modeled estimates of benthic GPP averages across the whole lake revealed that (1) the autotrophic structuring model underestimates GPP at low values and overestimates GPP at high values compared with measured data, and that (2) measured values were related to temperature, which is not included as a variable in the autotrophic structuring model. Considering future predicted changes impacting northern latitude lakes, our results suggest that increased lake water temperatures can to some extent mitigate the negative impacts of reduced light availability from lake browning on benthic GPPz rates. The combined impact of these changes on benthic GPP averages across the whole lake will depend on, and be moderated by, lake bathymetry determining the relative size of the littoral area.
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| 3. |
- Puts, Isolde Callisto, 1988-
(author)
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Impacts of global change on primary production in northern lakes
- 2022
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Algae are primary producers, a major component of the aquatic foodweb, and changes in primary production affect aquatic ecology in general. Global changes such as warming, recovery of acidification and changes in land-use have caused warming and browning of northern lakes. Warming is a direct effect of increasing air temperatures, whereas browning is mainly caused by increasing amounts of terrestrially derived colored dissolved organic carbon (DOC). Altogether, such global changes impact important environmental drivers for aquatic gross primary production (GPP). Increased temperatures and nutrient supplementation by DOC at low concentrations enhance GPP, but the browning by DOC at high concentrations inhibits GPP by light reduction, resulting in contrasting controls of global changes on primary production in northern lakes. Primary producers grow in two distinct habitats; free-floating algae (phytoplankton) and stationary periphytic (attached) algae that are restricted to use the light that reaches them. Periphyton includes algae growing on submerged surfaces ranging from nutrient-poor rocks to nutrient-rich sediments (here: benthic algae), and both often exceed pelagic GPP but are overlooked and often simply excluded from algal biomass estimates.In this thesis, I investigate how global change influences key environmental drivers of GPP, and how those changes impact GPP in the benthic and pelagic habitat, and the sum and partitioning of GPP between these habitats (the autrotrophic structuring). I do this by interpreting a dataset with GPP measurements in several lakes over the Swedish Arctic, subarctic and boreal landscape that representa wide range of DOC concentrations. I also assess to what extent temperature and DOC impact periphytic algae growth on plastic strips in an experimental study where DOC and temperature are manipulated in 20 ponds. Besides assessing the direct impacts of changes in nutrients and light climate associated with changes in DOC, I assess indirect impacts of global changes on primary production, e.g., through intensified warming, CO2 supersaturation, changes in pH, and the role of landscape processes and properties.Results confirm that DOC is dominant in structuring GPP in northern lakes by light inhibition, nutrient supplementation, indirect warming of surface waters, and additionally by CO2 fertilization. In addition, warming can enhance growth rates, but thermal compensation can also lead to reduced algae growth. Moreover, periphytic GPP of algae growing on both soft nutrient-rich sediments and nutrient-poor plastic strips GPP was generally much higher than pelagic GPP, and should thus not be excluded in studies assessing global change impacts on GPP. DOC affects the total GPP, as well as the autotrophic structuring in northern lakes, and likely also higher trophic levels productivity and community composition.
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| 4. |
- Puts, Isolde C., et al.
(author)
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Landscape determinants of pelagic and benthic primary production in northern lakes
- 2022
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In: Global Change Biology. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 1354-1013 .- 1365-2486. ; 28:23, s. 7063-7077
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Journal article (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Global change affects gross primary production (GPP) in benthic and pelagic habitats of northern lakes by influencing catchment characteristics and lake water biogeochemistry. However, how changes in key environmental drivers manifest and impact total (i.e., benthic + pelagic) GPP and the partitioning of total GPP between habitats represented by the benthic share (autotrophic structuring) is unclear. Using a dataset from 26 shallow lakes located across Arctic, subarctic, and boreal northern Sweden, we investigate how catchment properties (air temperature, land cover, hydrology) affect lake physico-chemistry and patterns of total GPP and autotrophic structuring. We find that total GPP was mostly light limited, due to high dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations originating from catchment soils with coniferous vegetation and wetlands, which is further promoted by high catchment runoff. In contrast, autotrophic structuring related mostly to the relative size of the benthic habitat, and was potentially modified by CO2 fertilization in the subarctic, resulting in significantly higher total GPP relative to the other biomes. Across Arctic and subarctic sites, DIC and CO2 were unrelated to DOC, indicating that external inputs of inorganic carbon can influence lake productivity patterns independent of terrestrial DOC supply. By comparison, DOC and CO2 were correlated across boreal lakes, suggesting that DOC mineralization acts as an important CO2 source for these sites. Our results underline that GPP as a resource is regulated by landscape properties, and is sensitive to large-scale global changes (warming, hydrological intensification, recovery of acidification) that promote changes in catchment characteristics and aquatic physico-chemistry. Our findings aid in predicting global change impacts on autotrophic structuring, and thus community structure and resource use of aquatic consumers in general. Given the similarities of global changes across the Northern hemisphere, our findings are likely relevant for northern lakes globally.
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