Summary We studied nutrient limitation of periphytic algae (henceforth periphyton) in 24 mesocosms simulating shallow lakes with two nutrient levels, enriched (with added nitrogen, N, and phosphorus, P) and unenriched (control), and three temperature scenarios, ambient, A2 from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and A2 + 50%. Periphyton growth (measured as chlorophyll a) was investigated four times in situ using nutrient‐diffusing substrata. The effect of grazing was also manipulated using exclusion cages. We found that periphyton responded differently to nutrient addition bioassays (N and P) depending on the background nutrient concentration and warming scenario. Our results indicate that single‐nutrient limitation prevailed for periphyton in our experimental temperate shallow lakes. The responses were season sensitive. Periphyton in the unenriched mesocosms were P‐limited in early summer in the ambient and A2 scenarios, N‐limited in late summer in these two climate scenarios, not nutrient‐limited in autumn and P‐limited in spring in all climate scenarios. Periphyton in the A2 + 50% scenario showed a positive response to N and P added together in early summer. In contrast, periphyton in the enriched mesocosms showed no clear nutrient limitation, except for short‐term periods of P limitation in the warmer systems. Grazers did not affect the quantitative response of periphyton to nutrient addition, and the concentrations of P and N as well as mean monthly temperature were the main environmental factors driving P or N limitation. We conclude that warming in low‐productivity lakes affects the seasonality of N limitation and changes the single‐nutrient limitation of periphyton into NP co‐limitation. This last observation suggests that warming reduces the sensitivity of temperate shallow lakes to bottom‐up perturbations.

1. Filamentous green algae (FGA) may represent an alternative state in high-nutrient shallow temperate lakes. Furthermore, a clear water state is sometimes associated with the dominance of FGA; however, the mechanisms involved remain uncertain. 2. We hypothesised that FGA may promote a clear water state by directly suppressing phytoplankton growth, mostly via the release of allelochemicals, and that this interaction may be affected by temperature. 3. We examined the relationships between FGA, phytoplanktonic chlorophyll a concentrations and zooplankton in a series of mesocosms (2.8 m 3 ) mimicking enriched shallow ponds now and in a future warmer climate (0 and c. 5°C above ambient temperatures). We then tested the potential allelopathic effects of FGA (Cladophora sp. and Spirogyra sp.) on phytoplankton using several short-term microcosms and laboratory experiments. 4. Mesocosms with FGA evidenced lower phytoplanktonic chlorophyll a concentrations than those without. Zooplankton and zooplankton : phytoplankton biomass ratios did not differ between mesocosms with and without FGA, suggesting that grazing was not responsible for the negative effects on phytoplanktonic biomass (chlorophyll a). 5. Our field microcosm experiments demonstrated that FGA strongly suppressed the growth of natural phytoplankton at non-limiting nutrient conditions and regardless of phytoplankton initial concentrations or micronutrients addition. Furthermore, we found that the negative effect of FGA on phytoplankton growth increased up to 49% under high incubation temperatures. The experiment performed using FGA filtrates confirmed that the inhibitory effect of FGA on phytoplankton may be attributed to allelochemicals. 6. Our results suggest that FGA control of phytoplankton growth may be an important mechanism for stabilising clear water in shallow temperate lakes dominated by FGA and that FGA may play a larger role when lakes get warmer.

Summary Carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) stable isotope composition (15N:14N, δ15N and 13C:12C, δ13C) have been widely used to elucidate changes in aquatic ecosystem dynamics created by eutrophication and climate warming, often, however, without accounting for seasonal variation. Here, we aim to determine the factors controlling the stable isotope composition and C:N ratio of seston and periphyton in shallow lakes with contrasting nutrient loadings and climate; for this purpose, we followed the monthly stable isotope composition (c. 1 year) of seston (SES) and periphyton (PER) in 24 mesocosms mimicking shallow lakes with two nutrient treatments (enriched and unenriched) and three temperature scenarios (ambient, +3 and +5°C). Nutrient enrichment and warming had a stronger impact on the δ15N and δ13C values of seston than on periphyton, and the temporal isotopic variability in both communities was large. δ15NPER did not differ markedly between nutrient treatments, whereas δ15NSES was lower in the enriched mesocosms, possibly reflecting higher N2‐fixation by cyanobacteria. δ15NSES was higher in winter in the heated mesocosms and its dynamics was linked with that of NH4‐N, whereas δ15NPER showed a stronger association with NO3‐N. δ15NSES demonstrated a positive relationship with mean monthly temperature, indicating less isotope fractionation among autotrophs when production increased. δ13CSES was lowest in the enriched mesocosms during winter, whereas δ13CPER did not differ between nutrient treatments. δ13CSES and δ13CPER were positively related to pH, likely reflecting a pH‐induced differential access to dissolved carbon species in the primary producers. The positive δ13C‐temperature relationship suggested less fractionation of CO2 and HCO3− and/or larger use of HCO3− at higher temperatures. The C:N ratios varied seasonally and the differences between the enriched and unenriched mesocosms were stronger for seston than for periphyton. Particularly, the C:NSES ratios did not indicate deficiencies in N as opposed to the C:NPER ratios, supporting the observed changes in δ15N and suggesting that seston and periphyton have access to different sources of nutrients. We did not observe any clear effect of temperature warming on the C:N ratios. Our study provides evidence of strong seasonality in the isotopic composition and C:N ratios of seston and periphyton across nutrient and temperature levels; also, we identified several factors that are likely to modulate the strength and variability in stable isotopes values and stoichiometry of sestonic and periphytic communities under these scenarios.