A diatom-inferred water-depth transfer function from a single lake in the northern California Coast Range

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between water depth and diatom assemblages from lake-sediment-surface samples at Kelly Lake, California. A total of 40 surface-sediment samples (integrated upper 5 cm) were taken at various depths within the small (~ 3.74 ha) 5.7 m-deep lake. Secchi depths, water temperature, pH, salinity, conductivity, and total dissolved solids were also measured. Some diatom species showed distinct association with depth (e.g., Fragilaria crotonensis, Nitzschia semirobusta). The relationship between the complete diatom assemblages and water depth was analyzed and assessed by depth-cluster analysis, a one-way analysis of similarity, principal components analysis and canonical correspondence analysis. Statistically significant differences were found between the assemblages associated with shallow depth (0–1.25 m), mid-depth (1.25–3.75 m), and deep-water (3.75–5.2 m) locations. The relationship between diatom assemblages and lake depth allowed two transfer models to be developed using the Modern Analogue Technique and Weighted Averaging Partial Least Squares. These models were compared and assessed by residual scatter plots. The results indicate that diatom-inferred transfer models based on surface-sediment samples from a single, relatively small and shallow lake can be a useful tool for studying past hydroclimatic variability (e.g., lake depth) from similar lakes in California and other regions where the large number of lakes required for traditional transfer-function development may not exist.

Diatom-based paleoenvironmental research: global trends, regional disparities and the evolving role of South America

“…These microorganisms, which are known for their sensitivity to environmental fluctuations, serve as valuable paleoenvironmental indicators and provide profound insights into ancient aquatic ecosystems by uniquely responding to specific ecological conditions through changes in their abundance, presence or absence, and morphology (BATTARBEE et al 2002, SMOL 2022. Consequently, they have made significant contributions to the elucidation of critical past environmental changes including climate oscillations (FONTANA et al 2019, RODRÍGUEZ-ZORRO et al 2022, ALMARAZ-RUIZ et al 2023, BALASUBRAMANIAM et al 2023, SAROS et al 2023, limnological/ecological changes (WENGRAT et al 2019, hydrological regimes (RIBEIRO et al 2010, FAYÓ et al 2018, HAN et al 2023, alterations in land-use practices (TRÁBERT et al 2020, GARDOKI et al 2023, and the historical deposition of pollutants and eutrophication (BENNION et al 2004, COSTA-BÖDDEKER et al 2012, FONTANA et al 2014, SIMMATIS et al 2022, CHEN et al 2022, GREGERSEN et al 2023.…”