Assessing the Recovery of Lakes in Southeastern Canada from the Effects of Acidic Deposition

Jeffries, D. S.; Clair, Thomas A.; Couture, Suzanne; Dillon, Peter J.; Dupont, Jacques; Keller, W.; McNicol, Donald K.; Turner, Michael A.; Vet, Robert; Weeber, Russell

doi:10.1639/0044-7447(2003)032[0176:atroli]2.0.co;2

Cited by 42 publications

(50 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…Some acidified lakes in North America have now recovered or are recovering from low pH Driscoll et al 2001) based on changes in water chemistry, although others continue to acidify (Jefferies et al 2003) and drought-induced setbacks can and do occur (Arnott et al 2001). However, the topdown dismantling of food web structure may negatively affect biological recovery.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Asymmetrical food web responses in trophic-level richness, biomass, and function following lake acidification

2008

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We tested for disproportional changes in annual and seasonal species richness and biomass among five trophic levels (phytoplankton, herbivorous, omnivorous, and carnivorous zooplankton, and fish) as well as altered trophic structure and ecosystem function following the 5-year experimental acidification of Little Rock Lake (Wisconsin, USA) from pH 6.1 to 4.7. Abiotic and biotic controls of trophic level response during acidification were also identified. Asymmetric reductions of species richness among trophic levels, separated by life stage and feeding type, were evident and changes in trophic structure were most pronounced by the end of the acidification period. Relative declines in richness of fish and zooplankton were greater than phytoplankton, which were generally unaffected, leading to a reduction of upper trophic level diversity. Each of the lower four trophic levels responded to a distinct combination of abiotic and biotic variables during acidification. pH was identified as a direct driver of change for only carnivorous zooplankton, while all other trophic levels were affected more by indirect interactions caused by acidification. Fluctuations in ecosystem function (zooplankton biomass and primary production) were also evident, with losses at all trophic levels only detected during the last year of acidification. The acidified basin displayed a tendency for greater variation in biomass for upper trophic levels relative to reference conditions implying greater unpredictability in ecosystem function. Together, these results suggest that trophic asymmetry may be an important and recurring feature of ecosystem response to anthropogenic stress.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Asymmetrical food web responses in trophic-level richness, biomass, and function following lake acidification

2008

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“…Deposition values are <2 kg NO 3 ha )1 y )1 for most of the area west of Manitoba (Jeffries et al 2003), but these are based on relatively few stations. Esther, Alberta, near the center of the western prairies, has a total deposition of only 1.8 kg N ha )1 y )1 .…”

Section: Western Canadamentioning

confidence: 99%

A review of anthropogenic sources of nitrogen and their effects on Canadian aquatic ecosystems

2006

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Nitrogen releases to air and water are low in most of Canada, but in southern areas with rapid development there are telltale signs of the problems from releases to air and water that are described elsewhere in this volume. These include higher nitrogen in water and releases to the atmosphere from urban areas, industry and agriculture. As a result, in parts of Ontario and Quebec underlain by Precambrian geology, nitrogen deposition is near the critical loads found for geologically similar areas of Europe. In particular, combined inputs of sulphuric and nitric acids are causing base cation depletion in forest soils and keeping some lakes at pH values too low to allow the recovery of biological communities. In southern Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia, rapidly expanding human populations, industry and agriculture are causing high concentrations of nitrate in surface and groundwaters. At present, there is little sign of estuarine eutrophication in Canada, but it appears to be imminent on the Pacific coast, as the result of expanding human populations and intensifying agriculture in the lower Fraser Valley and Puget Sound. Steps should be taken now to prevent the widespread problems caused by nitrogen pollution that have occurred in Europe, the USA, and other populous and industrialized regions.

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“…It has been estimated that 33% of the total Atlantic salmon productivity has been lost due to acidification (Watt et al, 1983;Watt, 1987). Unlike freshwater systems in Ontario (Canada) and in Adirondack Park (U.S.A.), little chemical recovery has been documented in Nova Scotia since the implementation of emission restrictions in the 1980s and 1990s (Jefferies et al, 2003). Further confounding the impacts of acidification are shoreline development (Murdoch et al, 1987), hydrological changes (Thienpont et al, 2008), nutrient loading (Rajaratnam, 2009), and climate change .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Distribution of cladoceran assemblages across environmental gradients in Nova Scotia (Canada) lakes

Korosi

Smol

2010

Hydrobiologia

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Cladocera sub-fossils have widely been recognized as useful environmental indicators. Nevertheless, investigations into the distribution and environmental controls on Cladocera are scarce in North America, hindering their use in paleolimnological studies. Here, we examine cladoceran assemblage and size structure from the surface sediments of 49 soft-water Nova Scotia (Canada) lakes to provide ecological data on this key taxonomic group, the first study of its kind for the northern Atlantic coast of North America. We found that Nova Scotia lakes contain a diverse chydorid assemblage, but were generally dominated by the smaller pelagic herbivore Eubosmina longispina. Daphnia, a larger pelagic herbivore, was relatively uncommon in these lakes. Redundancy analyses (RDA) identified maximum lake depth and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) as the environmental variables that best explained the structuring of these cladoceran assemblages. Generalized linear models were then used to better characterize the ecological associations for individual taxa.Body size of the bosminids in these lakes was significantly correlated only to total nitrogen (TN), with larger bosminids in lakes with lower TN values. Bosminid mucro length, an indication of invertebrate and fish predation pressure, was significantly related to TN, maximum lake depth, and lake surface area. The ecological information provided by this study should assist the interpretation of paleolimnological assessments of environmental change in these and other similar lakes.

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Assessing the Recovery of Lakes in Southeastern Canada from the Effects of Acidic Deposition

Cited by 42 publications

References 44 publications

Asymmetrical food web responses in trophic-level richness, biomass, and function following lake acidification

Asymmetrical food web responses in trophic-level richness, biomass, and function following lake acidification

A review of anthropogenic sources of nitrogen and their effects on Canadian aquatic ecosystems

Distribution of cladoceran assemblages across environmental gradients in Nova Scotia (Canada) lakes

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