Ecological effects of water-level fluctuations in lakes: an urgent issue

Wantzen, Karl M.; Rothhaupt, Karl‐Otto; Mörtl, Martin; Cantonati, Marco; Tóth, László; Fischer, Philipp

doi:10.1007/s10750-008-9466-1

Cited by 264 publications

(147 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…Higher than 4 m s 21 wind velocity occurs, on average, every third day and causes a turbulence sufficient to resuspend sediments. Wind faster than 10 m s 21 occurs , 12-15 times annually, resulting in sediment resuspension up to 600 mg dry weight (dry wt) L 21 in the open water (Szilá gyi et al 1981), causing the food limitation of zooplankton mentioned above.During four consecutive years of drought throughout Europe in 2000-2003, the water level of European lakes decreased significantly (Wantzen et al 2008); the water level of Lake Balaton decreased by 28%. In parallel, the population density of several planktonic cladocerans, rotifers, copepodits and adult calanoids, and veligers of Dreissena polymorpha significantly diminished and recovered only after the recovery of the original water level by 2006.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…During four consecutive years of drought throughout Europe in [2000][2001][2002][2003], the water level of European lakes decreased significantly (Wantzen et al 2008); the water level of Lake Balaton decreased by 28%. In parallel, the population density of several planktonic cladocerans, rotifers, copepodits and adult calanoids, and veligers of Dreissena polymorpha significantly diminished and recovered only after the recovery of the original water level by 2006.…”

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Zooplankton community response to enhanced turbulence generated by water‐level decrease in Lake Balaton, the largest shallow lake in Central Europe

Tóth

Parpală

Balogh

et al. 2011

Limnology & Oceanography

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During the unusually long European drought between 2000 and 2003, the water level of the large and shallow Lake Balaton, Hungary (area 5 596 km 2 , mean depth 5 3.25 m), decreased by 28%. Although food availability for zooplankton remained unchanged, and the fish stock declined more than the water mass, the density of populations of several planktonic rotifers, cladocerans, calanoid copepodes, and veligers decreased by 60-90% simultaneously with the water-level decrease and regenerated only after the drought. The generally strong turbulence of the lake was intensified during the four consecutive years of low water, as verified by instrumental monitoring of the turbulence intensity and by the estimation of the turbulent kinetic-energy dissipation rate. In our tank experiments, turbulence conditions similar to those that existed in the lake during low water were simulated, but mineral suspended material was minimized and food was regularly resupplied. Under these experimental conditions, zooplankton taxa showing the highest mortality were the same as those that were most susceptible in situ. Increased turbulence coupled with the water-level decrease is especially unfavorable for rotifer Keratella, the cladoceran Daphnia, Bosmina, and copepodit and adult stages of the calanoid copepod Eudiaptomus gracilis in this lake.Moderate turbulence intensity is beneficial for zooplankton, because it increases the producer-consumer encounter rate, and improves consumers' capture efficiency, feeding, and growth rates (Saiz and Alcaraz 1991; Visser and Stips 2002;Visser et al. 2009). High turbulence, however, interferes with the feeding current of the suspension feeders, erodes the remote detection of prey by their predators, inhibits their food ingestion, and increases their metabolic energy expenditures Kiørboe and Saiz 1995;Peters and Marrasé 2000). And finally, very high turbulence could disorientate the movement, lead to uncontrolled vertical drifting, and could even injure the largest bodied organisms (Reynolds 1992;Visser et al. 2009).Earlier we proved experimentally and quantified the relationship between frequently resuspended fine mineral sediment (mineral turbidity) of Lake Balaton and inhibition of the effective food collection and development of cladocerans, especially Daphnia, even if food abundance exceeded threshold concentrations (G.-Tó th 1984; G. -Tó th et al. 1986). However, the direct physical effect of turbulence on the zooplankton was never established in Lake Balaton or any other shallow lake.Lake Balaton is the largest shallow lake in Central Europe. Because the lake is very shallow, the vertical space for the dissipation of the kinetic energy content of the water mass induced by the wind is very limited, and so dissipation per unit of volume is very high. Higher than 4 m s 21 wind velocity occurs, on average, every third day and causes a turbulence sufficient to resuspend sediments. Wind faster than 10 m s 21 occurs , 12-15 times annually, resulting in sediment resuspension up to 600 mg dry wei...

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confidence: 99%

Zooplankton community response to enhanced turbulence generated by water‐level decrease in Lake Balaton, the largest shallow lake in Central Europe

Tóth

Parpală

Balogh

et al. 2011

Limnology & Oceanography

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Natural WL fluctuations in lakes influence both productivity and biodiversity (Wantzen et al, 2002(Wantzen et al, , 2008. However, excessive WL fluctuations, beyond the natural amplitude, caused by human manipulation, can be detrimental to ecosystem functioning (Wantzen et al, 2008). Over the past few decades, Lake Kinneret, Israel, was subjected to excessive exploitation of its water, leading to water level fluctuations far beyond the natural range for this ecosystem, with amplitudes more than triple the natural amplitude (of ca.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Zooplankton contribution to the particulate N and P in Lake Kinneret, Israel, under changing water levels

et al. 2010

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The association of water level changes and the relative (%) contributions of crustacean zooplankton to particulate N (PNz) and particulate P (PPz) in Lake Kinneret, Israel were studied. The PNz and PPz were assessed for a period of 10 years (1999)(2000)(2001)(2002)(2003)(2004)(2005)(2006)(2007)(2008) in relation to water level (WL) changes which occurred during that period. We estimated PNz and PPz, based on crustacean N and P content measured seasonally over 2 years, and a 10-year record of zooplankton densities. Mean cladoceran N and P contents were 8.7 and 1.2% of dry weight, respectively, while for copepods they were 9.5 and 1.5% of dry weight, respectively. Zooplankton density, and hence PNz and PPz, changed dramatically during the 10 years, concurrent with extreme variations in the lake's WL. The lowest mean values of PNz and PPz occurred during high WL years and the highest PNz and PPz were during low WL years. PNz and PPz were negatively correlated with the total PN and PP concentrations, respectively, in the lake. The reduction in zooplankton contribution to the particulate N and P during high WL is probably due to higher loading of particulate matter in wet years, causing an increase of PN and PP concentration in the lake, as well as lower densities of zooplankton, caused by higher fish predation pressure, both are a by-product of the large water influx during extreme wet winters.

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“…One area in freshwater aquatic ecology where there is limited understanding of the natural variability and ecological effects is the role of natural water-level fluctuation (WLF), particularly, in lake ecosystems (Wantzen et al 2008;White et al 2008). Considerable research has focused on studying unnatural or manmade changes in water levels through studies of systems regulated by humans (e.g., hydroelectric reservoirs (Hill et al 1998;Aroviita and Hämäläinen 2008); however, we have a very poor understanding of natural WLF and its affect on aquatic communities.…”

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On the role of natural water level fluctuation in structuring littoral benthic macroinvertebrate community composition in lakes

White

Xenopoulos

Metcalfe

et al. 2010

Limnology & Oceanography

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We used traditional hydrologic endpoints and extracted novel water-level fluctuation (WLF) characteristics through principal components analysis (PCA), to determine the relationship between WLF and rocky littoral benthic macroinvertebrate (BMI) richness in 16 boreal lakes. Yearly WLF amplitude (maximum minus minimum water levels) ranged from 35.9 cm to 157.5 cm. Using PCA we derived a new variable D80-D210 (31 March minus 01 August) as a surrogate for change in mean water level and potential habitat squeeze (loss). Analyses of BMI richness with several physicochemical variables, including water quality (8), habitat variability (4), lake and basin morphology (6), land classification (28), water temperature (8), hydrology (9), and PCA axes (10) resulted in only three significant relationships. We found a classic species-area relationship, as BMI richness increases with increasing lake area (r 2 5 0.38 linear , r 2 5 0.69 unimodal ). Similarly, as littoral slope increases macroinvertebrate richness decreases (r 2 5 0.32 linear ). Most importantly, lower water levels, quantified using D80-D210, have higher macroinvertebrate richness (r 2 5 0.38 linear ). Together these results suggest that a habitat squeeze in littoral areas is the direct result of lower mean water levels and that relatively small changes in natural WLF can be associated with changes in BMI communities.

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Ecological effects of water-level fluctuations in lakes: an urgent issue

Cited by 264 publications

References 11 publications

Zooplankton community response to enhanced turbulence generated by water‐level decrease in Lake Balaton, the largest shallow lake in Central Europe

Zooplankton community response to enhanced turbulence generated by water‐level decrease in Lake Balaton, the largest shallow lake in Central Europe

Zooplankton contribution to the particulate N and P in Lake Kinneret, Israel, under changing water levels

On the role of natural water level fluctuation in structuring littoral benthic macroinvertebrate community composition in lakes

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