Recent Changes in the Diatom Community Structure of Lakes in the Beartooth Mountain Range, U.S.A.

Saros, Jasmine E.; Interlandi, Sebastian J.; Wolfe, Alexander P.; Engstrom, Daniel R.

doi:10.1657/1523-0430(2003)035[0018:rcitdc]2.0.co;2

Cited by 103 publications

(102 citation statements)

References 32 publications

(2 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

100

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…became more abundant in all of the lakes in the 2000s (Fig. 6A), reflecting similar recent increases in Cyclotella in the lakes of the Beartooth Mountain Range in northern Wyoming (11). Greater chrysophyte and diatom diversity resulted in significantly higher mean phytoplankton species richness in the 2000s (Fig.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 62%

“…Although climate-driven aquatic changes have been both directly observed (4) and inferred (5,6) from data collected from polar sites, less is known about the climatic sensitivity of alpine lakes and streams (2,7,8). Climate warming and increased climatic variability are expected to alter snowpack, terrigenic inputs, ice-free season length, and summer water temperatures in unproductive high-elevation ecosystems, thereby affecting their biodiversity and functioning (7,(9)(10)(11)(12)(13).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Recent climate extremes alter alpine lake ecosystems

Parker

Vinebrooke

Schindler

2008

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

141

100

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Here, we show that alpine lake ecosystems are responsive to interannual variation in climate, based on long-term limnological and meteorological data from the Canadian Rockies. In the 2000s, in years with colder winter temperatures, higher winter snowfall, later snowmelt, shorter ice-free seasons, and dryer summers, relative to the 1990s, alpine lakes became clearer, warmer, and mixed to deeper depths. Further, lakes became more dilute and nutrient-poor, the latter leading to significant declines in total phytoplankton biomass. However, increased concentrations of dissolved organic carbon in lake water stimulated the appearance of small mixotrophic algal species, partially offsetting the decline in autotrophic phytoplankton biomass and increasing algal species richness. The climate regime in the 2000s altered the physical, chemical, and biological character and the function of high-elevation aquatic ecosystems. Forecasts of increased climatic variability in the future pose serious ramifications for both the biodiversity and ecosystem function of high-elevation lakes.function ͉ biodiversity ͉ plankton ͉ global change

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 62%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent climate extremes alter alpine lake ecosystems

Parker

Vinebrooke

Schindler

2008

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

141

100

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The lakes from the GYE are located in the Shoshone National Forest (Wyoming), while those in the ESN are in the Inyo National Forest (California). Both the GYE (Saros et al 2003;Saros et al 2005) and ESN (Whiting et al 1989;Melack et al 1998) lakes have been part of ongoing research on the effects of N deposition on lakes in these regions. We collected the GYE cores in 2001 and the ESN cores in 2007.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Changes in sedimentary diatom assemblages relating to enhanced atmospheric N deposition have been documented in the Colorado Front Range (Wolfe et al 2001) and the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness Area (part of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem; Saros et al 2003). Specifically, increases in two diatom taxa, Asterionella formosa and Fragilaria crotonensis, are used as indicators of N enrichment in N-limited lakes, as Saros et al (2005) demonstrated that these two species respond positively to moderate N enrichment in alpine lakes.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Critical Nitrogen Deposition Loads in High-elevation Lakes of the Western US Inferred from Paleolimnological Records

Saros

Clow

Blett

et al. 2010

Water Air Soil Pollut

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Critical loads of nitrogen (N) from atmospheric deposition were determined for alpine lake ecosystems in the western US using fossil diatom assemblages in lake sediment cores. Changes in diatom species over the last century were indicative of N enrichment in two areas, the eastern Sierra Nevada, starting between 1960 and 1965, and the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, starting in 1980. In contrast, no changes in diatom community structure were apparent in lakes of Glacier National Park. To determine critical N loads that elicited these community changes, we modeled wet nitrogen deposition rates for the period in which diatom shifts first occurred in each area using deposition data spanning from 1980 to 2007. We determined a critical load of 1.4 kg N ha −1 year −1 wet N deposition to elicit key nutrient enrichment effects on diatom communities in both the eastern Sierra Nevada and the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

show abstract

“…Two species of diatom that are favored by high N availability, Asterionella formosa and Fragilaria crotonensis, now dominate the fl ora of at least several alpine and montane Rocky Mountain lakes , Interlandi and Kilham 1998, Saros et al 2003. Other species have shown negative growth responses to increased N; two of these, Tetracyclus glans and Staurosirella pinnata, were reported by .…”

Section: Alpine Freshwater Lakes and Streamsmentioning

confidence: 98%

Assessment of Nitrogen deposition effects and empirical critical loads of Nitrogen for ecoregions of the United States

Pardo¹,

Robin-Abbott²,

Driscoll³

2011

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Human activity in the last century has led to a substantial increase in nitrogen (N) emissions and deposition. This N deposition has reached a level that has caused or is likely to cause alterations to the structure and function of many ecosystems across the United States. One approach for quantifying the level of pollution that would be harmful to ecosystems is the critical loads approach. The critical load is defi ned as the level of a pollutant below which no detrimental ecological effect occurs over the long term according to present knowledge.The objective of this project was to synthesize current research relating atmospheric N deposition to effects on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems in the United States and to identify empirical critical loads for atmospheric N deposition. The receptors that we evaluated included freshwater diatoms, mycorrhizal fungi and other soil microbes, lichens, herbaceous plants, shrubs, and trees. The main responses reported fell into two categories: (1) biogeochemical, and (2) individual species, population, and community responses.The range of critical loads for nutrient N reported for U.S. ecoregions, inland surface waters, and freshwater wetlands is 1 to 39 kg N ha -1 y -1. This broad range spans the range of N deposition observed over most of the country. The empirical critical loads for N tend to increase in the following sequence for different life forms: diatoms, lichens and bryophytes, mycorrhizal fungi, herbaceous plants and shrubs, trees.The critical loads approach is an ecosystem assessment tool with great potential to simplify complex scientifi c information and effectively communicate with the policy community and the public. This synthesis represents the fi rst comprehensive assessment of empirical critical loads of N for ecoregions across the United States.

show abstract

Recent Changes in the Diatom Community Structure of Lakes in the Beartooth Mountain Range, U.S.A.

Cited by 103 publications

References 32 publications

Recent climate extremes alter alpine lake ecosystems

Recent climate extremes alter alpine lake ecosystems

Critical Nitrogen Deposition Loads in High-elevation Lakes of the Western US Inferred from Paleolimnological Records

Assessment of Nitrogen deposition effects and empirical critical loads of Nitrogen for ecoregions of the United States

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About