Recovery of Crustacean Zooplankton Communities from Acidification in Killarney Park, Ontario, 1971–2000: pH 6 As a Recovery Goal

Holt, Carrie A.; Yan, Norman D.

doi:10.1579/0044-7447-32.3.203

Cited by 66 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…In contrast to the Sudbury lakes, both Killarney lakes experienced stable or increasing RSR throughout the 20th century, including the period of acidification. Four zooplankton surveys carried out between 1972 and 2005 (Sprules, ; Locke et al ., ; Holt & Yan, ; Shead, ) indicate that cladoceran species richness remained constant at three species in George Lake and declined from four to zero species in Lumsden Lake. Moreover, sedimentary assemblage metrics reveal that cladoceran species richness significantly increased in George Lake, while remaining consistently high (average RSR of 14) in Lumsden Lake.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Elevated metal concentrations inhibit biological recovery of Cladocera in previously acidified boreal lakes

et al. 2014

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1. Lakes near Sudbury, Canada, have been exposed to intense acidification and metal contamination from nearby mining and smelting operations. Although lakewater pH improved substantially following the implementation of emission controls in the late 1960s, biological recovery continues to lag behind chemical recovery. 2. We assessed the current state of biological recovery (relative to pre-impact times) using multiproxy palaeolimnological records from two nearby lake districts (Sudbury and Killarney), both impacted by acidification but having experienced differences in metal contamination due to their respective distances from smelters. 3. Twentieth century cladoceran shifts were most pronounced in the acidified and metal-contaminated Sudbury lakes, with assemblage changes tracking industrial activity. Chydorus brevilabris increased markedly in dominance, largely at the expense of Bosmina spp. In contrast, the Killarney lakes, with similar changes in pH but lower Cu and Ni inputs than the Sudbury lakes, experienced minimal changes within their sedimentary cladoceran assemblages. 4. These regional differences in cladoceran impact and recovery patterns are best explained by varying levels of Cu and Ni contamination, with concentrations of these metals still exceeding provincial water quality guidelines in the Sudbury lakes. Biological recovery in these systems appears to be inhibited by persistent high metal levels. 5. Increased lake primary production and coincident shifts in cladoceran assemblages over the past approximately 40 years in all the study lakes suggest that climate impacts may be gaining prominence as drivers of ecological change, and therefore a return to the biotic structure of the pre-smelter era is unlikely.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Elevated metal concentrations inhibit biological recovery of Cladocera in previously acidified boreal lakes

et al. 2014

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“…The enclosure experiment was run in Killarney Provincial Park, Ontario. Zooplankton communities in many of the park's lakes were damaged as a result of acidification caused by SO 2 and NO x emissions from nearby industrial activity (Holt & Yan ). Four acid‐sensitive species native to the region were selected as colonists: Daphnia retrocurva , E. lacustris , S. oregonensis and Tropocyclops extensus (Keller & Yan ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We selected four lakes with low PCA axis 1 scores (neutral communities) and four with high PCA axis 1 scores (acidic communities) for use as recipient communities in our experiment (Table ). Zooplankton community data collected in 1990, 2000 and 2005, suggested that our four colonist species were not present in the eight study lakes we selected (Sprules ; Holt & Yan ; Gray et al . ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of dispersal levels, Allee effects and community resistance as zooplankton communities respond to environmental change

Gray

Arnott

2012

Journal of Applied Ecology

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Summary1. Worldwide, freshwater zooplankton communities have been subjected to multiple environmental stressors including acidification, invasive species introductions, habitat alteration and climate change. Understanding the factors that affect zooplankton community responses in the face of environmental change is an important goal if ecologists expect to make predictions regarding the impact of current and future stressors. The acidification and recovery of lakes provides a well-studied example of the impacts of environmental change. 2. For this study, we conducted a field enclosure experiment using zooplankton communities that are recovering from the effects of acidification to determine whether dispersal levels, Allee effects and biotic interactions could influence com'munity responses as pH levels increase. The experiment involved the introduction of four acid-sensitive colonist species (Daphnia retrocurva, Skistodiaptomus oregonensis, Epischura lacustris and Tropocyclops extensus) into enclosures stocked with recipient communities. The experiment was a factorial design with colonists introduced at three starting densities (low, medium and high) and enclosures being stocked with either diverse communities typical of neutral lakes or relatively depauperate communities dominated by the acid-tolerant copepod Leptodiaptomus minutus. Per capita growth rates (r) for colonist species were measured by sampling communities in enclosures over a 10-week period. Factorial ANOVAs were conducted to determine whether r differed according to starting densities, recipient community type or their interaction. 3. Our results indicated that r for the copepods E. lacustris and S. oregonensis were greater when introduced at high initial densities, suggesting an Allee effect based on mate limitation. In addition, r for S. oregonensis was lower when introduced to acid communities, suggesting biotic interactions with the resident community were important for this species. Per capita growth rates for T. extensus and D. retrocurva did not differ among treatments. 4. Synthesis and applications. These results suggest that community response to environmental change can be influenced by dispersal, Allee effects and community interactions. Studies evaluating the ongoing recovery of zooplankton communities from acidification, or their response to other stressors, should take these factors into account. If rapid community responses are desired, dispersal rates for sexual zooplankton species (copepods) may need to be artificially increased.

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“…Furthermore, NO 3 –N export from forests is a source of nutrients for downstream aquatic communities and pulses of NO 3 –N export from forests can cause episodic acidification (Wigington et al ., 1996); the pH during these episodes often drops below the critical threshold for aquatic biota (i.e. pH 6; Holt and Yan, ; Eimers et al ., ). A change in the timing of NO 3 –N export from forested catchments (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of winter warming on the timing of nutrient export from forested catchments

Casson

Eimers

Watmough

2012

Hydrological Processes

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Abstract:Winter climatic conditions can influence the timing and magnitude of water and nitrate (NO 3 -N) export from seasonally snowcovered catchments. Specifically, mid-winter rain-on-snow (ROS) events are a major source of NO 3 -N export to forested streams, but the impact of these events on other nutrients is not known. Climate projections for Ontario suggest that climate warming will be most pronounced during the winter months, which could result in more mid-winter rain events and consequent changes in nutrient delivery to streams. The objective of this study was to examine the impact of winter climate variability on the timing of NO 3 -N export relative to water and other nutrients at six headwater catchments in south-central Ontario that have longterm water quality and hydrology records . The catchments represent a wide range of physiographic characteristics and stream chemistry, yet the timing of nitrate export from all catchments was coherent. In warmer winters with more ROS events, the bulk of NO 3 -N export relative to the export of water shifted earlier in the year from spring (i.e. the main period of snow melt) to winter. ROS events did not cause similar temporal shifts in the export of other nutrients, including dissolved organic carbon, total phosphorus and calcium. Instead, their export was synchronous with the bulk of water export. Future shifts to earlier export of NO 3 -N relative to water and other nutrients may impact aquatic productivity and cause more frequent episodic acidification of surface waters.

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Recovery of Crustacean Zooplankton Communities from Acidification in Killarney Park, Ontario, 1971–2000: pH 6 As a Recovery Goal

Cited by 66 publications

References 38 publications

Elevated metal concentrations inhibit biological recovery of Cladocera in previously acidified boreal lakes

Elevated metal concentrations inhibit biological recovery of Cladocera in previously acidified boreal lakes

The role of dispersal levels, Allee effects and community resistance as zooplankton communities respond to environmental change

Impact of winter warming on the timing of nutrient export from forested catchments

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