The applicability of macrophyte compositional metrics for assessing eutrophication in European lakes

Kolada, Agnieszka; Willby, Nigel; Dudley, Bernard; Nõges, Peeter; Søndergaard, Martin; Hellsten, Seppo; Mjelde, Marit; Penning, Ellis; Geest, Gerben van; Bertrin, Vincent; Ecke, Frauke; Mäemets, Helle; Karus, Katrit

doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2014.04.049

Cited by 56 publications

(56 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…Most of the national assessment methods which use indicator species lists for the assessment of ecological status rely exclusively on submersed macrophyte species (Penning et al, 2008;Dudley et al, 2013;Kanninen et al, 2013;Alahuhta et al, 2014;Kolada, 2014;Kolada et al, 2014). We conclude that emergent macrophytes are decisive elements for lakes; hence ignoring these species during macrophyte surveys means that important ecological information may remain hidden.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 94%

Macrophyte diversity of lakes in the Pannon Ecoregion (Hungary)

Lukács

Tóthmérész²,

Borics

et al. 2015

Limnologica

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a b s t r a c tWe examined the distribution of submerged and emergent macrophyte species and the entire macrophyte community within and between five lake types (highland reservoirs, alkali lakes, large shallow lakes, small to medium sized shallow lakes, marshes) in the Pannon Ecoregion, Hungary. The lowest submerged, emergent and total species richness was found in alkali lakes. The highest submerged macrophyte richness was in small to medium sized lakes, while the highest emergent macrophyte species richness was in reservoirs, small to medium sized lakes, and marshes. The values of within-lake type beta diversity were generally lower than the values of alpha diversity, especially for submerged macrophytes, indicating between site homogeneity in species composition within the lake types. Emergent macrophyte communities contributed the most to within and between lake type diversity and total (gamma) diversity. Canonical correspondence analyses showed that the main environmental variables which influenced the distribution of submerged macrophytes were conductivity, Secchi transparency and water nitrogen contents. For emergent macrophytes conductivity, lake width, altitude and water depth proved to be the most influential variables. Our results contribute to the knowledge of large-scale distribution of macrophytes in the Pannon Ecoregion and to the identification of conservation value of lakes using macrophytes. The results support the importance of small lakes and artificial lakes in the conservation of macrophyte diversity compared to large and natural lakes in the Pannon Ecoregion.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 94%

Macrophyte diversity of lakes in the Pannon Ecoregion (Hungary)

Lukács

Tóthmérész²,

Borics

et al. 2015

Limnologica

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“…These shifts are consistent with eutrophication where tall canopyforming angiosperms such as Potamogeton spp. have a competitive advantage over lower growing Characeae (Blindow 1992;Brodersen et al 2001;Kolada et al 2014). Charophyte oospores are present in the uppermost sample of the sediment records of all our study lakes with the exception of Hornsea Mere (where they were lost from the record at some time since the mid1960s), yet their numbers are much reduced compared with the lower core sections.…”

Section: Floristic Changementioning

confidence: 91%

“…These data can be used to determine the macrophyte component of ecological reference conditions for WFD classification purposes (Kolada et al 2014) and inform the definition of favourable status for designated sites monitoring (IAFG 2015). Our findings accord with the conventional view that the initial state of unimpacted shallow lakes is defined by macrophyte-dominance and clear water conditions (Phillips et al 2016) and the reference communities captured by the macrofossil record are typically associated with low to moderate nutrient concentrations.…”

Section: Conservation Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sedimentary macrofossil records reveal ecological change in English lakes: implications for conservation

et al. 2017

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Aquatic macrophytes play a key role in providing habitat, refuge and food for a range of biota in shallow lakes. However, many shallow lakes have experienced declines in macrophyte vegetation in recent decades, principally due to eutrophication. As changes in macrophyte composition and abundance can affect overall ecological structure and function of a lake, an assessment of the timing and nature of such changes is crucial to our understanding of the wider lake ecosystem. In the typical absence of historical plant records, the macro-remains of macrophytes preserved in lake sediments can be used to assess long-term changes in aquatic vegetation. We generated recent (150-200 years) plant macrofossil records for six English lakes subject to conservation protection to define past macrophyte communities, assess trajectories of ecological change and consider the implications of our findings for conservation targets and strategies. The data for all six lakes reveal a diverse submerged macrophyte community, with charophytes Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10933-017-9941-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. as a key component, in the early part of the sedimentary records. The stratigraphies indicate considerable change to the aquatic vegetation over the last two centuries with a general shift towards species more typically associated with eutrophic conditions. A common feature is the decline in abundance of lowgrowing charophytes and an increase in tall canopyforming angiosperms such as fine-leaved Potamogeton species, Zannichellia palustris and Callitriche species. We hypothesise, based on findings from longterm datasets and palaeoecological records from enriched shallow lakes where plants are now absent, that the observed shifts provide a warning to managers that the lakes are on a pathway to complete macrophyte loss such that nutrient load reduction is urgently needed. It is the sound understanding of present-day plant ecology that affords such reliable interpretation of the fossil data which, in turn, provide valuable context for current conservation decisions.

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“…In addition, as we highlighted the link between plant distribution and sediment resuspension, we alert to the risks induced by the creation of artificial calm-water zones (e.g., marinas, harbours, canalizations) that could favour the onset of dense stands. Taking into account artificial hydromorphologic modifications would be convenient for improving biomonitoring approaches, which are at present focused on the detection of nutrient and organic pollution only (Kolada et al, 2014). Our results could be also used to identify suitable areas for potential colonization by E. densa, which is still currently not present in two of the four lakes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Effects of wind-induced sediment resuspension on distribution and morphological traits of aquatic weeds in shallow lakes

Bertrin¹,

Boutry²,

Jan³

et al. 2017

J Limnol

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The spread of invasive aquatic plants (i.e., aquatic weeds) requires a broader knowledge of the factors determining their settlement at the lake scale, in order to improve management practices and biomonitoring. Among hydrodynamic pressures, wave action might influence submerged vegetation distribution in shallow lakes and potentially engender modifications of plant morphological traits. We here report a field survey conducted between 2014 and 2015 in French Atlantic Lakes to assess the spatial distribution and biomass production of two rooted aquatic weeds, Egeria densa Planch. and Lagarosiphon major (Ridl.) Moss, in relation to wind-induced sediment resuspension, water depth and sedimentary features. Moreover, we explored the relation between plant morphological traits and hydrodynamic disturbance under in situ conditions. At the lake scale, E. densa and L. major formed extensive monospecific stands, and occurred in the same areas only at low biomass. Both monospecific and mixed stands preferentially developed in shallow-sheltered or deep-exposed areas. Plant morphological traits showed different patterns in function of sediment resuspension according to the species and the lake. The influence of resuspension was however not systematic, with many cases where morphological traits were not affected at all. Maximum stem length appeared to be the most correlated trait towards sediment resuspension. Moreover, we found a significant correlation between the biomass and the sedimentary organic matter, indicating an interaction between the organic substrate preference of the plants and the effect of the canopy on fine particles sedimentation. On the whole, we highlighted the link between plant distribution, phenotypic plasticity and sediment resuspension, with calm-water zones favouring the settlement of dense vegetated stands. Our study could thus contribute to improve prediction models for identifying suitable areas for potential colonization by aquatic weeds. Further research is needed to better understand the role played by hydraulic forces in structuring the habitats in shallow lakes.

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The applicability of macrophyte compositional metrics for assessing eutrophication in European lakes

Cited by 56 publications

References 34 publications

Macrophyte diversity of lakes in the Pannon Ecoregion (Hungary)

Macrophyte diversity of lakes in the Pannon Ecoregion (Hungary)

Sedimentary macrofossil records reveal ecological change in English lakes: implications for conservation

Effects of wind-induced sediment resuspension on distribution and morphological traits of aquatic weeds in shallow lakes

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