Microbial Biomass and Enzymatic Activity of the Surface Microlayer and Subsurface Water in Two Dystrophic Lakes

Nutrient and organic matter concentration, microbial biomass and activities were studied at the surface microlayers (SML) and subsurface waters (SSW) in two small forest lakes of different water colour. The SML in polyhumic lake is more enriched with dissolved inorganic nitro­gen (0.141 mg l–1) than that of oligohumic lake (0.124 mg l–1), the former also contains higher levels of total nitrogen (2.66 mg l–1). Higher activities of lipase (Vmax 2290 nmol l–1 h–1 in oligo- and 6098 in polyhumic) and glucosidase (Vmax 41 nmol l–1 h–1 in oligo- and 49 in polyhumic) were in the SMLs in both lakes. Phosphatase activity was higher in the oligohumic SML than in SSW (Vmax 632 vs. 339 nmol l–1 h–1)while in polyhumic lake was higher in SSW (Vmax 2258 nmol l–1 h–1 vs. 1908 nmol l–1 h–1). Aminopeptidase activity in the SSW in both lakes was higher than in SMLs (Vmax 2117 in oligo- and 1213 nmol l–1 h–1 in polyhumic). It seems that solar radiation does inhibit neuston micro­bial community as a whole because secondary production and the share of active bacteria in total bacteria number were higher in SSW. However, in the oligohumic lake the abundance of bacteria in the SML was always higher than in the SSW (4.07 vs. 2.69 × 106 cells ml–1) while in the polyhumic lake was roughly equal (4.48 vs. 4.33 × 106 cells ml–1) in both layers. Results may also suggest that surface communi­ties are not supplemented by immigration from bulk communities. The SML of humic lakes may act as important sinks for allochthonous nutrient resources and may then generate considerable energy pools for microbial food webs

Temperature Effects Explain Continental Scale Distribution of Cyanobacterial Toxins

Insight into how environmental change determines the production and distribution of cyanobacterial toxins is necessary for risk assessment. Management guidelines currently focus on hepatotoxins (microcystins). Increasing attention is given to other classes, such as neurotoxins (e.g., anatoxin-a) and cytotoxins (e.g., cylindrospermopsin) due to their potency. Most studies examine the relationship between individual toxin variants and environmental factors, such as nutrients, temperature and light. In summer 2015, we collected samples across Europe to investigate the effect of nutrient and temperature gradients on the variability of toxin production at a continental scale. Direct and indirect effects of temperature were the main drivers of the spatial distribution in the toxins produced by the cyanobacterial community, the toxin concentrations and toxin quota. Generalized linear models showed that a Toxin Diversity Index (TDI) increased with latitude, while it decreased with water stability. Increases in TDI were explained through a significant increase in toxin variants such as MC-YR, anatoxin and cylindrospermopsin, accompanied by a decreasing presence of MC-LR. While global warming continues, the direct and indirect effects of increased lake temperatures will drive changes in the distribution of cyanobacterial toxins in Europe, potentially promoting selection of a few highly toxic species or strains.Peer reviewe

Are the abiotic and biotic characteristics of aquatic mesocosms representative of in situ conditions?

<p class="p1">There is debate about whether results from mesocosm studies should be extrapolated to natural ecosystems. Critics argue that the <span style="font-size: 10px;">abiotic and biotic characteristics of mesocosms do not represent the </span><span class="s1" style="font-size: 10px;">i<em>n situ </em></span><span style="font-size: 10px;">conditions of the habitats in which they are designed to </span><span style="font-size: 10px;">mimic. We addressed this idea by deploying mesocosms in two lakes of varying trophic status (mesotrophic and eutrophic). Water chemistry </span><span style="font-size: 10px;">was relatively similar between the mesocosms and the respective lakes. In contrast, biological variables including most phytoplankton, </span><span style="font-size: 10px;">nanoflagellates, ciliates, and zooplankton were lower in the mesocosms than they were in the respective lakes. There was </span><span style="font-size: 10px;">also a shift in zooplankton composition such that mesocosm assemblages diverged from pelagic to littoral communities. While our </span><span style="font-size: 10px;">results show that freshwater planktonic organisms can vary considerably between mesocosms and </span><span class="s1" style="font-size: 10px;">in situ </span><span style="font-size: 10px;">habitats, we also suggest that </span><span style="font-size: 10px;">factors such as isolation from lake sediments, the lack of predators, and the temporal scale at which mesocosms are filled and sampled </span><span style="font-size: 10px;">should be considered when designing and interpreting mesocosm studies. Nevertheless, mesocosms are an important tool for developing </span><span style="font-size: 10px;">and testing general ecological hypotheses that cannot be achieved using other approaches alone.</span></p

Stratification strength and light climate explain variation in chlorophyll a at the continental scale in a European multilake survey in a heatwave summer

To determine the drivers of phytoplankton biomass, we collected standardized morphometric, physical, and biological data in 230 lakes across the Mediterranean, Continental, and Boreal climatic zones of the European continent. Multilinear regression models tested on this snapshot of mostly eutrophic lakes (median total phosphorus [TP] = 0.06 and total nitrogen [TN] = 0.7 mg L-1), and its subsets (2 depth types and 3 climatic zones), show that light climate and stratification strength were the most significant explanatory variables for chlorophyll a (Chl a) variance. TN was a significant predictor for phytoplankton biomass for shallow and continental lakes, while TP never appeared as an explanatory variable, suggesting that under high TP, light, which partially controls stratification strength, becomes limiting for phytoplankton development. Mediterranean lakes were the warmest yet most weakly stratified and had significantly less Chl a than Boreal lakes, where the temperature anomaly from the long-term average, during a summer heatwave was the highest (+4 degrees C) and showed a significant, exponential relationship with stratification strength. This European survey represents a summer snapshot of phytoplankton biomass and its drivers, and lends support that light and stratification metrics, which are both affected by climate change, are better predictors for phytoplankton biomass in nutrient-rich lakes than nutrient concentrations and surface temperature.Peer reviewe

Stratification strength and light climate explain variation in chlorophyll a at the continental scale in a European multilake survey in a heatwave summer

To determine the drivers of phytoplankton biomass, we collected standardized morphometric, physical, and biological data in 230 lakes across the Mediterranean, Continental, and Boreal climatic zones of the European continent. Multilinear regression models tested on this snapshot of mostly eutrophic lakes (median total phosphorus [TP] = 0.06 and total nitrogen [TN] = 0.7 mg L−1), and its subsets (2 depth types and 3 climatic zones), show that light climate and stratification strength were the most significant explanatory variables for chlorophyll a (Chl a) variance. TN was a significant predictor for phytoplankton biomass for shallow and continental lakes, while TP never appeared as an explanatory variable, suggesting that under high TP, light, which partially controls stratification strength, becomes limiting for phytoplankton development. Mediterranean lakes were the warmest yet most weakly stratified and had significantly less Chl a than Boreal lakes, where the temperature anomaly from the long-term average, during a summer heatwave was the highest (+4°C) and showed a significant, exponential relationship with stratification strength. This European survey represents a summer snapshot of phytoplankton biomass and its drivers, and lends support that light and stratification metrics, which are both affected by climate change, are better predictors for phytoplankton biomass in nutrient-rich lakes than nutrient concentrations and surface temperature

Temperature Effects Explain Continental Scale Distribution of Cyanobacterial Toxins

Insight into how environmental change determines the production and distribution of cyanobacterial toxins is necessary for risk assessment. Management guidelines currently focus on hepatotoxins (microcystins). Increasing attention is given to other classes, such as neurotoxins (e.g., anatoxin-a) and cytotoxins (e.g., cylindrospermopsin) due to their potency. Most studies examine the relationship between individual toxin variants and environmental factors, such as nutrients, temperature and light. In summer 2015, we collected samples across Europe to investigate the effect of nutrient and temperature gradients on the variability of toxin production at a continental scale. Direct and indirect effects of temperature were the main drivers of the spatial distribution in the toxins produced by the cyanobacterial community, the toxin concentrations and toxin quota. Generalized linear models showed that a Toxin Diversity Index (TDI) increased with latitude, while it decreased with water stability. Increases in TDI were explained through a significant increase in toxin variants such as MC-YR, anatoxin and cylindrospermopsin, accompanied by a decreasing presence of MC-LR. While global warming continues, the direct and indirect effects of increased lake temperatures will drive changes in the distribution of cyanobacterial toxins in Europe, potentially promoting selection of a few highly toxic species or strains

Data Descriptor: A European Multi Lake Survey dataset of environmental variables, phytoplankton pigments and cyanotoxins

Under ongoing climate change and increasing anthropogenic activity, which continuously challenge ecosystem resilience, an in-depth understanding of ecological processes is urgently needed. Lakes, as providers of numerous ecosystem services, face multiple stressors that threaten their functioning. Harmful cyanobacterial blooms are a persistent problem resulting from nutrient pollution and climate-change induced stressors, like poor transparency, increased water temperature and enhanced stratification. Consistency in data collection and analysis methods is necessary to achieve fully comparable datasets and for statistical validity, avoiding issues linked to disparate data sources. The European Multi Lake Survey (EMLS) in summer 2015 was an initiative among scientists from 27 countries to collect and analyse lake physical, chemical and biological variables in a fully standardized manner. This database includes in-situ lake variables along with nutrient, pigment and cyanotoxin data of 369 lakes in Europe, which were centrally analysed in dedicated laboratories. Publishing the EMLS methods and dataset might inspire similar initiatives to study across large geographic areas that will contribute to better understanding lake responses in a changing environment