Inter- and intra-annual variations of pCO2 and pO2 in a freshwater subtropical coastal lake

Inland waters emit significant amounts of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, but tropical and subtropical lakes are underrepresented in current assessments. Here we present results of a 6-year study of the dynamics of surface partial pressures of carbon dioxide and oxygen (pCO2 and pO2) in a subtropical lake, Lake Peri, Brazil, to determine how temperature, rainfall, and wind moderate surface concentrations. Both pCO2 and pO2 tended to increase during the transitions between seasons when rainfall increased, with pCO2 averaging 2.5–3-fold higher than atmospheric values. Occasionally during autumn/winter, pCO2 similarly increased and pO2 decreased. We infer that the increases in both gases during the transition periods resulted from increasing inputs of allochthonous material into the lake. Those in winter resulted from near-bottom intrusions that intermittently reach the depth of measurement. In autumn/winter, pCO2 was 3-fold higher (average 1700 µatm) compared to spring/summer (550 µatm), whereas changes in pO2 did not have a clear seasonal pattern. Overall median net CO2 evasion was 11 mg C m-2 d-1. Variability in the extent of rainfall and the associated high intra- and inter-annual variability in CO2 and CO2 emissions are in part controlled by atmospheric processes related to the South American Monsoon System and to El Niño Southern Oscillation cycles

Seasonal phytoplankton response to increased temperature and phosphorus inputs in a freshwater coastal lagoon, Southern Brazil: a microcosm bioassay Resposta sazonal do fitoplâncton ao aumento de temperatura e aporte de fósforo em uma lagoa costeira de água doce no sul do Brasil: um bioensaio em microcosmo

AIM: the present study aimed at assessing the response of phytoplankton biomass (as chlorophyll-a) to simulated conditions of increased water temperature and phosphorus (P) inputs in Peri lagoon, a subtropical coastal lagoon dominated by Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii most of the year; METHODS: microcosm experiments were conducted in thermostatic light chambers during 3 and 7 days in austral summer, autumn and winter 2009. Control temperatures were tested against 3 and 5 °C rises in water temperature in each season. In each temperature treatment, three P concentrations were tested: control (non-enriched, ~1.5 μg.L-1 PO4(3+)) and enrichments of four (+6 μg.L-1 PO4(3+)) and eight (+12 μg.L-1 PO4(3+)) times natural concentrations; RESULTS: the results showed that P enrichments alone did not increase chlorophyll-a concentrations, but temperature increases significantly elevated phytoplankton biomass in autumn and winter microcosms. Water temperature increases were followed by significant elevations in the oxygen saturation levels in all microcosms and seasons. The combined effect of increased temperature and P enrichments resulted in the highest chlorophyll-a levels also in autumn and winter. Summer microcosms seem to have been negatively affected by the experimental conditions (too high water temperatures); CONCLUSIONS: the bioassays showed that global temperature rises can significantly elevate the phytoplankton biomass in Peri coastal lagoon, especially in colder months and if followed by increased P inputs, what can lead to major ecological consequences to the water body and to water supply issues in the region.OBJETIVOS: o presente estudo teve como objetivo avaliar a resposta da biomassa fitoplanctônica (como clorofila-a) a condições simuladas de aumento da temperatura da água e do aporte de fósforo (P) na lagoa do Peri, uma lagoa subtropical costeira dominada por Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii; MÉTODOS: experimentos em microcosmo foram conduzidos em câmaras incubadoras com controle de temperatura e fotoperíodo por 3 e 7 dias no verão, outono e inverno de 2009. Temperaturas controle foram comparadas com aumentos de 3 e 5 °C na temperatura da água. Em cada tratamento, três concentrações de P foram testadas: controle (não-enriquecida, ~1,5 μg.L-1 PO4(3+) ) e enriquecimentos de quatro (+6 μg.L-1 PO4(3+)) e oito (+12 μg.L-1 PO4(3+)) vezes a concentração natural na lagoa; RESULTADOS: os resultados mostraram que o enriquecimento por P sozinho não provocou aumento nas concentrações de clorofila-a, mas a elevação da temperatura da água aumentou significativamente a biomassa fitoplanctônica nos microcosmos no outono e no inverno. O aumento da temperatura foi acompanhado por aumento significativo na saturação de oxigênio na água em todos os microcosmos e estações do ano. O efeito combinado do aumento da temperatura e do enriquecimento com P resultou em concentrações de clorofila-a ainda mais elevadas também no outono e no inverno. Os microcosmos desenvolvidos no verão parecem ter sido afetados negativamente pelas condições experimentais (temperaturas muito elevadas); CONCLUSÕES: os bioensaios mostraram que o aumento da temperatura global pode elevar significativamente a biomassa fitoplanctônica na lagoa do Peri, especialmente em meses mais frios e se acompanhada por aumento no aporte de P, o que pode levar a alterações ecológicas profundas no corpo d'água e a problemas no abastecimento de água da região

Temporal variation in phytoplankton community in a freshwater coastal lake of southern Brazil

AIM: The aim of the present study was to study the vertical variation in phytoplankton community in a subtropical coastal lake and to verify the temporal variation of this community following variation in temperature and dissolved nitrogen and phosphorus. METHODS: Sampling of phytoplankton and abiotic variables were performed monthly from June/2009 to January/2011 at four depths from the central part of Peri Lake. The data were analyzed using analysis of variance, correlation and canonical correspondence analysis. RESULTS: Vertical variation in the phytoplankton community and limnological data did not occur but temporal variation was found. The lake was limited by light and nutrients and this light limitation selected the Cyanobacteria species from Sn and S1 functional groups. Phytoplankton community was composed of five groups, with 31 freshwater taxa, in which Cyanobacteria was the most important with 87.7% of total density and Chlorophyta with 11.8%. Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii was dominant during almost the whole study period because when temperature and phosphorus increased and wind speed decreased Limnothrix sp. density was boosted. Different species of Cyanobacteria filamentous showed correlation with variables in different ways, indicating that some species can co-exist, each of them having distinct niches or can compete by the same resource. CONCLUSION: The phytoplankton presented periodicity driven by annual change in water temperature and nutrients availability. Peri Lake's features allow for the occurrence of a vertically homogeneous water column and the dominance of cyanobacterial functional groups adapted to low underwater light and nutrients deficienc

Determining the high variability of pCO2 and pO2 in the littoral zone of a subtropical coastal lake

The aquatic metabolism comprises production and mineralization of organic matter through biological processes, such as primary production and respiration that can be estimated by gases concentration in the water column. AIM: The study aimed to assess the temporal variability of pCO2 and pO2 in the littoral zone of a subtropical coastal lake. Our hypotheses are i) high variability in meteorological conditions, such as temperature and light, drive the high variability in pCO2 and pO2, and ii) the lake is permanently heterotrophic due to the low phosphorus concentration. METHODS: We estimated pCO2 from pH-alkalinity method, and pO2 from dissolved oxygen concentration and water temperature measured in free-water during 24 hours in the autumn, winter, spring and summer. RESULTS: Our findings showed that limnological variables had low temporal variability, while the meteorological variables and pCO2 presented a high coefficient of variation, which is representative of each climatic season. In autumn and winter, it was recorded that the lake was supersaturated in CO2 relative to the atmosphere, while in spring and summer CO2 concentration was below the concentration found in the atmosphere. Over 24 hours, pCO2 also showed high variability, with autumn presenting higher concentration during the night when compared to daytime. Water temperature and chlorophyll a were negatively correlated with pCO2, while pO2 was positively correlated with wind and light. CONCLUSION: Agreeing with our first hypothesis, pCO2 showed an expressive temporal variation in a subtropical lake associated to the high variability in meteorological conditions. On the other hand, our second hypothesis was not confirmed, since Peri Lake exported CO2 to the atmosphere in some periods and in others, CO2 was removed from the atmosphere

Bacteria and phytoplankton production rates in eight river stretches of the middle Rio Doce hidrographic basin (southeast Brazil)

Measurements of bacterial secondary production (BSP), together with primary phytoplanktonic production (PPP) were conducted during dry and rainy seasons, in eight rivers of different orders submitted to different degrees of human impacts (different trophic degree). We aimed to determine and compare the importance of BSP and PPP in carbon fixation in these different lotic ecosystems. Our results showed that the Ipanema River was the most modified system by anthropogenic effluents inputs. These inputs altered the trophic degree and BSP rates of these streams and rivers.Estudos das taxas de produção secundária bacteriana (PSB), junto com as de produção primária fitoplanctônica (PPF) em ecossistemas lóticos são escassos na literatura. Estimativas de PSB e de PPF foram realizadas durante os períodos de chuva e seca em 8 rios de diferentes ordens e submetidos a diferentes graus de impactos antrópicos (diferentes graus de trofia). O objetivo foi quantificar e comparar PSB, PPF e as taxas PSB/PPF para inferir sobre a importância destas comunidades na fixação de carbono nestes ecossistemas lóticos. Os resultados deste estudo permitem concluir que o rio Ipanema é o ambiente mais alterado pelo aporte de efluentes de origem antrópica, e que este aporte altera o grau de trofia em todos os ambientes, refletindo diretamente nas estimativas da PSB

Considerations regarding the dominance of Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii under low light availability in a low phosphorus lake

ABSTRACTAlthough many studies have shown that the dispersion, increased abundance and dominance of cyanobacteria can be attributed to nutrient enrichment, we discuss features contributing to the dominance of Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii in a shallow, polymictic, subtropical coastal lake with low phosphorus and light limitation (Peri Lake). The presence and dominance of C. raciborskii in an environment with such characteristics emphasizes the idea that nutrients alone do not explain the high density of this cyanobacterium. Other features should be considered in explaining this species dominance, such as phosphorus storage and physiological flexibilitywhich seem to be key features to high densities in low phosphorus systems