Happamuuden aiheuttamat vesistöhaitat ja niiden torjuntakeinot Sanginjoella

Sanginjoki, Oulujoen alin sivujoki, on Oulun seudun tärkeimpiä virkistysalueita ja Merikosken kalatietä lähin potentiaalinen vaelluskalojen nousualue. Joen ajoittainen happamuus kuitenkin heikentää Sanginjoen virkistyskäytöllistä ja ekologista arvoa. Kaupunki ja vesi – Sanginjoen virkistyskäyttöarvon parantaminen ja ekologinen kunnostus (2008-2011) -hankkeessa selvitettiin Sanginjoen happamuuden alkuperää, seurattiin laajasti eri alueilta jokeen laskevien valumavesien pH:n muutoksia sekä testattiin menetelmiä happamien huuhtoumien ennaltaehkäisyyn ja neutralointiin. Tulosten perusteella laadittiin toimenpidesuunnitelma happamuuden ehkäisemiseksi sekä happamuuden aiheuttamien haittojen lieventämiseksi. Julkaisussa on myös esitetty tietoa Sanginjoen ja sen valuma-alueen ominaisuuksista, joen ekologisesta tilasta, vedenlaadun kehityksestä sekä happamuuden ehkäisemiseen soveltuvista menetelmistä. Tulosten perusteella Sanginjoen veden happamuus usein voimistuu virtaamien kasvaessa. Etenkin kesä- ja syyssateiden yhteydessä havaittiin alhaisia pH-lukemia, joihin vaikuttivat maaperä, kasvillisuus ja maankäyttö. Hapan huuhtouma on pääosin peräisin turvepitoisten maiden orgaanisesta huuhtoumasta, mutta paikallisesti vedenlaatuun voivat vaikuttaa alueella esiintyvät happamat sulfaattimaat ja mustaliuskealueet. Sanginjoen vesi on ollut myös luontaisesti hapanta lähinnä suo- ja turvemaiden happamien valumavesien johdosta, mutta happamuus on todennäköisesti lisääntynyt ihmistoiminnan vaikutuksesta. Sanginjoen valuma-alueella testattujen vesiensuojelu- ja kunnostusmenetelmien vaikutukset happamien valumavesien neutraloinnissa vaihtelivat, mutta osa menetelmistä osoittautui käyttökelpoiseksi ja niitä voidaan suositella käytettävän jatkossa niin Sanginjoella kuin vastaavilla happamuudesta kärsivillä kohteilla. Menetelmien kehittämistä ja erityisesti vaikutusten seurantaa tulee kuitenkin edelleen jatkaa. Hankkeessa testatut menetelmät ovat keinoja ihmistoiminnasta aiheutuvan happamuuden lisääntymisen torjunnassa. Parhaiten Sanginjoen ja muiden happamuudesta kärsivien vesistöjen hapanta kuormitusta ehkäistään huomioimalla maankäytössä happamuuden kannalta kriittisten turve- ja sulfidipitoisten alueiden ominaisuudet ja sijoittuminen jo ennen maankäytön toimenpiteitä ja kuormituksen syntymistä

Fungal assemblages in predictive stream bioassessment: A cross-taxon comparison along multiple stressor gradients

Highlights • We compared fungi, invertebrates and diatoms in model-based stream bioassessment. • Fungal models virtually equaled the overall best model in precision and accuracy. • Fungi were superior in identifying streams degraded by multiple stressors. • Results strongly support the use of microbial communities in stream bioassessment.Degradation of freshwater ecosystems requires efficient tools for assessing the ecological status of freshwater biota and identifying potential cause(s) for their biological degradation. While diatoms and macroinvertebrates are widely used in stream bioassessment, the potential utility of microbial communities has not been fully harnessed. Using data from 113 Finnish streams, we assessed the performance of aquatic leaf-associated fungal decomposers, relative to benthic macroinvertebrates and diatoms, in modelling-based bioassessment. We built multi-taxon niche -type predictive models for fungal assemblages by using genus-based and sequence-based identification levels. We then compared the models’ precision and accuracy in the prediction of reference conditions (number of native taxa) to corresponding models for macroinvertebrates and diatoms. Genus-based fungal model nearly equalled the accuracy and precision of our best model (macroinvertebrates), whereas the sequence-based model was less accurate and tended to overestimate the number of taxa. However, when the models were applied to streams disturbed by anthropogenic stressors (nutrient enrichment, sedimentation and acidification), alone or in combination, the sequence-based fungal assemblages were more sensitive than other taxonomic groups, especially when multiple stressors were present. Microbial leaf decomposition rates were elevated in sediment-stressed streams whereas decomposition attributable to leaf-shredding macroinvertebrates was accelerated by nutrients and decelerated by sedimentation. Comparison of leaf decomposition results to model output suggested that leaf decomposition rates do not detect effectively the presence of multiple simultaneous disturbances. The rapid development of global microbial database may soon enable species-level identification of leaf-associated fungi, facilitating a more precise and accurate modelling of reference conditions in streams using fungal communities. This development, combined with the sensitivity of aquatic fungi in detecting the presence of multiple human disturbances, makes leaf-associated fungal assemblages an indispensable addition in a stream ecologist’s toolbox

Fungi originating from tree leaves contribute to fungal diversity of litter in streams

Biomass production and decomposition are key processes in ecology, where plants are primarily responsible for production and microbes act in decomposition. Trees harbor foliar microfungi living on and inside leaf tissues, epiphytes, and endophytes, respectively. Early researchers hypothesized that all fungal endophytes are parasites or latent saprophytes, which slowly colonize the leaf tissues for decomposition. While this has been proven for some strains in the terrestrial environment, it is not known whether foliar microfungi from terrestrial origin can survive or perform decomposition in the aquatic environment. On the other hand, aquatic hyphomycetes, fungi which decompose organic material in stream environments, have been suggested to have a plant-associated life phase. Our aim was to study how much the fungal communities of leaves and litter submerged in streams overlap. Ergosterol content on litter, which is an estimator of fungal biomass, was 5–14 times higher in submerged litter than in senescent leaves, indicating active fungal colonization. Leaves generally harbored a different microbiome prior to than after submergence in streams. The Chao1 richness was significantly higher (93.7 vs. 60.7, p = 0.004) and there were more observed operational taxonomic units (OTUs) (78.3 vs. 47.4, p = 0.004) in senescent leaves than in stream-immersed litter. There were more Leotiomycetes (9%, p = 0.014) in the litter. We identified a group of 35 fungi (65%) with both plant- and water-associated lifestyles. Of these, eight taxa had no previous references to water, such as lichenicolous fungi. Six OTUs were classified within Glomeromycota, known as obligate root symbionts with no previous records from leaves. Five members of Basidiomycota, which are rare in aquatic environments, were identified in the stream-immersed litter only. Overall, our study demonstrates that foliar microfungi contribute to fungal diversity in submerged litter

Fungal assemblages in predictive stream bioassessment : A cross-taxon comparison along multiple stressor gradients

Highlights • We compared fungi, invertebrates and diatoms in model-based stream bioassessment. • Fungal models virtually equaled the overall best model in precision and accuracy. • Fungi were superior in identifying streams degraded by multiple stressors. • Results strongly support the use of microbial communities in stream bioassessment.Degradation of freshwater ecosystems requires efficient tools for assessing the ecological status of freshwater biota and identifying potential cause(s) for their biological degradation. While diatoms and macroinvertebrates are widely used in stream bioassessment, the potential utility of microbial communities has not been fully harnessed. Using data from 113 Finnish streams, we assessed the performance of aquatic leaf-associated fungal decomposers, relative to benthic macroinvertebrates and diatoms, in modelling-based bioassessment. We built multi-taxon niche -type predictive models for fungal assemblages by using genus-based and sequence-based identification levels. We then compared the models’ precision and accuracy in the prediction of reference conditions (number of native taxa) to corresponding models for macroinvertebrates and diatoms. Genus-based fungal model nearly equalled the accuracy and precision of our best model (macroinvertebrates), whereas the sequence-based model was less accurate and tended to overestimate the number of taxa. However, when the models were applied to streams disturbed by anthropogenic stressors (nutrient enrichment, sedimentation and acidification), alone or in combination, the sequence-based fungal assemblages were more sensitive than other taxonomic groups, especially when multiple stressors were present. Microbial leaf decomposition rates were elevated in sediment-stressed streams whereas decomposition attributable to leaf-shredding macroinvertebrates was accelerated by nutrients and decelerated by sedimentation. Comparison of leaf decomposition results to model output suggested that leaf decomposition rates do not detect effectively the presence of multiple simultaneous disturbances. The rapid development of global microbial database may soon enable species-level identification of leaf-associated fungi, facilitating a more precise and accurate modelling of reference conditions in streams using fungal communities. This development, combined with the sensitivity of aquatic fungi in detecting the presence of multiple human disturbances, makes leaf-associated fungal assemblages an indispensable addition in a stream ecologist’s toolbox

Roadmap for implementing environmental DNA (eDNA) and other molecular monitoring methods in Finland–Vision and action plan for 2022–2025

Technological development in molecular methodology has been extremely fast in the past two decades, and groundbreaking new approaches have been introduced. It is now possible to detect and quantify DNA or RNA of target species or even map the whole species community in environmental samples of water, sediment, soil, air or assemblages of whole organisms. Moreover, the costs of high-throughput sequencing and other advanced molecular methods have decreased and methodological pipelines from sampling to data analysis developed sufficiently to allow large-scale, routine application of the new methods in environmental monitoring. This presents a huge opportunity to improve the coverage, accuracy and cost-efficiency of monitoring, enabling a much more complete picture of biodiversity and the state of the environment and their trends. As the new European Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 and other international policies to halt biodiversity loss and the degradation of habitats are translated into concrete measures, the quality of the monitoring data will play a crucial role in determining their success or failure. In this roadmap commissioned by the Finnish Ministry of the Environment, we assess the state-ofthe-art in molecular monitoring methods in Finland within the international context, identify challenges and development areas that remain to be addressed and propose an action plan for promoting the coordinated implementation of molecular methods in national monitoring programs. Apart from the most recent scientific literature, our analysis is based on survey results, direct enquiries and interviews. Participation of the national community of experts from different sectors was enabled and invited at several stages of the roadmap preparation. Internationally, molecular monitoring methods are being actively developed and are routinely implemented in monitoring across different taxa and ecosystems. In Finland, molecular monitoring methods have been tested and piloted by all major institutions responsible for environmental monitoring, and the methods are already applied routinely in the monitoring of individual game species such as the wolf and European and Canadian beaver. However, other areas such as the monitoring of biodiversity, threatened species, non-mammalian invasive species or emerging plant or animal pests remain less developed, and national efforts and expertise are scattered across different organizations. Funding and know-how are perceived as the most important factors limiting molecular monitoring method implementation. We estimate that extensive, routine implementation of a wide range of molecular monitoring methods is conceivable in Finland before 2030. As the primary development areas for reaching this goal, we identify (i) international coordination and standard development, (ii) networking across sectors, (iii) education, (iv) infrastructure, (v) reference sequence libraries and the mapping of whole genomes, and (vi) modelling and analysis tool development. For concrete actions in 2022–2025, we propose (1) a cross-governmental funding instrument, (2) a permanent working group responsible for national and international coordination, (3) a national network and (4) an online platform to enhance interaction and knowledge transfer, as well as (5) a national data management system with collectively agreed data and metadata formats and standards

Roadmap for implementing environmental DNA (eDNA) and other molecular monitoring methods in Finland – Vision and action plan for 2022–2025

Roadmap for implementing environmental DNA (eDNA) and other molecular monitoring methods in Finland – Vision and Action Plan for 2022-2025 Technological development in molecular methodology has been extremely fast in the past two decades, and groundbreaking new approaches have been introduced. It is now possible to detect and quantify DNA or RNA of target species or even map the whole species community in environmental samples of water, sediment, soil, air or assemblages of whole organisms. Moreover, the costs of high-throughput sequencing and other advanced molecular methods have decreased and methodological pipelines from sampling to data analysis developed sufficiently to allow large-scale, routine application of the new methods in environmental monitoring. This presents a huge opportunity to improve the coverage, accuracy and cost-efficiency of monitoring, enabling a much more complete picture of biodiversity and the state of the environment and their trends. As the new European Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 and other international policies to halt biodiversity loss and the degradation of habitats are translated into concrete measures, the quality of the monitoring data will play a crucial role in determining their success or failure. In this roadmap commissioned by the Finnish Ministry of the Environment, we assess the state-of-the-art in molecular monitoring methods in Finland within the international context, identify challenges and development areas that remain to be addressed and propose an action plan for promoting the coordinated implementation of molecular methods in national monitoring programs. Apart from the most recent scientific literature, our analysis is based on survey results, direct enquiries and interviews. Participation of the national community of experts from different sectors was enabled and invited at several stages of the roadmap preparation. Internationally, molecular monitoring methods are being actively developed and are routinely implemented in monitoring across different taxa and ecosystems. In Finland, molecular monitoring methods have been tested and piloted by all major institutions responsible for environmental monitoring, and the methods are already applied routinely in the monitoring of individual game species such as the wolf and European and Canadian beaver. However, other areas such as the monitoring of biodiversity, threatened species, non-mammalian invasive species or emerging plant or animal pests remain less developed, and national efforts and expertise are scattered across different organizations. Funding and know-how are perceived as the most important factors limiting molecular monitoring method implementation. We estimate that extensive, routine implementation of a wide range of molecular monitoring methods is conceivable in Finland before 2030. As the primary development areas for reaching this goal, we identify (i) international coordination and standard development, (ii) networking across sectors, (iii) education, (iv) infrastructure, (v) reference sequence libraries and the mapping of whole genomes, and (vi) modelling and analysis tool development. For concrete actions in 2022–2025, we propose (1) a cross-governmental funding instrument, (2) a permanent working group responsible for national and international coordination, (3) a national network and (4) an online platform to enhance interaction and knowledge transfer, as well as (5) a national data management system with collectively agreed data and metadata formats and standards. ---------- Kansallinen tiekartta ympäristö-DNA:n ja muiden molekyylibiologisten seurantamenetelmien käyttöönotolle – visio ja toimenpidesuunnitelma vuosille 2022-2025 Molekyylibiologisten menetelmien teknologinen kehitys on ollut ennennäkemättömän nopeaa kahden viime vuosikymmenen aikana. Uudet menetelmät mahdollistavat kohdelajien DNA:n tai RNA:n havaitsemisen ja runsausmäärityksen tai koko eliöyhteisön kartoittamisen esimerkiksi vesi-, sedimentti-, maaperä- tai ilmanäytteistä tai kokonaisia yksilöitä sisältävistä kokoomanäytteistä. Massiivisen rinnakkaissekvensoinnin ja muiden menetelmien kustannukset ovat merkittävästi laskeneet ja menetelmäketjut näytteenotosta tulosten tulkintaan kehittyneet asteelle, joka mahdollistaa niiden laajamittaisen, rutiininomaisen käytön ympäristön seurannassa. Uusien menetelmien avulla voimme parantaa seurannan kattavuutta, tarkkuutta ja kustannustehokkuutta ja siten täydentää seurannan kautta muodostuvaa kuvaa luonnon monimuotoisuudesta ja sen muutoksista. Tälle tiedolle on suuri tarve – laadukas seuranta on keskeinen edellytys sille, että EU:n uuden biodiversiteettistrategian ja muiden luontokadon ja elinympäristöjen tilan huonontumisen pysäyttämiseen tähtäävien kansainvälisten sitoumusten toimeenpano onnistuu. Tässä ympäristöministeriön tilaamassa tiekartassa arvioimme molekyylibiologisten seurantamenetelmien nykytilaa Suomessa osana laajempaa kansainvälistä kenttää, tunnistamme huomiota vaativia haasteita ja kehityskohteita ja ehdotamme konkreettisia toimenpiteitä molekyylibiologisten seurantamenetelmien koordinoidun käyttöönoton edistämiseksi lähivuosien aikana. Selvityksemme perustuu uusimman tieteellisen kirjallisuuden lisäksi kyselytutkimukseen sekä suoriin tiedusteluihin ja haastatteluihin. Yhteiskunnan eri sektoreita edustava kansallinen asiantuntijayhteisö osallistui tiekartan valmisteluun työn eri vaiheissa. Molekyylibiologisia seurantamenetelmiä kehitetään parhaillaan aktiivisesti ympäri maailmaa eri eliöryhmille ja ekosysteemeille, ja yksittäisiä menetelmiä on useissa maissa otettu myös rutiininomaiseen käyttöön. Suomessa menetelmiä on kehitetty ja pilotoitu kaikissa keskeisissä ympäristön seurantaa koordinoivissa laitoksissa, ja yksittäisten riistaeläinten kuten suden ja kanadan- ja euroopanmajavan seurannassa ne ovat jo rutiinikäytössä. Biodiversiteetin, uhanalaisten lajien, vieraslajien (nisäkkäitä lukuun ottamatta) ja muiden haitallisten lajien kansallisessa seurannassa molekyylibiologisten menetelmien käyttö on kuitenkin vielä kokeiluasteella, ja kehittämishankkeiden ja asiantuntijuuden kenttä on hajanainen. Riittämätöntä rahoitusta ja osaamista pidetään alan asiantuntijoiden keskuudessa tärkeimpinä menetelmien käyttöönottoa rajoittavina tekijöinä. Arviomme mukaan laaja kirjo molekyylibiologisia seurantamenetelmiä olisi mahdollista ottaa laajamittaiseen rutiininomaiseen käyttöön vuoteen 2030 mennessä. Tärkeimmiksi kehityskohteiksi nousivat (i) kansainvälinen koordinaatio ja menetelmien standardointi, (ii) organisaatioiden ja sektoreiden välinen verkostoituminen, (iii) koulutus, (iv) infrastruktuuri, (v) referenssisekvenssikirjastot ja kokonaisten genomien kartoittaminen sekä (vi) malli- ja analyysityökalujen kehittäminen. Konkreettisiksi toimenpiteiksi vuosille 2022-2025 esitämme (1) poikkihallinnollista rahoitusohjelmaa molekyylibiologisten seurantamenetelmien käyttöönottoa edistäville tutkimus- ja kehityshankkeille, (2) pysyvää työryhmää kansallisen ja kansainvälisen koordinaation edistämiseksi, (3) olemassa olevan kansallisen asiantuntijaverkoston laajentamista, (4) internet-pohjaista alustaa vuorovaikutuksen ja tiedonjaon tehostamiseksi sekä (5) kansallista, yhdessä sovittuja data- ja metadatastandardeja noudattavaa molekyylibiologisten seuranta-aineistojen tiedonhallintajärjestelmää

Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in boreal streams:the effects of anthropogenic disturbances and naturally stressful environments

Abstract The effect of biodiversity loss and change on the functioning of ecosystems is one of the key questions in ecological research. For stream ecosystems, compelling evidence indicates that species diversity may enhance ecosystem functions. However, ecosystem functions are often regulated by the same environmental factors that also shape diversity; thus, a major challenge for ecologists is to separate the effects of biodiversity loss on the ecosystem functions from the direct effects of human induced disturbance. In this doctoral thesis, I studied how decomposer communities and ecosystem functions respond to human disturbances (nutrient enrichment, acidification) and a natural stressor (naturally low water pH). I also studied how human disturbances and natural stressors affect the phylogenetic structure of stream fungal communities. I showed that human disturbance had a strong impact on species dominance patterns by reducing species evenness. Species dominance patterns also explained the variation in decomposition rates. Changes in abiotic variables also had a direct effect on leaf decomposition rates. In the naturally acidic sites, human impact (land drainage) further decreased water pH and increased metal concentrations, thereby reducing leaf decomposition rates, whereas high nutrient concentrations enhanced leaf decomposition. Naturally low pH had no effect on decomposition rates. Decomposer community similarity was higher in drainage-impacted sites, but only in naturally acidic, not in circumneutral, streams. Human induced disturbance also modified the phylogenetic similarity of fungal decomposer communities, with communities in disturbed sites consisting of more closely related species when compared to those in circumneutral reference sites. Leaf litter decomposition showed greater temporal variation in human disturbed sites than in reference sites, whereas fungal community variability was similar in disturbed and reference sites. Thus, temporally replicated monitoring may be needed for a reliable assessment of human disturbance in streams. My thesis emphasizes that using both functional and taxonomic measures allows a more comprehensive assessment of biological responses to human disturbance.Tiivistelmä Biodiversiteetin väheneminen ja siitä seuraava ekosysteemin toiminnan heikkeneminen on eräs keskeisimmistä ekologisista kysymyksistä. Ekosysteemin toiminnot ovat kuitenkin monesti yhteydessä ympäristöolosuhteisiin, joten on vaikea erottaa vähentyneen biodiversiteetin ja ympäristöolojen suhteellista merkitystä ekosysteemien toimintoihin. Tässä väitöskirjatyössäni tutkin, kuinka virtavesien hajottajayhteisöt ja ekosysteemin toiminnot (lehtikarikkeen hajotus) muuttuvat valuma-alueen ihmistoimintojen myötä. Tutkin myös, kuinka luontainen stressi (matala pH) vaikuttaa yhteisöihin ja ekosysteemin toimintoihin. Tarkastelen myös akvaattisten sienten fylogeneettistä rakennetta ihmistoiminnan muuttamissa vesiympäristöissä. Osoitan tutkimuksissani, että ihmistoiminnoilla on vaikutuksia hajottajayhteisöiden kokonaisrunsauden jakautumiseen lajien kesken. Muutamien runsaiden lajien dominoimissa yhteisöissä lehtikarikkeen hajoaminen on tehokkaampaa kuin yhteisöissä, joissa lajien runsauserot ovat pienempiä. Myös ympäristöoloilla on vaikutus lehtikarikkeen hajotukseen. Luontaisesti happamissa puroissa metsäojituksen seurauksena lisääntynyt veden metallipitoisuus ja alhainen pH vähentävät hajotuksen määrää. Toisaalta joen korkea ravinnepitoisuus lisää hajotusta. Lehtikarikkeen hajotus vaihtelee enemmän vuosien välillä ihmistoimintojen muuttamissa virtavesissä kuin luonnontilaisissa vesissä. Toisaalta sieniyhteisöt pysyvät koostumukseltaan samankaltaisina vuosien välillä ihmistoiminnan muuttamissa paikoissa ja referenssipaikoissa. Tämä työ osoittaa, että toiminnallisten ja yhteisöihin perustuvien indikaattorien yhteiskäyttö antaa kokonaisvaltaisimman kuvan ihmistoimintojen vaikutuksesta virtavesien ekosysteemeihin

Data from: Environmental degradation results in contrasting changes in the assembly processes of stream bacterial and fungal communities

Environmental degradation may have strong effects on community assembly processes. We examined the assembly of bacterial and fungal communities in anthropogenically altered and near-pristine streams. Using pyrosequencing of bacterial and fungal DNA from decomposed alder Alnus incana leaves, we specifically examined if environmental degradation deterministically decreases or increases the compositional turnover of bacterial and fungal communities. Our results showed that near-pristine streams and anthropogenically altered streams supported distinct fungal and bacterial communities. The mechanisms assembling these communities were different in near-pristine and altered environments. Environmental disturbance homogenized bacterial communities, whereas fungal communities were more dissimilar in disturbed sites than in near-pristine sites. Compositional variation of both bacteria and fungi was related to water chemistry variables in disturbed sites, further implying the influence of environmental degradation on community assembly. Bacterial and fungal communities in near-pristine streams were weakly controlled by environmental factors, suggesting that the relative importance of niche-based versus neutral processes in assembling microbial communities may strongly depend on the spatial scale and local environmental context. Our results thus suggest that environmental degradation may strongly affect the composition and β-diversity of stream microbial communities colonizing leaf litter, and that the direction of the change can be different between bacteria and fungi. A better understanding of the environmental tolerances of microbes and the mechanisms assembling microbial communities in natural environmental settings is needed to predict how environmental alteration is likely to affect microbial communities

Data_Tolkkinen_etal

Rep set sequence data (fasta format), Environmental measurements data, and OTU table dat

Environmental variables and bacterial and fungal OTUs

Measured environmental variables for the study sites and occurrences of bacterial and fungal OTUs obtained using pyrosequencing. Units for environmental variables are provided in column headings. Unit for particle size is explained in a separate row below the data