Work

Rotifer functionality as a potentially useful indicator of lake browning

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: Lake browning is considered a severe water quality problem in lake ecosystems, but it has received considerably less attention in water protection than eutrophication. Current metrics used in lake surveillance monitoring programmes, including the European Union’s Water Framework Directive, do not reflect browning sufficiently. The aims of the study were to explore the potential role of the functionality of rotifers as browning indicators and to improve understanding of the environmental parameters driving the functionality and diversity of rotifers. Seasonal data on rotifer communities and water quality from seven lakes with differing water colour and trophic conditions were analysed. The feeding guilds of rotifers enabled differentiation between lakes in terms of their ecological conditions, and, in particular, eutrophic and brown-water lakes were clearly distinguished from other lakes. Our results suggest that zooplankton functionality may provide a tool to assess ecosystem dynamics, particularly when assessing lake browning. Thus, our results suggest that application of the guild ratio of rotifers is a promising tool with obvious advantages from a time and resource use perspective to estimate the general browning status of lakes in terms of ecosystem processes and the interrelationship between trophic levels.

Source: Limnologica

DOI: 10.1016/j.limno.2024.126194

Authors: Satu Estlander, Leena Nurminen, Salla Rajala, Mikko Olin, Jukka Horppila

Institutions: University of Helsinki, Finnish Environment Institute, Natural Resources Institute Finland

Language: English

Topic: Aquatic Ecosystems and Phytoplankton Dynamics

Subfield: Environmental Chemistry

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Clean water and sanitation

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,660