Warmer climates boost cyanobacterial dominance in shallow lakes

TY - JOUR

T1 - Warmer climates boost cyanobacterial dominance in shallow lakes

AU - Kosten, S.

AU - Huszar, V.L.M

AU - Bécares, E.

AU - Costa, L.S.

AU - Van Donk, E.

AU - Hansson, L-A.

AU - Jeppesen, E.

AU - Kruk, C.

AU - Lacerot, G.

AU - Mazzeo, N.

AU - De Meester, L.

AU - Moss, B.

AU - Lürling, M.

AU - Nõges, T.

AU - Romo, S.

AU - Scheffer, M.

N1 - Reporting year: 2012 Metis note: 5173; WAG; AqE

PY - 2012

Y1 - 2012

N2 - Dominance by cyanobacteria hampers human use of lakes and reservoirs worldwide. Previous studies indicate that excessive nutrient loading and warmer conditions promote dominance by cyanobacteria, but evidence from global scale field data has so far been scarce. Our analysis, based on a study of 143 lakes along a latitudinal transect ranging from subarctic Europe to southern South America, shows that although warmer climates do not result in higher overall phytoplankton biomass, the percentage of the total phytoplankton biovolume attributable to cyanobacteria increases steeply with temperature. Our results also reveal that the percent cyanobacteria is greater in lakes with high rates of light absorption. This points to a positive feedback because restriction of light availability is often a consequence of high phytoplankton biovolume, which in turn may be driven by nutrient loading. Our results indicate a synergistic effect of nutrients and climate. The implications are that in a future warmer climate, nutrient concentrations may have to be reduced substantially from present values in many lakes if cyanobacterial dominance is to be controlled.

AB - Dominance by cyanobacteria hampers human use of lakes and reservoirs worldwide. Previous studies indicate that excessive nutrient loading and warmer conditions promote dominance by cyanobacteria, but evidence from global scale field data has so far been scarce. Our analysis, based on a study of 143 lakes along a latitudinal transect ranging from subarctic Europe to southern South America, shows that although warmer climates do not result in higher overall phytoplankton biomass, the percentage of the total phytoplankton biovolume attributable to cyanobacteria increases steeply with temperature. Our results also reveal that the percent cyanobacteria is greater in lakes with high rates of light absorption. This points to a positive feedback because restriction of light availability is often a consequence of high phytoplankton biovolume, which in turn may be driven by nutrient loading. Our results indicate a synergistic effect of nutrients and climate. The implications are that in a future warmer climate, nutrient concentrations may have to be reduced substantially from present values in many lakes if cyanobacterial dominance is to be controlled.

KW - international

U2 - 10.1111/j.1365-2486.2011.02488.x

DO - 10.1111/j.1365-2486.2011.02488.x

M3 - Article

SN - 1354-1013

VL - 18

SP - 118

EP - 126

JO - Global Change Biology

JF - Global Change Biology

IS - 1

ER -