Phytoplankton Productivity in Tomahawk Lagoon, Lake Waipori, and Lake Mahinerangi
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Fisheties Research Bulletin No. j Phytoplankton Productivity in Tomahawk Lagoon, Lake Waipori, and Lake Mahinerangi By S. F. Mitchell, Fishedes Research Division New Zøla¡d Marine Department Phytoplankton Productivity in Tomahawk Lagoon, Lake \)Øaipori, and Lake Mahine rangi Frontispiece: Water samples being taken from Tomahawk Lagoon with a Van Dorn sampler on a calm winter's day. Fisheties Research Bulletin No. j Phytoplankton Productivity in Tomahawk Lagoon, Lake \Øaipori, and Lake Mahinerangi By S. F. Mitchell, Department of ZooIogy, University of Otago Fisheries Research Division New Zealand Marine DePatment Published by the New Zealand Marine Departnent Wellington 1971 This series of research bulletins, which was begun in 1968, after the establishment of the Fisheries Research Division, is a different series from that published by the New Zealand Marine Department between 1927 and 1957 and entitled Fisheries Bulletins Nos. 1 to 12. Received for publication 29 April 1968 FOREWORD THOSE of us interested in the proper use of our water resources are concerned with the eflects of natural and induced changes on the productivity of the environment, yet relatively few funda- mental observations have been made of primary production in fresh water in temperate regions. But such observations are essential if we are to be able to measure accurately the changes taking place. In providing a critical appreciation of techniques a.nd fundamental i¡formation on three South Island lakes Dr Mitchell has established a. basis for those comparative studies which future workers will certainly desire to make. He has also indicated how variation of chemical and physical conditions may alter primary productivity, and his observations on the apParent mutual exclusion of phyto- plankton and macrophytes must be of interest to those concerned with the aesthetic appearance, as well as the productivity, of our inland waters. G. DuNcnN Weucrr, Director, Fisheries Research Division. CONTBNTS Page INTRODUCTION 9 DESCRIPTION OF THE LAKES 10 Tomahawk Lagoon No. 2 10 Lake Mahinerangi l1 Lake Waipori t2 CLIMATE l4 METHODS l5 Sampling Methods t5 Chemical and Physical MMethods 15 PhvtoplanktonPhytoplankton Productivitvvity t7 Calculationlalculation of Daily Production 19 Nutrient Fertilisation Experiments 21 SEASONAL DISTRIBUTION OF PHYTOPLANKTON PRODUCTIVITY 22 ALGAL SPECIES COMPOSITION 25 fntroduction 25 Tomahawk Lagoon 25 l-ur.ã wuipo.i är,J Luk" Mahinerangi 25 PHYSICAL AND CHBMICAL CONDITIONS 27 Temperature 27 Secchii Disc Transparency 27 Oxygen Concentrations 27 Ionic Solutes 28 SAMPLING BRRORS AND REGIONAL VARIATIONS IN PHYTOPLANKTON PRODUCTIVITY 3l Introduction 31 Tomahawk Lagoon 31 Lake Mahinerangi 3l Lake Waipori 33 THE RELATION BETWEEN 14C AND L AND DB ESTIMATES 35 INTERRELATIONS ÉETWEEN PHYTOPLANKTON AND MACROPHYTES IN TOMAHAWK LAGOON 37 Introduction :tl Light Penetration 37 Chloride 39 pH and Alkalinity 40 Calcium and MasMagnesium +l Phosphate 4l Nitrogen and Potassium 43 Discussion +3 ANNUAI PRODUCTION 45 Introduction 45 Comparison of Tomahawk LagoÀ, Lake Waipori, arrd Lake'Mahinàrangi 45 Comparison of the Otago Lakes with Lakes in Other Countries +5 Production and Rèspiration 47 THE RELATION OF PHYTOPLANKTON PRODUCTIVITY TO ENVIRON- MENTAL FACTORS 49 Introduction 49 Lake Mahinerangi 49 Lake Waipori 53 ÍáÀrr'"-Ër,"go."-.. :: .: .. 54 INDICES OF PHYTOÞLANKTON PRODUCTIVITY 55 Introduction 55 Chlorophyll a 55 Secchi Disc TransfarencyT 57 GENERAL DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS 61 Lake Mahinerangi 6l Lake Waipori 63 Tomahawk Lagoon 64 Methods 65 SUMMARY 66 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 6B REFERENCBS . 69 APPENDIX I: EVALUATION OF METHODS 72 A. Methods for Measuring pH 72 B. Methods To Determine Carbon Dioxide Concentrations . 73 C. Calculation of 14C Assimilated in Photosynthesis 74 D. Standardisation of the laC Method . 75 E. Calculation of Sa.turation Values for Calcium Carbonate 76 APPENDIX II: RBSULTS A. Productivity Data 78 B, Oxygen Concentrations . 81 C. Surface Water Temperatures in Lake Mahinerangi, Lake Waipori, and Tomahawk Lagoon 82 D. Secchi Disc Transparencies in Lake Ma.hinerangi B3 E. Data Used in Multiple Regression Analyses B3 F. Data from Analyses To Determine Concentrations of Phytoplankton Pigments 84 FIGURES Page 1. The locations of the three lakes studied, Tomahawk Lagoon No. 2, Lake Waipori, and Lake Mahinerangi, in the Otago district 9 2. Tomahawk Lagoons l0 3. Lake Mahinerangi 11 t2 t+ 20 20 22 January 1966 g. Maximum hourly rates of gross productivity an^d net productivity per unit volume 22 ofoI TomahawÉI OmanawK Lagoon,L4B,uull, JutyJ ury 1963-Augustr JwJ-r !u 1964 ' of Tomahawk Lagoon, 1 0. Phytoplankton productivity beneath unit surface area July 1963-January 1966 23 11. Phytoplankton productivity per unit volume of Lakes Waipori and Mahinerangi' ÑoïemberNovember IvoJ-January1963-'lanuary rroo1966 23 12. Phytoplankton proáuctivity bene-ath unit surface area of Lake Mahinerangi' November 1963-November 1965 2+ 13. Phytoplankton productivity beneath unit surface area of Lake Waipori, November 1963-November 1965 2+ 14. Chlorophyll ø concentrations and Secchi disc transparencies in Tomahawk Lagoon 27 15. ',Ihe concentrations of reactive phosphorus in Lakes Mahinerangi and waipori, May-December 1965 16. Alkalinity, pH, and total hardness in Lake Mahinerangi, December 1964-January 29 1 966 17. Alkalinity, pH, Lake Waipori during 1965 30 lB. comparison of different sampling stations in Lake Mahinerang 32 19. Typical depth ctivity in Tomahawk Lagoon 3B 39 20. Alkatinity and pH of Tomahawk Lagoon . ionic solutes, and phytoplankton prodÙctivity in Tomahawk Lagoon in 21. Rainfall, 40 May-July 1965 +2 22. The concentrations of reactive phosphorus in Tomahawk Lagoon in 1965-66 23. Comparison of the estimates of phytoplankton.productivity obtained experimentally foì Luke Mahinerangi with those calculated from the multlPle regresslon 'Ltke, ' 51 52 2+, Waip it' igo+-oo ' ' Lakes erangi on a logarithmic 25. ty of 53 temPerature " and 26 chloroPhYll in Lakes WaiPori Mahinerangi, October 1964-August 1965 56 57 58 59 J' TABLES Page 1. Analysis of variance of samples for phytoplankton productivity from Lakes Mahine- raîgi and Waipori and Tomahawk Lagoon t7 2. Precision of 14C estimates 18 3. Depth of P..* and relation between productivity at 0.75 m and P*^* in Lake Waipori 1B ,!. Diurnal variation in P-* in Tomahawk Lagoon 19 Page 5. Ratio of hourly rates of proCuction for the period sunrise-sunset to hourly rates for the 4-hour period in the middle of thd day . 20 6. Dominant- pJa-nkton algae^and occurrence of argal" brooms-- - --:in Tomahawk ""Lagoon, July 1963-Decæmbei 1966 . .- . -*" .".' 2s 7. Range of variation in chemical conditions in the three lakes and streams entering Tomahawk Lagoon and Lake Waipori, 1963-66 . 29 Chemical conditions in Lake Mahinerangi . 32 9. compaúson of-phytoplankton.productivìty at different sampling stations on Lale Waipori and the corresponding chloridó ors .1.1 10. "orr""rri.ut chemical conditions in drainage water purrìped into Lake waipori from the Taieri Plain 34 ll' comparison of ¡esults from the 14c and L and DB oxygen methods for 4-hour experiments in Tomahawk Lagoon 35 l2' Phytoplanïton produotivity in Tomahawk Lagoon in July-December, 1963-65 5t 13. Chloride, calcium, and magnesium concentrations in Tomahawk Lagoon 40 14. Phytoplankton productivity in some lakes of diflerent countries 46 15. Maximum rates oJ phytoprankton productivity obtained by various worken during dinoflagellate blooms 47 16. An{rual.production and respiration by prankton in Tomahawk Lagoon and Lake Ma.hinerangi +B 17. The relation between p-." in Lake Mahinerangi and temperature, day length, and water level' 50 18. concentrations of chlorophyll and carotenoid pigments in Lakes Mahinerangi and Waipori and Tomahjwk Lagoon 5B 19. Standardisation of the. distillation-absorption method of estimating total concen- tration of carbon dioxide in water t5 20, compariso" _gf .th" pH-alkalinity merhod with the distillation-absorption method in Lakes Waipori and Mahinerangi t5 21. Comparison, of the pH-alkalinity method with the distillation-absorption method rn I omanawk Lagoon t3 22. compaúson.-9f..the- pH.-arkalinity_method, with the method of McKinney and Amorosi (1944) lor the three-Otago lakes IJ 23. Com_parison of counting rates obtained by Geiger-Müller counting of raC_labelled phytoplanl{ton on Millipore filters, and tho"se obtained bt-ti.i"iã scintillation counting after wet combrxtion of the samples 75 24. counts per ampoule laclabelled of the stock solution of bicarbonate . 76 25. Phytoplankton proàuodvity in Tomahawk Lagoon measured by the L and DB method 78 26' Phytoplankton productivity in Tomahawk Lagoon measured by the 1ac method . 79 27. Diurnal variatioru in phytoplankton prod.ctivity in Tomahawk Lagoon 79 28. Phytoplanlton productivity in Lake waipori measured by the L and DB method 79 Ph;ntoplanÌton 29. productivity in Lake waipori measured by the rac method 79 30. Phytop-lan-kton pro{uctivity in Lake Mahinerangi measured by the L and DB method BO 31. Phytoplankton prodtrctivity in Lake Mahinerangi measured by the rae method . BO 32. Oxygen concentratiÖns in Tomahawk Lagoon at sunrise B1 33. Oxygen concentrati.ons in Tomahawk Lagoon at Doon BI 34. Oxygen concentrations in Tomahawk Lagoon at 10.30 a.m. 81 35. Oxygen concentrations in Lake Waipori at sunrise B1 36. Oxygen concentrations in Lake Mahinerangi at sunrise BI 37. surface temperatures in Lake Mahinerangi, November 1963-August 1964 B2 38. Surface temperatures in Lake Waipori,