Oceanological and Hydrobiological Studies
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Oceanological and Hydrobiological Studies International Journal of Oceanography and Hydrobiology Volume 45, Issue 3, September 2016 ISSN 1730-413X pages (377-387) eISSN 1897-3191 Dry weight and calcium carbonate encrustation of two morphologically differentChara species: a comparative study from different lakes by Abstract Andrzej Pukacz1,*, Mariusz Pełechaty2, Two charophyte species (Chara tomentosa Thulli. 1799 Marcin Frankowski3, Eugeniusz Pronin2 and Chara globularis L. 1753) were studied to assess their biomass and CaCO3 production in seven hard-water lakes in Western Poland. In each lake, samples of ten individ- uals from three study sites were collected for dry weight (DW) and calcium carbonate content (% CaCO3) analyses. Additionally, physicochemical parameters of water collected from the above sampling sites were analyzed. DOI: 10.1515/ohs-2016-0034 No significant differences were found between the Category: Original research paper study sites in each lake for any of the analyzed parameters. In all the lakes, DW of C. tomentosa (0.60 ± 0.23 g indiv.-1) Received: October 27, 2015 was significantly higher and more differentiated than Accepted: February 22, 2016 DW of C. globularis (0.11 ± 0.08 g indiv.-1), suggesting species-specificity. The CaCO3 content in DW for C. tomentosa was higher (58.8-70.9%) than in C. globularis (50.1-68.3%), however, it did not reflect the DW differen- 1 Polish-German Research Institute, Collegium tiation, suggesting lake-specificity. The physicochemical Polonicum, Adam Mickiewicz University in properties of water revealed clear lake-to-lake differen- Poznań, ul. Kościuszki 1, 69-100 Słubice, Poland tiation. Different correlations between dry weight and 2Department of Hydrobiology, Faculty of calcium carbonate content and lake characteristics were found for each species. The results showed that DW and Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, % CaCO3 are closely related to habitat conditions and ul. Umultowska 89, 61-614 Poznań, Poland different factors may influence the individual biomass of 3Department of Water and Soil Analysis, Faculty each species. of Chemistry, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, ul. Umultowska 89b, 61-614 Poznań, Poland Key words: charophytes, individual biomass, calcite encrustation, water properties, inter-lake variability * Corresponding author: [email protected] The Oceanological and Hydrobiological Studies is online at oandhs.ocean.ug.edu.pl ©Faculty of Oceanography and Geography, University of Gdańsk, Poland. All rights reserved. 378 Oceanological and Hydrobiological Studies, VOL. 45, ISSUE 3 | SEPTEMBER 2016 Andrzej Pukacz, Mariusz Pełechaty, Marcin Frankowski, Eugeniusz Pronin Introduction et al. 2013, Pełechaty et al. 2013). Besides, little is also known about factors affecting Charophytes are one of the main groups of the charophyte biomass production and the formation macrophytes occurring in clean, hard-water lakes. They of encrustations. Most works on the subject written form large meadows and are therefore an important so far are based on experimental studies investigating structural and functional element of the littoral zone. single factors which affect charophyte biomass (e.g. In the literature, there are more and more references Ray et al. 2003). We know that the content of nutrients to charophytes, not only in the context of their sensiti- (Kufel, Rymuza 2014) and the amounts of calcium vity as water quality indicators, but also as a significant and magnesium ions in the water (Asaeda et al. 2014) habitat forming element (as summarized by Schneider are among the main environmental factors affecting et al. 2015). This is reflected e.g. in the alternative the amount of biomass and the contribution of stable state theory for shallow lakes (Scheffer 1998). carbonates. There is much evidence that similar factors According to Van den Berg et al. (1998), charophytes operate in the lacustrine environment, and the amount play a special role in maintaining clean water quality, and precipitation rate of carbonates is site-specific among others through: increasing the sedimentation (Pełechaty et al. 2015). This is suggested e.g. by the from the ambient water, preventing the resuspension results obtained by Pukacz et al. (2014a), showing that of bottom sediments or limiting the development both the dry weight of charophytes and the amount of phytoplankton. of carbonate encrustations they produce change with The key role is played by the quantitative depth. contribution of charophytes (which form dense Learning exactly how the quantitative and qualita- meadows in Chara lakes) in the littoral zone, and tive structure of biomass changes in relation to thus by the biomass they produce. In some lakes, environmental characteristics may be very important charophyte meadows may cover more than 50% both for the current studies concerning the functio- of the lake bottom surface (Pukacz, Pełechaty ning of lake ecosystems, and – as Dittrich & Obst (2004) 2013) and are therefore an important environment- suggested – also in paleoecological and paleoclimatic -forming element influencing both the biocenosis research. and the water quality properties, as well as sediment The aim of the presented study was to: a) quantify formation processes (Pełechaty et al. 2013; Blindow the dry weight and CaCO3 precipitation of two et al. 2014). As evidenced by contemporary studies, charophyte species in different lake ecosystems, b) the biomass of charophytes can be considerably high determine possible relationships between the environ- (over 2 kg dry weight m-2), including more than 80% mental characteristics of the investigated lakes and of carbonate encrustations (Pukacz et al. 2014a and the dry weight and CaCO3 content in DW of the two literature quoted therein). Moreover, considerable species. We hypothesized that the amount of dry amounts of nutrients are incorporated in charophyte weight and CaCO3 encrustation is species-specific but biomass (Kufel, Kufel 2002; Rodrigo et al. 2007) and the CaCO3 content in DW is lake-specific. remain immobilized there for a long time. What is also important is that some charophytes (especially in clean Methods lakes) can overwinter as green biomass (Blindow 1992a, Pukacz et al. 2014b). In addition, a considerable part of carbon and phosphorus is permanently immobilized Study sites and sampling in the form of carbonate encrustations, which get into the sediment and turn into lacustrine chalk (Otsuki, The study was carried out between 20 and 26 Wetzel 1972; Murphy et al. 1983; Pełechaty et al. 2013). July 2012, in seven lakes located in Western Poland. Despite the seemingly obvious impact The same high-pressure weather (cloudless or slightly of charophyte biomass on lake ecosystems (especially cloudy, high temperatures and light wind) prevailed those with a considerable contribution in charophyte during the whole study period. The lakes differed in meadows), there is still little data concerning in situ terms of morphology, flow type and the nature of the variability of charophyte biomass production and drainage basin (Table 1). On the one hand, the group factors affecting it. of lakes included a shallow, small polymictic lake Studies carried out so far suggest that charophyte (Lake Jasne) and on the other, a deep, large lake (Lake biomass depends both on the species (Królikowska Niesłysz). The lakes had different hardness levels (from 1997), and on the lake (Kufel, Kufel 2002). There is also 3.62°dH in Lake Pierwsze to 12.79°dH in Lake Karskie) much evidence that the percentage contribution and the parameters related to hardness varied in a of precipitated carbonates is species-specific (Kufel similar manner. Despite this, as well as a considerable www.oandhs.ocean.ug.edu.pl ©Faculty of Oceanography and Geography, University of Gdańsk, Poland. All rights reserved. Oceanological and Hydrobiological Studies, VOL. 45, ISSUE 3 | SEPTEMBER 2016 379 Lake-to-lake differences in dry weight and encrustation in two Chara species Table 1 Characteristics of the studied lakes (based on: Jańczak 1996; Pełechaty, Pukacz 2006; Pełechaty et al. 2007) Unit Jasne Karskie Malcz Męckie Niesłysz Pierwsze Złoty Potok 52°17'7''N 52°55'4''N 52°21'1''N 52°22'0''N 52°13'9''N 52°23'11"N 52°13'0''N Geographical coordinates - 15°03'06''E 15°04'8''E 15°13'3''E 15°11'2''E 15°23'8''E 15°09'18''E 15°22'5''E Surface area ha 15.1 150 36.2 40.9 486.2 19.3 32.8 Mean depth m 4.3 6.2 3.4 9.2 7.8 4.7 5.9 Max depth m 9.5 17.6 7.3 22.7 34.7 10.7 13.7 Lake type - outflow flow no flows flow no flows no flows no flows Stratification - incomplete complete incomplete complete complete incomplete complete SD visibility m 3 3.1 3.8 6.5 4.2 5.4 4.3 C. tomentosa m 3 3 3 2 2 sampling depth C. globularis m 4 3 3 4 4 sampling depth morphometric variety, all the lakes are classified as negligible importance of vascular plants and mosses. mesotrophic. This is evidenced by relatively low TP The cover of C. globularis was in many cases greater. concentrations (from 0.010 to 0.033 mg l-1 in Lake Jasne In nine out of 15 studied stands, this species covered and Lake Niesłysz, respectively) and TN concentra- 100% of the studied stand and in five stands the cover tions (from 1.23 to 1.87 mg l-1 in Lake Złoty Potok and reached or even exceeded 70%. At one site, the cover Lake Karskie, respectively). All the lakes had high was only 40%. Similarly to C. tomentosa, C. globularis water transparency (Secchi Depth visibility > 3 m), was always the dominant species compared to much with Lake Męckie having the highest water clarity less abundant accompanying single vascular plants (SD = 6.5 m). What these lakes had in common was and mosses. also well-developed aquatic vegetation, dominated Each species was sampled in five lakes from three by charophyte meadows.