Transport of Biogenes in the Szeszupa Fluvial-Limnic System in the Suwalski Landscape Park
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LimnologicalTransport Review of biogenes(2013) 13, in 1: the 31-42 Szeszupa fluvial-limnic system in the Suwalski Landscape Park 31 DOI 10.2478/limre-2013-0004 Transport of biogenes in the Szeszupa fluvial-limnic system in the Suwalski Landscape Park Elżbieta Jekatierynczuk-Rudczyk Department of Hydrobiology, Institute of Biology, University of Białystok, Świerkowa 20B, 15-950 Białystok, Poland, e-mail: [email protected] Abstract: Transport of biogenic matter along the course of the Szeszupa River in the Suwalski Landscape Park (SLP) occurs in accordance with the river continuum concept. Only TP concentration decreases along the river’s course. TP and TOC concentrations classify the Szeszupa River to the moderate ecological state. The ecological state of three lakes (Linówek, Pogorzałek, and Perty) in the Szeszupa River catchment was estimated as very good. The remaining lakes, due to high TP concentrations, belong to the moderate state. The management of the catchment affects the amount of biogenic matter supplied to the Szeszupa River. The highest proportion of forests in the Jaczniówka River catchment clearly results in a decrease in the amount of biogenes in the river. The remaining partial catchments, with a higher proportion of arable land, meadows, and pastures, provide higher amounts of bioelements. The loads of bioelements stored in lakes in the summer period are determined by the size of the lakes (surface area of a lake and volume of water accumulated in the lake basin). This directly suggests a lack of anthropogenic activity in the catchments or the very slight effect of it on the lakes’ ecological and trophic state. Key words: water quality, biophilic elements, ecological state, trophic index Introduction • to analyse the concentrations and loads of biogenes in the Szeszupa fluvial-limnic system, Biophilic elements (nutrients, bioelements, • to evidence the effect of the catchment manage- biogenes) are necessary for life, and their content ment on the concentration and loads of biogenes in the environment can limit the biological activity in waters of the Szeszupa River and its tributaries, of ecosystems. In surface waters, bioelements affect • to determine the role of lakes in the accumulation processes such as primary production, microbiologi- of biogene elements. cal decomposition of organic matter, and stimulation of growth of autotrophic organisms. Transport of Methods biogenes in fluvial-limnic systems is a very complex process. A number of authors evidenced the accumu- The hydrological and hydrochemical study in the lative role of lakes in relation to biogenes (Hillbricht- catchment of the Upper Szeszupa River in the Suwal- Ilkowska 1999, 2005; Lossow et al. 2006; Bogdanowicz ski Landscape Park was conducted in July and August and Cysewski 2008; Maślanka and Jańczak 2010). In 2009-2010. Changes in the transport of biogenes along the hydrometeorological conditions of the temperate the course of the Szeszupa River were estimated based zone, the role is variable throughout the year. In the on 9 sites distributed along the course of the river (Fig. summer period, when the shoreline of lakes is over- 1). In July 2009, the hydrochemical assessment of lakes grown with macrophytes, the load of biogenes can be in the Szeszupa River catchment was conducted (Fig. accumulated in plants and bottom sediments of the 1). Lake water for analyses was sampled from the epi-, littoral zone. The objective of the hydrological-hydro- meta-, and hypolimnion by means of the Bernatowicz’s chemical study on the Szeszupa River catchment in apparatus. In the field, the Secchi visibility, water reac- the Suwalski Landscape Park (SLP) was as follows: tion (pH), water temperature, electrolytic conductivity 32 Elżbieta Jekatierynczuk-Rudczyk Fig. 1. Study area: 1-9 – sampling points (rivers), I–XVII - sampling points (lakes) - (EC), and saturation of water with oxygen were meas- nitrate nitrogen (N-NO3 ) – by means of the reduction ured with the application of the Hach Lange sonde. method with z naphthylethylenediamine; nitrite nitro- - The discharge rate of the Szeszupa River and its tribu- gen (N-NO2 ) – by the reduction method with naphth- taries was measured by means of an electromagnetic ylethylenediamine; soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) sensor by OTT. Measurements of the discharge rate of – by means of the molybdate method; dissolved phos- the Szeszupa River were conducted at the sites of sam- phorus (DP) and total phosphorus (TP) by means of pling water for chemical analyses. The discharge rate the molybdate method after previous mineralisation of the Szurpiłówka River was determined below Lake with UV radiation; total organic carbon (TOC) and Udziejek, and that of the Jaczniówka River below Lake dissolved organic carbon (DOC) – by means of a Schi- Kamenduł (Fig.1, Table 1). madzu TOC – 5050 apparatus, following methods pro- At the laboratory of the Department of Hydro- posed by Hermanowicz et al. 1999. The concentrations biology of the University of Białystok, the following of the remaining forms of biogene elements were cal- concentrations were determined: Kiejdahl nitrogen – culated based on the previous analyses: mineral nitro- + - - by means of an analyser by Tecator; ammonia nitro- gen (TMN) = (N-NH4 )+(N-NO3 )+(N-NO2 ), organic + + gen (N-NH4 ) – by means of the indophenol method; nitrogen (TON) = (Kiejdahl nitrogen – N-NH4 ), total Table 1. Morphometric parameters of the rivers in the Szeszupa catchment in SLP Length of the river Average rate of flow Tortuosity Slope of the river River [km] [dm3 s –1] [‰] Szeszupa River (below Lake Postawelek) 13.95 208 1.4 3.7 Szurpiłówka River (below Lake Udziejek) 6.00 78 3.0 5.1 Jaczniówka River (below Lake Kamenduł) 5.00 55 3.1 1.6 Transport of biogenes in the Szeszupa fluvial-limnic system in the Suwalski Landscape Park 33 nitrogen (TN) = (TMN+TON), and particle organic Szurpiły, Jeglówek, and Jeglóweczek. The Jaczniówka carbon (POC) = TOC–DOC. River, a left-bank tributary of the Szeszupa River with Mean concentration of biogenes in lakes was a length of 5 km, drains an area of 19.64 km2 (Table calculated based on samples from the epi-, meta-, and 1) and flows through Lakes Jaczno and Kamenduł hypolimnion. If more than one study site was located (Bajkiewicz-Grabowska 1994). within a lake, the mean was calculated from all the The discharge rate during the study period sites. Mean concentration of biogenes in rivers was along the course of the Szeszupa River varied from calculated based on measurements conducted in July 18.6 l s–1 in the source section to 402.8 l s–1 along the 14 and August 2009-2010. The Trophic Status Index (TSI) km course of the river. The Szurpiłówka River was dis- was calculated for the lakes studied following Carlson tinguished by a higher mean discharge rate (78 l s–1) (Carlson 1977). and higher inclination (5.1‰) than the Jaczniówka The analysis of transport of biogenes in the River (Table 1). The river development indices in the Szeszupa fluvial-limnic system was conducted based Szurpiłówka and Jaczniówka Rivers are similar, and on distinguishing four partial catchments: the source exceed the development index of the Szeszupa River catchment of the Szeszupa River with an area of 15.9 more than twice (Table 1). km2 closed at the mouth of the Szurpiłówka River, the The largest lake in the Szeszupa River catch- Jaczniówka River catchment with an area of 16.6 km2, ment in the SLP is Lake Szurpiły with an area of 80.9 the Szurpiłówka River catchment of 16.1 km2, and ha (Table 2). Almost half of the lakes in the area dis- the direct catchment of the Szeszupa River below the cussed are small lakes of less than 10 ha. The highest mouth of the Szurpiłówka River. The surface area of located lake is Lake Linówek – 199.7 m a.s.l.; the low- the partial catchments was calculated based on the est lake is Lake Postawelek – 145.7 m a.s.l. The lowest watersheds marked on topographic maps at the scale volume of water is accumulated in Lakes Jeglóweczek 1:25 000. and Linówek: 0.061 hm3 and 0.070 hm3, respectively. The statistical analysis was conducted with the Lakes Szurpiły (8.2 hm3) and Jaczno (4.8 hm3) have application of Statgraphics 5.0 software. the highest volume. According to the fishery classifi- cation, only Lake Linówek is a very shallow lake. The Study area group of shallow lakes includes 8 lakes. The remain- ing lakes are deep and very deep (Table 2). The lowest The Szeszupa River is a left-bank tributary of proportion of forests (<20%) occurs in the catchments the Neman River. It flows through territories of three of Lakes Gulbin, Okrągłe, Krajwelek, Postawelek, Ko- countries: Poland, Russia, and Lithuania. Its length pane, Udziejek, and Szurpiły. In the catchments of amounts to 298 km, whereas the “Polish” section has Lakes Pogorzałek, Jaczno, Kameduł, and Jeglóweczek, a length of 27 km. The length of the fragment subject the forest cover exceeds 50%, and reaches 74% in the to the study, flowing through the Suwalski Landscape direct catchment of Lake Pogorzałek. The source part Park, amounts to 13.95 km. The springs of the Szes- of the Szeszupa River catchment is dominated by cul- zupa River are located in riparian forests near Turtul. tivated land. Forests occupy only 30% of the area (Fig. From there, the river flows in the NE direction in an 2). In the Szurpiłówka River catchment, forests con- extensive depression called the Szeszupa River De- stitute approximately 20% of the area. The Jaczniówka pression (Bajkiewicz-Grabowska 1994). In the SLP, River catchment drains an agricultural-forest area tributaries of the Szeszupa River are the Jaczniówka dominated by forests (approximately 65% of the area). and Szurpiłówka Rivers (Table 1). In physical-geo- The direct catchment of the Szeszupa River below graphical terms, the Szeszupa River catchment be- the mouth of the Szurpiłówka River is agricultural- longs to the Lithuanian Lakeland Macroregion, East forest in character.