GMBH Nr. 23/2001 Dissertation LEIPZIG-HALLE Benthic fauna of extremely acidic lakes (ph 2-3) Gilberto Goncalves Rodrigues UFZ-UMWELTFORSGHUNGSZENTRUM ISSN 0948-9452 ML. DISCLAIMER Portions of this document may be illegible in electronic image products. Images are produced from the best available original document. DE02GA467 % ' 1 BENTHIC FAUNA OFJEXTREMELY ACIDIC LAKES (pH 2-3) Von der Gemeinsamen Naturwissenschaftlichen Fakultat der Technischen Universitat Carolo-Wilhelmina zu Braunschweig zur Erlangung des Grades eincs Doktois der Naturwissenschaftlichen . (Dr. rer. nat.) genehmigte Dissertation GILBERTO GONCALVE5 RODRIGUES aus Porto Alegre, Brasilian “Gedruckt mit Unterstutzung des Deutschen Akademischen Austauschdiensts” 1. Referent apL Prof. Dr. B. Scharf 2. Referent: Prof. G. Ruppell eingereicht am: 31.05.2001 mundliche Prufung (Diputation) am: 16.10.2001 2001 Benthic fauna of extremely acidic mining lakes i Vorveroffentlichungen der Dissertation Teilergebnisse aus dieser Albeit wurden mit Genehmigung der Gemeinsamen Naturwissenschaftlichen FakuMt, vertreten durch den Mentor der Arbeit, in folgenden Beitr&genvorab verOffentlicht: Publikationen Rodrigues, G.G. & Scharf, B.W. Review of the benthic invertebrates in acidic environments with pH < 3. Mine Water and the Environment (accepted). Rodrigues, G.G. & Langton, P. The pupal exuvie of Chironomus crassimanus Strenzke (Diptera: Chironomidae), a pioneer acid-resistant species from extremely acidic mining lakes in Germany. Spixiana, Mtinchen. (submitted). Rodrigues G.G.; Neu T.; Koschorreck, M.& Scharf, B.W.: Chironomids in extremely acidic environments. Arch, fur Hydrobiol. Stuttgart, (submitted). Scharf, B.W; Cronberg, G.; Rodrigues, G.G.; Hofmann, G.; Packroff, G.; Wilhelmy, H: Acidification history of some lignite mining lakes in Germany. Journal of Paleolimnology (submitted). Tagungsbeitrdgen Rodrigues, G.G. Chironomids in acidic waters. 4. Doctorstudents Meeting Bio- and Geochemical Processes in open pit lakes. JH Burg HOhnstein, SSchsische Schweiz, Germany - July 08-10,1999. Rodrigues G.G. & B.W. Scharf: Paleolimnological evidence of pH reconstruction from Lake Senftenberg (Germany). Subfossil Chironomid Workshop, University of Bern, Switzerland - March 10-11,2000. Benthic fauna of extremely addle mining lakes ii Rodrigues, G.G.; B.W. Scharf: Benthic fauna in acidic environments (pH < 3). (Poster) Biota of acidic waters. UFZ - Gewasserforschung Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany - May 30 - Juni 2,2000. Rodrigues G.G. Description of macrozoobenthos from acidic mining lakes and paleolimnological application. 2nd. Workshop: Biogeochemical, hydra(geo)chemical and limnological process in mining lakes (open pit lakes). UFZ-Dept of Inland Water Research Magdeburg - February 23.-25,2000. Rodrigues G.G.; Neu, T.; Koschorreck, M. & Scharf, B.W.: Chironomids in extremely acidic environments. (Poster) 14th International symposium on Chironomidae, Rio de Janeiro, RJ., Brazil, August 29 - September 2,2000. Rodrigues G.G; G. Packroff & Scharf, W. B. Colonisation of leaves by benthic invertebrates in acidic mining lakes from Lusatian region in eastern Germany. (Poster) DGL - Deutsche Gesellschaft ftir Limnologie Congress, Magdeburg, Germany - September 18 - 22,2000. Benthic fauna of extremely acidic mining lakes iii Contents 1 Introduction................................................................. 01 2 Study area and methods............................................................................ 03 2.1 Study of area.......................................................................................................... 03 2.2 Sampling design.................................................................................................... 18 2.2.1 Field work............. ................................................................................................ 18 2.2.1.1 Physical and chemical parameters.................................................................... 18 2.2.1.2 Sampling of benthic fauna in field. .................................................................... 19 2.2.1.3 Leaf experiments in field. .................................................................................... 19 2.2.2 Laboratory experiments....................................................................................... 23 2.2.2.1 Pupal description ofChironomus crassimanus............................................... 23 2.2.2.2 Predation effect of acid-resistant Chironomus crassimanus on bacteria.... 24 2.2.23 Gut content of the acid-resistant Chironomus crassimanus........................... 25 2.2.1.4 Processing of leaf and benthic fauna samples in the laboratory................... 25 2.3 Statistical analysis ................................... 27 3 Results................................................................................................... -............ 29 3.1 Fauna composition............................................................................. 29 3.1.1 Benthic invertebrate fauna from control-lake ML B.............................. 29 3.1.2 Benthic invertebrates from extremely acidic lakes............... 30 3.2 Abundance of benthic invertebrate fauna from leaf packs in acidic mining lakes.................................................. 34 3.2.1 Abundance of benthic invertebrate fauna from leaf packs in AML 107...... 34 3.2.2 Abundance of benthic invertebrate fauna from leaf packs in AML 111...... 34 Benthic fauna of extremely acidic mining lakes iv 3.2.3 Abundance of benthic invertebrate fauna from leaf packs in AML 117...... 40 3.2.4 Abundance of benthic invertebrate fauna from leaf packs in ML B............ 43 3.3 Total abundance and total biomass of benthic invertebrates on leaf packs.. 47 3.4 Leaf weight loss.................................................................................................... 51 3.5 Acid-resistant Chironomus crassimanus........................................................... 55 3.51 Pupal description of Chironomus crassimanus................................................ 55 3.52 Predation effect of Chironomus crassimanus on iron-reducing bacteria..... 59 3.5.3 Gut content of the acid-resistant Chironomus crassimanus.......................... 60 4 Discussion...................................................................................... 62 4.1 Benthic fauna of extremely acidic lakes.......................................................... 62 4.1.1 General remarks...................................................................... 62 4.1.2 The chironomids in the extremely acidic lakes................................................ 70 4.1.3 Non-Diptera aquatic insects in the Lusatian extremely acidic lakes............ 72 4.1.4 Aquatic invertebrates non-insects in the Lusatian extremely acidic lakes... 75 4.1.5 Richness species and abundance of benthic invertebrates of leaf packs...... 76 4.2 Benthic invertebrates and leaf breakdown process......................................... 78 4.2.1 Leaf breakdown process...................................................................................... 78 4.2.2 Processing of leaves by benthic invertebrates................................................... 80 4.3 Benthic food web of extremely acidic mining lakes....................................... 83 5 Conclusion......................................................................................................... 92 6 Summary ............................................................................................................ 94 7 References...................................................................................... 96 8 Abbreviations................................................................................................... 116 Benthic fauna of extremely acidic mining lakes v 9 List of figures................................................................................. 118 10 List of tables................................................................................... 128 11 Acknowledgements....................................................................... 130 Benthic fauna of extremely acidic mining lakes (pH 2-3) 1 1 Introduction Remediation of extremely acidic environments is one of the largest problems in some parts of the world. As a consequence, studies were started to raise awareness the specific problems of the extremely acidic aquatic ecosystems (Smith & Frei 1971; Pietsch 1979; Klapper & Schultze 1995; Klapper et ad. 1996; Schultze & Geller 1996; Geller et al. 1998). These ecosystems exhibit very different chemical and physical conditions. High acidity with pH value from 2 - 3 is originated by a number of different geochemical process. Biological processes are also indispensable in these unique environments, which the flora and fauna are characterised by a very low species richness. Lakes with pH up to 3.5 occur in Europe, North America and Scandinavia and some are atmospherically acidified (Schneider 1986; Heid & Schneider 1991; Steinberg & Wright 1994; Herinkson & Brodin 1995). Lakes of pH lower than 3.0 occur in other places of the world. The only parallels in nature with extremely acidic mining lakes are volcanic lakes in Japan, Indonesia, South America and bog lakes (Hutchinson 1957; Geller et al. 1998). Species diversity is drastically reduced by low pH, but some vascular plants can occur at pH values near 3 (Pietsch 1965; Fyson 2000), as well as bryophytes (Hutchinson 1957, Satake 2000). Algae (Whitton & Diaz 1981; Nixdorf et al.