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Warmer climates boost cyanobacterial dominance in shallow lakes

Kosten, Sarian ; Huszar, Vera L. M. ; Becares, Eloy ; Costa, Luciana S. ; van Donk, Ellen ; Hansson, Lars-Anders LU orcid ; Jeppesenk, Erik ; Kruk, Carla ; Lacerot, Gissell and Mazzeo, Nestor , et al. (2012) In Global Change Biology 18(1). p.118-126
Abstract
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... (More)
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. (Less)
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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
climate change, cyanobacteria, Europe, light, nutrients, phytoplankton, shade, South America, temperature, trophic state
in
Global Change Biology
volume
18
issue
1
pages
118 - 126
publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
external identifiers
  • wos:000298598900011
  • scopus:84055193487
ISSN
1354-1013
DOI
10.1111/j.1365-2486.2011.02488.x
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
68014d23-e1bd-427d-b28c-6b2c08f88312 (old id 2355090)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 10:52:30
date last changed
2022-04-28 01:56:46
@article{68014d23-e1bd-427d-b28c-6b2c08f88312,
  abstract     = {{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.}},
  author       = {{Kosten, Sarian and Huszar, Vera L. M. and Becares, Eloy and Costa, Luciana S. and van Donk, Ellen and Hansson, Lars-Anders and Jeppesenk, Erik and Kruk, Carla and Lacerot, Gissell and Mazzeo, Nestor and De Meester, Luc and Moss, Brian and Lurling, Miquel and Noges, Tiina and Romo, Susana and Scheffer, Marten}},
  issn         = {{1354-1013}},
  keywords     = {{climate change; cyanobacteria; Europe; light; nutrients; phytoplankton; shade; South America; temperature; trophic state}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  pages        = {{118--126}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
  series       = {{Global Change Biology}},
  title        = {{Warmer climates boost cyanobacterial dominance in shallow lakes}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2011.02488.x}},
  doi          = {{10.1111/j.1365-2486.2011.02488.x}},
  volume       = {{18}},
  year         = {{2012}},
}