Intraspecific Autochthonous and Allochthonous Resource Use by Zooplankton in a Humic Lake during the Transitions between Winter, Summer and Fall

Declining calcium concentration drives shifts toward smaller and less nutritious zooplankton in northern lakes

Zooplankton community composition of northern lakes is changing due to the interactive effects of climate change and recovery from acidification, yet limited data are available to assess these changes combined. Here, we built a database using archives of temperature, water chemistry and zooplankton data from 60 Scandinavian lakes that represent broad spatial and temporal gradients in key parameters: temperature, calcium (Ca), total phosphorus (TP), total organic carbon (TOC), and pH. Using machine learning techniques, we found that Ca was the most important determinant of the relative abundance of all zooplankton groups studied, while pH was second, and TOC third in importance. Further, we found that Ca is declining in almost all lakes, and we detected a critical Ca threshold in lake water of 1.3 mg L-1 , below which the relative abundance of zooplankton shifts toward dominance of Holopedium gibberum and small cladocerans at the expense of Daphnia and copepods. Our findings suggest that low Ca concentrations may shape zooplankton communities, and that current trajectories of Ca decline could promote widespread changes in pelagic food webs as zooplankton are important trophic links from phytoplankton to fish and different zooplankton species play different roles in this context.

Lowered nutritional quality of plankton caused by global environmental changes

Global environmental changes are causing widespread nutrient depletion, declines in the ratio of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (N) to total phosphorus (DIN:TP), and increases in both water temperature and terrestrial colored dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration (browning) in high-latitude northern lakes. Declining lake DIN:TP, warming, and browning alter the nutrient limitation regime and biomass of phytoplankton, but how these stressors together affect the nutritional quality in terms of polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) contents of the pelagic food web components remains unknown. We assessed the fatty acid compositions of seston and zooplankton in 33 lakes across south-to-north and boreal-to-subarctic gradients in Sweden. Data showed higher lake DIN:TP in the south than in the north, and that boreal lakes were warmer and browner than subarctic lakes. Lake DIN:TP strongly affected the PUFA contents-especially eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)-in seston, calanoids, and copepods (as a group), but not in cladocerans. The EPA+DHA contents increased by 123% in seston, 197% in calanoids, and 230% in copepods across a lake molar DIN:TP gradient from 0.17 to 14.53, indicating lower seston and copepod nutritional quality in the more N-limited lakes (those with lower DIN:TP). Water temperature affected EPA+DHA contents of zooplankton, especially cladocerans, but not seston. Cladoceran EPA+DHA contents were reduced by ca. 6% for every 1°C increase in surface water. Also, the EPA, DHA, or EPA+DHA contents of Bosmina, cyclopoids, and copepods increased in lakes with higher DOC concentrations or aromaticity. Our findings indicate that zooplankton food quality for higher consumers will decrease with warming alone (for cladocerans) or in combination with declining lake DIN:TP (for copepods), but impacts of these stressors are moderated by lake browning. Global environmental changes that drive northern lakes toward more N-limited, warmer, and browner conditions will reduce PUFA availability and nutritional quality of the pelagic food web components.

Exploring applicability of end member mixing approach for predicting environmental reactivity of dissolved organic matter

Despite the wide applications of end member mixing analysis (EMMA) for assigning the sources of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in aquatic environment, there was no study attempting to test the applicability of EMMA for predicting environmental reactivity of DOM. This study aimed to explore the feasibility of EMMA, or the concept of ideal mixing behavior of end members, for describing several well-known DOM reactivities using two DOM end member sources (i.e., soil and algae) at varying mixing ratios. The selected DOM reactivities were trihalomethane formation potential (THMFP), mineral adsorption amount, pyrene binding, membrane resistance, and biodegradation potential. Among the tested DOM functions, all were found to follow the ideal mixing behavior, presenting the linear relationships between the source mixing ratios and the tested reactivity with the R² value of >0.80. The ideal mixing behavior of the DOM functions was more pronounced than that based on several spectroscopic indicators derived from UV absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy. This study provided insight into potential applicability and limitation of EMMA approach in monitoring and predicting environmental functions of DOM in aquatic systems where identified DOM sources are mixed and vary dynamically with the mixing ratios.

Ecosystem metabolism regulates seasonal bioaccumulation of metals in atyid shrimp (Neocaridina denticulata) in a tropical brackish wetland

Natural dissolved organic matter (DOM) forms the base of aquatic food webs and is a key environmental factor that affects the bioavailability of metals for aquatic organisms. Aquatic communities are naturally exposed simultaneously to environments containing a mixture of metals and varying DOM levels and compositions. However, the exact effect of DOM on metal bioaccumulation is difficult to predict due to temporal and spatial variations in sources, production, and consumption of DOM, and to interactions between DOM and metals. Ecosystem metabolism describes the process of organic carbon production and consumption and, therefore, the trophic status of ecosystems. However, whether and how ecosystem metabolism determines the seasonality of metal bioaccumulation remains unclear. The present study used in-situ water quality sondes and discrete field samplings to establish the relationship between the seasonality of ecosystem metabolism; related environmental and limnological regulators; the metal speciation and concentration in bulk water and sediments; and their metal bioaccumulation. The target population consisted of atyid shrimp (Neocaridina denticulata) in a brackish constructed wetland in tropical Taiwan was sampled between August 2014 and November 2015. Metal bioaccumulation displayed distinct seasonal patterns that peaked in summer (Cu, Cd, Cr, Zn, Mn, and Se) or winter (Pb and Ni). The in situ production (gross primary production) and heterotrophic consumption (ecosystem respiration) of organic matter significantly decreased with increasing waterborne DOM levels in this heterotrophic wetland. Both dissolved free metals bioavailable for respiratory surfaces (As, Zn, Cu, and Cr) and insoluble metals available for dietary intake (Mn and Ni) decreased with increasing DOM, as well as with decreasing gross primary production and ecosystem respiration. Seasonal variations of metal bioaccumulation also paralleled the transition in wetland trophic status, which reflected the effect of potential qualitative changes in the wetland DOM pool. Bioaccumulation of most metals displayed strong correlations with gross primary production, ecosystem respiration, and wetland trophic status. Our findings demonstrated that ecosystem metabolism can play a key mediating role in the seasonality of metal bioaccumulation in atyid shrimp, as it links the variation and interaction between DOM level/source, the speciation/bioavailability, and the uptake efficiency for metals by aquatic organisms. This study contributes to the temporal-specific risk assessment of aquatic metal exposure in regional environmental settings. It also reveals ecosystem-specific spectra in the context of changes in climate and environment.

Efficiency of crustacean zooplankton in transferring allochthonous carbon in a boreal lake

Increased incorporation of terrestrial organic matter (t-OM) into consumer biomass (allochthony) is believed to reduce growth capacity. In this study, we examined the relationship between crustacean zooplankton allochthony and production in a boreal lake that displays strong seasonal variability in t-OM inputs. Contrary to our hypotheses, we found no effect of allochthony on production at the community and the species levels. The high-frequency seasonal sampling (time-for-space) allowed for estimating the efficiency of zooplankton in converting this external carbon source to growth. From the daily t-OM inputs in the lake (57-3,027 kg C/d), the zooplankton community transferred 0.2% into biomass (0.01-2.36 kg C/d); this level was of the same magnitude as the carbon transfer efficiency for algal-derived carbon (0.4%). In the context of the boundless carbon cycle, which integrates inland waters as a biologically active component of the terrestrial landscape, the use of the time-for-space approach for the quantifying of t-OM trophic transfer efficiency by zooplankton is a critical step toward a better understanding of the effects of increasing external carbon fluxes on pelagic food webs.

Attachment and antimicrobial susceptibility of bacterial associates of zooplanktonic copepod: Lesson for environmental safety

The present study emphasizes on the antimicrobial susceptibility of different bacterial strains isolated from the external body surface of a commonly found zooplanktonic copepod (Heliodiaptomus viduus, Gurney, 1916) inhabiting both in fresh and brackish water bodies of Midnapore (West and East) Districts, West Bengal, India. Out of 62 bacterial isolated strains, 38 isolates were identified as Gram-positive while the remaining 24 isolates were found to be Gram-negative. Antimicrobial properties of all those bacterial strains were determined by Vitek 2 compact system using minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values. All isolated bacterial strains had exhibited differential susceptibilities against some selected antibiotics. Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FE-SEM) analysis revealed the considerable association of bacteria on the cuticular body parts of the studied zooplankton. The outcomes of the present research are expected to enable health professionals in identifying two major problems -1) bacterial association with zooplankton which is so far mostly considered as a novel source of food for fish in aquatic ecosystems. 2) Selection of antibiotics as treatment measure because of the pathogenic effects of zooplankton associated bacteria on human being. This unattended arena of research is also supposed to evoke a new dimension not only because of bacteria-zooplankton interactions but also on undertaking of judicious strategies to find out proper ways and means to make the surface water suitable for the utilization by the common peoples (minimising bacterial contamination) in the context of human health and environmental safety.

An assessment of assumptions and uncertainty in deuterium-based estimates of terrestrial subsidies to aquatic consumers

The deuterium ratio (² H/¹ H) in tissue is often used to estimate terrestrial subsidies to aquatic consumers because of strongly differentiated values between terrestrial and aquatic primary producers. However, quantitative deuterium-based analyses of terrestrial resource assimilation are highly dependent on several poorly defined assumptions. We explored the sensitivity of these estimates to assumptions regarding environmental water contributions to consumer deuterium content (ω) and algal photosynthetic hydrogen discrimination (ε_H ). We also tested whether ¹³ C/¹² C and ² H/¹ H-based estimates of terrestrial resource assimilation give similar outcomes. The average of the 12 experiments that have directly estimated proportional contributions of environmental water to consumer tissue ² H/¹ H was 0.27 ± 0.11 (mean ± SD), with similar values for invertebrates and fish. Conversely, of the 28 field studies that have used ² H/¹ H to characterize aquatic food webs, all but one assume a value that is less than our current best estimate, usually substantially less. A reanalysis of the raw data from four recent case studies indicates the calculated terrestrial contribution to aquatic consumers is extremely sensitive to this assumption. When the authors' original assumptions were used (i.e., ω = 0.16 ± 0.05), the estimated proportional contribution of terrestrial resources to aquatic consumers (θ_T ) averaged 29 ± 17%, and when ω = 0.27 was used the average estimated assimilation of allochthonous resources was ≈0.00. A compilation of published photosynthetic hydrogen discrimination values for microalgae averaged ε_H  = -150 ± 27‰ (SD, n = 99), and a sensitivity analysis showed the outcomes of these calculations were also strongly influenced by uncertainty in ε_H . There was no statistical association between ¹³ C/¹² C and ² H/¹ H-based estimates of terrestrial subsidies (r = -0.12, n = 274). This analysis indicates that the assumptions in deuterium-based estimates of terrestrial resource assimilation are highly influential but poorly constrained; therefore, the impact of these assumptions on calculated outputs must be carefully assessed and thoroughly reported. Due to the highly uncertain assumptions inherent in deuterium-based analyses, we urge much more caution when using this approach to estimate terrestrial subsidies to consumers in aquatic ecosystems.

Terrestrial organic matter increases zooplankton methylmercury accumulation in a brown-water boreal lake

Increases in terrestrial organic matter (tOM) transport from catchments to boreal lakes can affect methylmercury (MeHg) accumulation in aquatic biota both directly by increasing concentrations of aqueous MeHg, and indirectly through effects on MeHg bioavailability and on energy pathways in the lower food web. We carried out a detailed seasonal study of water chemistry, zooplankton diet, and MeHg accumulation in zooplankton in two lakes with contrasting tOM concentrations. Between-lake differences explained 51% of the variability in our water chemistry data, with no observed effect of season or sampling depth, contrary to our expectations. Higher tOM was correlated with higher aqueous Hg concentrations, lower areal pelagic primary productivity, and an increased contribution of terrestrial particles to pelagic particulate organic matter. Based on dietary marker analysis (δ¹³C, δ¹⁵N, and fatty acid [FA] composition), zooplankton diet was strongly linked to feeding mechanism, with dietary reliance on phytoplankton highest in the selective-feeding calanoid copepods, and lowest in filter feeding cladocerans. Zooplankton dietary reliance on phytoplankton and their concentrations of high-quality lipids, including polyunsaturated fatty acids, were higher in the clear-water lake than in the brown-water lake, where bacterial and terrestrial food sources were more prevalent. MeHg was highest in zooplankton from the brown-water lake, with highest concentrations in the 200-500 μm zooplankton size fraction for both lakes. Contrary to our expectations, there was no effect of season on zooplankton dietary markers or MeHg. Our results suggest that, overall, higher tOM results in higher MeHg concentrations in water and zooplankton, and reduces zooplankton dietary reliance on phytoplankton. Increased tOM thus leads to a decrease in the nutritional quality of zooplankton (i.e. higher MeHg concentrations, and lower concentrations of essential fatty acids), which may cascade up the food web with negative implications for higher trophic levels.

Pelagic food webs of humic lakes show low short-term response to forest harvesting

Forest harvest in the boreal zone can increase the input of terrestrial materials such as dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and nitrate (NO₃^- ) into nearby aquatic ecosystems, with potential effects on phytoplankton growth through enhanced nutrient (i.e., positive) or reduced light availability (i.e., negative), which may affect ecosystem productivity and consumer resource use. Here, we conducted forest clear-cutting experiments in the catchments of four small, humic, and nitrogen-limited unproductive boreal lakes (two controls and two clear-cut, 18% and 44% of area cut) with one reference and two impact years. Our aim was to assess the effects of forest clear-cutting on pelagic biomass production and consumer resource use. We found that pelagic biomass production did not change after two years of forest clear-cutting: Pelagic primary and bacterial production (PP, BP), PP:BP ratio, chl a, and seston carbon (seston C) were unaffected by clear-cutting; neither did tree harvest affect seston stoichiometry (i.e., N:phosphorus [P], C:P) nor induce changes in zooplankton resource use, biomass, or community composition. In conclusion, our findings suggest that pelagic food webs of humic lakes (DOC > 15 mg/L) might be resilient to a moderate form of forest clear-cutting, at least two years after tree removal, before mechanical site preparation (e.g., mounding, plowing) and when leaving buffer strips along lakes and incoming streams. Thus, pelagic food web responses to forest clear-cutting might not be universal, but could depend on factors such as the time scale, share of catchment logged, and the forest practices involved, including the application of buffer strips and site preparation.

Natural organic matter as precursor to disinfection byproducts and its removal using conventional and advanced processes: state of the art review

Natural organic matter (NOM) is ubiquitous in the aquatic environment and if present can cause varied drinking water quality issues, the major one being disinfection byproduct (DBP) formation. Trihalomethanes (THMs) are major classes of DBP that are formed during chlorination of NOM. The best way to remove DBPs is to target the precursors (NOM) directly. The main aim of this review is to study conventional as well as advanced ways of treating NOM, with a broad focus on NOM removal using advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) and biofiltration. The first part of the paper focuses on THM formation and removal using conventional processes and the second part focuses on the studies carried out during the years 2000-2018, specifically on NOM removal using AOPs and AOP-biofiltration. Considering the proven carcinogenic nature of THMs and their diverse health effects, it becomes important for any drinking water treatment industry to ameliorate the current water treatment practices and focus on techniques like AOP or synergy of AOP-biofiltration which showed up to 50-60% NOM reduction. The use of AOP alone provides a cost barrier which can be compensated by the use of biofiltration along with AOP with low energy inputs, making it a techno-economically feasible option for NOM removal.

Mussels can both outweigh and interact with the effects of terrestrial to freshwater resource subsidies on littoral benthic communities

Litterfall is an important resource subsidy for lake ecosystems that primarily accumulates in littoral zones. Bivalves are abundant within littoral zones and may modify the effects of terrestrial resource subsidies through trophic interactions and engineering their surrounding habitat. Leaf inputs to lakes and freshwater mussel abundances are changing throughout the boreal ecoregion so we set out to investigate how the co-occurring benthic community might respond. We set up an in situ mesocosm experiment in Ramsey Lake, Sudbury, ON, Canada. Mesocosms contained sediments of either 5% or 35% terrestrial organic matter (tOM), into which we placed mussels (Elliptio complanata) at differing densities (0, 0.4 and 2musselsm^-2, with a sham mussel treatment at 0.4musselsm^-2). Over one month we recorded the sediment chemistry (dissolved organic carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus), littoral organisms (benthic algae and zooplankton) and mussel growth. At high mussel densities we recorded a 90%, 80%, 45% and 40% reduction in phosphorus, dissolved organic carbon, nitrogen and benthic diatoms, respectively, whereas at low mussel densities we observed a 3-fold increase in zooplankton. We discuss that these results were caused by a combination of bioturbation and trophic interactions. Benthic diatom concentrations were also reduced by 20% in sediments of 35% tOM, likely due to shading and competition with bacteria. Mussel growth increased at high mussel densities but was offset at high tOM, likely due to the organic matter interfering with filter feeding. Our results suggest that mussels can alter the geochemical composition of sediments and abundances of associated littoral organisms, in some cases regardless of tOM quantity. Therefore, the dominant top-down control exerted by freshwater mussels may outweigh bottom-up effects of tOM additions. Generally, our study reveals the importance of considering dominant species when studying the effects of cross-ecosystem resource fluxes.

Redox Conditions Affect Dissolved Organic Carbon Quality in Stratified Freshwaters

The quality of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) affects both carbon cycling in surface waters and drinking water production. Not much is known about the influence of environmental conditions on DOC quality. We studied the effect of redox conditions on the chemical composition of DOC in a drinking water reservoir by Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry in combination with sediment core incubation experiments under manipulated redox conditions. We observed clear differences in DOC quality among oxic epilimnion, anoxic hypolimnion, and sediment porewater. Sediment porewater showed relatively high intensities of polyphenol-like components with H/C ratios of <1 and O/C ratios of >0.6. Consistent with this, anoxic incubation of a sediment core resulted in an accumulation of these components in the overlying water. The observed pattern of DOC quality change can be explained by redox-dependent adsorption/desorption of DOC on iron minerals. Under oxic conditions, the polyphenol-like components bind on freshly formed iron hydroxides, a process that affects both DOC stability in surface waters and treatability during drinking water production.

Contribution of point sources and non-point sources to nutrient and carbon loads and their influence on the trophic status of the Ganga River at Varanasi, India

To determine the possible contributions of point and non-point sources to carbon and nutrient loading in the Ganga River, we analyzed N, P, and organic carbon (OC) in the atmospheric deposits, surface runoff, and in the river along a 37-km stretch from 2013 to 2015. We also assessed the trophic status of the river as influenced by such sources of nutrient input. Although the river N, P, and productivity showed a declining trend with increasing discharge, runoff DOC and dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP) increased by 88.05 and 122.7% between the Adpr and Rjht sites, indicating contributions from atmospheric deposition (AD) coupled with land use where agriculture appeared to be the major contributor. Point source input led to increased river concentrations of NO₃^-, NH₄⁺, DRP, and DOC by 10.5, 115.9, 115.2, and 67.3%, respectively. Increases in N, P, and productivity along the gradient were significantly negatively correlated with river discharge (p < 0.001), while river DOC and dissolved silica showed positive relationships. The results revealed large differences in point and non-point sources of carbon and nutrient input into the Ganga River, although these variations were strongly influenced by the seasonality in surface runoff and river discharge. Despite these variations, N and P concentrations were sufficient to enhance phytoplankton growth along the study stretch. Allochthonous input together with enhanced autotrophy would accelerate heterotrophic growth, degrading the river more rapidly in the near future. This study suggests the need for large-scale inter-regional time series data on the point and non-point source partitioning and associated food web dynamics of this major river system.

Nitrogen effects on the pelagic food web are modified by dissolved organic carbon

Global environmental change has altered the nitrogen (N) cycle and enhanced terrestrial dissolved organic carbon (DOC) loadings to northern boreal lakes. However, it is still unclear how enhanced N availability affects pelagic food web efficiency (FWE) and crustacean zooplankton growth in N limited boreal lakes. Here, we performed in situ mesocosm experiments in six unproductive boreal Swedish lakes, paired across a DOC gradient, with one lake in each pair fertilized with N (2011: reference year; 2012, 2013: impact years). We assessed how zooplankton growth and FWE were affected by changes in pelagic energy mobilization (PEM), food chain length (phytoplankton versus bacterial production based food chain, i.e. PP:BP), and food quality (seston stoichiometry) in response to N fertilization. Although PP, PEM and PP:BP increased in low and medium DOC lakes after N fertilization, consumer growth and FWE were reduced, especially at low DOC—potentially due to reduced phytoplankton food quality [increased C: phosphorus (P); N:P]. At high DOC, N fertilization caused modest increases in PP and PEM, with marginal changes in PP:BP and phytoplankton food quality, which, combined, led to a slight increase in zooplankton growth and FWE. Consequently, at low DOC (<12 mg L⁻¹), increased N availability lowers FWE due to mismatches in food quality demand and supply, whereas at high DOC this mismatch does not occur, and zooplankton production and FWE may increase. We conclude that the lake DOC level is critical for predicting the effects of enhanced inorganic N availability on pelagic productivity in boreal lakes.

Terrestrial support of lake food webs: Synthesis reveals controls over cross-ecosystem resource use

Widespread evidence that organic matter exported from terrestrial into aquatic ecosystems supports recipient food webs remains controversial. A pressing question is not only whether high terrestrial support is possible but also what the general conditions are under which it arises. We assemble the largest data set, to date, of the isotopic composition (δ²H, δ¹³C, and δ¹⁵N) of lake zooplankton and the resources at the base of their associated food webs. In total, our data set spans 559 observations across 147 lakes from the boreal to subtropics. By predicting terrestrial resource support from within-lake and catchment-level characteristics, we found that half of all consumer observations that is, the median were composed of at least 42% terrestrially derived material. In general, terrestrial support of zooplankton was greatest in lakes with large physical and hydrological connections to catchments that were rich in aboveground and belowground organic matter. However, some consumers responded less strongly to terrestrial resources where within-lake production was elevated. Our study shows that multiple mechanisms drive widespread cross-ecosystem support of aquatic consumers across Northern Hemisphere lakes and suggests that changes in terrestrial landscapes will influence ecosystem processes well beyond their boundaries.

Diet mixing: do animals integrate growth or resources across temporal heterogeneity?

Animals commonly experience spatial and temporal variation in resource quality, thus experiencing temporally variable diets. Methods for scaling up growth in component patches to long‐term growth across heterogeneity are seldom explicitly considered. Long‐term growth is sometimes considered to be a weighted average of growth rates on component diets (growth integration). However, if animals integrate resources across high‐ and low‐quality diets, their long‐term growth may be greater than predicted from diet‐specific growth rates (resource integration). We measured biomass growth rates of seven Daphnia species exposed to different types of diet variation in algal phosphorus (P) content. Support for resource integration was found for four of the seven species, which achieved near maximal growth when high‐P food was available for at least 12 h. In contrast, no support for resource integration was found for the other three species. These three species achieved only one‐half maximal growth rate under the same conditions and could be considered growth integrators. The type of integration could be predicted from the degree of stoichiometric homeostasis. Species with weak homeostatic regulation exhibited a capacity for resource integration. Resource integrators should have an advantage in heterogeneous environments.