nerc.ac.uk

Strength and uncertainty of phytoplankton metrics for assessing eutrophication impacts in lakes

Carvalho, L.; Poikane, S.; Lyche Solheim, A.; Phillips, G.; Borics, G.; Catalan, J.; De Hoyos, C.; Drakare, S.; Dudley, B.J.; Jarvinen, M.; Laplace-Treyture, C.; Maileht, K.; McDonald, C.; Mischke, U.; Moe, J.; Morabito, G.; Noges, P.; Noges, T.; Ott, I.; Pasztaleniec, A.; Skjelbred, B.; Thackeray, S.J. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3274-2706. 2013 Strength and uncertainty of phytoplankton metrics for assessing eutrophication impacts in lakes. Hydrobiologia, 704 (1). 127-140. 10.1007/s10750-012-1344-1

Before downloading, please read NORA policies.
[thumbnail of N019372PP.pdf]
Preview
Text
N019372PP.pdf - Accepted Version

Download (339kB) | Preview

Abstract/Summary

Phytoplankton constitutes a diverse array of short-lived organisms which derive their nutrients from the water column of lakes. These features make this community the most direct and earliest indicator of the impacts of changing nutrient conditions on lake ecosystems. It also makes them particularly suitable for measuring the success of restoration measures following reductions in nutrient loads. This paper integrates a large volume of work on a number of measures, or metrics, developed for using phytoplankton to assess the ecological status of European lakes, as required for the Water Framework Directive. It assesses the indicator strength of these metrics, specifically in relation to representing the impacts of eutrophication. It also examines how these measures vary naturally at different locations within a lake, as well as between lakes, and how much variability is associated with different replicate samples, different months within a year and between years. On the basis of this analysis, three of the strongest metrics (chlorophyll-a, phytoplankton trophic index (PTI), and cyanobacterial biovolume) are recommended for use as robust measures for assessing the ecological quality of lakes in relation to nutrient-enrichment pressures and a minimum recommended sampling frequency is provided for these three metrics.

Item Type: Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI): 10.1007/s10750-012-1344-1
Programmes: CEH Topics & Objectives 2009 - 2012 > Water > WA Topic 3 - Science for Water Management > WA - 3.4 - Develop novel and improved methods to enable the sustainable management of freshwaters and wetlands
UKCEH and CEH Sections/Science Areas: Parr
Watt
ISSN: 0018-8158
Additional Information. Not used in RCUK Gateway to Research.: The final publication is available at link.springer.com
Additional Keywords: ecological indicator, eutrophication, Water Framework Directive, WFD, chlorophyll, cyanobacteria, algal bloom
NORA Subject Terms: Ecology and Environment
Date made live: 20 Nov 2012 12:40 +0 (UTC)
URI: https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/19372

Actions (login required)

View Item View Item

Document Downloads

Downloads for past 30 days

Downloads per month over past year

More statistics for this item...