Effects of Submerged Vegetation on Water Clarity Across Climates

A positive feedback between submerged vegetation and water clarity forms the backbone of the alternative state theory in shallow lakes. The water clearing effect of aquatic vegetation may be caused by different physical, chemical, and biological mechanisms and has been studied mainly in temperate lakes. Recent work suggests differences in biotic interactions between (sub)tropical and cooler lakes might result in a less pronounced clearing effect in the (sub)tropics. To assess whether the effect of submerged vegetation changes with climate, we sampled 83 lakes over a gradient ranging from the tundra to the tropics in South America. Judged from a comparison of water clarity inside and outside vegetation beds, the vegetation appeared to have a similar positive effect on the water clarity across all climatic regions studied. However, the local clearing effect of vegetation decreased steeply with the contribution of humic substances to the underwater light attenuation. Looking at turbidity on a whole-lake scale, results were more difficult to interpret. Although lakes with abundant vegetation (>30%) were generally clear, sparsely vegetated lakes differed widely in clarity. Overall, the effect of vegetation on water clarity in our lakes appears to be smaller than that found in various Northern hemisphere studies. This might be explained by differences in fish communities and their relation to vegetation. For instance, unlike in Northern hemisphere studies, we find no clear relation between vegetation coverage and fish abundance or their diet preference. High densities of omnivorous fish and coinciding low grazing pressures on phytoplankton in the (sub)tropics may, furthermore, weaken the effect of vegetation on water clarity.

[1]  Ellen van Donk,et al.  Can macrophytes be useful in biomanipulation of lakes? The Lake Zwemlust example , 1990, Hydrobiologia.

[2]  Marten Scheffer.  Multiplicity of stable states in freshwater systems , 1990 .

[3]  E. Jeppesen,et al.  Restoration of shallow lakes by nutrient control and biomanipulation—the successful strategy varies with lake size and climate , 2007, Hydrobiologia.

[4]  E. M. Thurman,et al.  Organic Geochemistry of Natural Waters , 1985, Developments in Biogeochemistry.

[5]  E. Jeppesen,et al.  Impact of submerged macrophytes on fish-zooplankton-phytoplankton interactions : large-scale enclosure experiments in a shallow eutrophic lake , 1995 .

[6]  Erik Jeppesen,et al.  Substantial differences in littoral fish community structure and dynamics in subtropical and temperate shallow lakes , 2009 .

[7]  J. Pokorný,et al.  Production-ecological analysis of a plant community dominated by Elodea canadensis michx , 1984 .

[8]  H. J. D. Lange.  The attenuation of ultraviolet and visible radiation in Dutch inland waters , 2000, Aquatic Ecology.

[9]  Stefan Sandrock,et al.  Restoration of submerged vegetation in shallow eutrophic lakes : a guideline and state of the art in Germany , 2006 .

[10]  E. Jeppesen,et al.  Trophic dynamics in turbid and clearwater lakes with special emphasis on the role of zooplankton for water clarity , 1999, Hydrobiologia.

[11]  Engineering and biological approaches to the restoration from eutrophication of shallow lakes in which aquatic plant communities are important components , 1990 .

[12]  I. Sazima,et al.  Use of water hyacinths as shelter, foraging place, and transport by young piranhas, Serrasalmus spilopleura , 1985, Environmental Biology of Fishes.

[13]  Marten Scheffer,et al.  Climate‐related differences in the dominance of submerged macrophytes in shallow lakes , 2009 .

[14]  Erik Jeppesen,et al.  Shallow lake restoration by nutrient loading reduction—some recent findings and challenges ahead , 2007, Hydrobiologia.

[15]  M. Reddy.  Restoration and Management of Tropical Eutrophic Lakes , 2005 .

[16]  A. Mazumder,et al.  A comparison of lakes and lake enclosures with contrasting abundances of planktivorous fish , 1990 .

[17]  E. Gross,et al.  Polyphenols with algicidal activity in the submerged macrophyte Myriophyllum spicatum L. , 1994 .

[18]  Lars-Anders Hansson,et al.  A behavioral cascade: Top‐predator induced behavioral shifts in planktivorous fish and zooplankton , 2003 .

[19]  E. Jeppesen,et al.  Lake restoration and biomanipulation in temperate lakes: relevance for subtropical and tropical lakes , 2003 .

[20]  E. Jeppesen,et al.  Impact of Submerged Macrophytes on Fish-Zooplankton Interactions in Lakes , 1998 .

[21]  M. Hammershøj,et al.  Does the impact of nutrients on the biological structure and function of brackish and freshwater lakes differ? , 1994, Hydrobiologia.

[22]  M. Scheffer,et al.  Reduced top–down control of phytoplankton in warmer climates can be explained by continuous fish reproduction , 2007 .

[23]  L. Hansson,et al.  Effects of fish grazing on nutrient release and succession of primary producers1 , 1987 .

[24]  M. Scheffer,et al.  Alternative equilibria in shallow lakes. , 1993, Trends in ecology & evolution.

[25]  S. Dodson,et al.  Latitudinal patterns in the size distribution and seasonal dynamics of new world, freshwater cladocerans , 2000 .

[26]  E. Lammens,et al.  Throphic interactions in the hypertrophic Lake Tjeukemeer: top-down and bottom-up effects in relation to hydrology, predation and bioturbation during the period 1974-1985 , 1988 .

[27]  Erik Jeppesen,et al.  Trophic structure, species richness and biodiversity in Danish lakes: changes along a phosphorus gradient , 2000 .

[28]  E. Donk,et al.  Macrophyte-related shifts in the nitrogen and phosphorus contents of the different trophic levels in a biomanipulated shallow lake , 1993, Hydrobiologia.

[29]  Erik Jeppesen,et al.  The Structuring Role of Submerged Macrophytes in Lakes , 1998, Ecological Studies.

[30]  S. Carpenter.  ENRICHMENT OF LAKE WINGRA, WISCONSIN, BY SUBMERSED MACROPHYTE DECAY' , 1980 .

[31]  E. Lammens.  Causes and consequences of the success of bream in Dutch eutrophic lakes , 1989, Hydrobiological Bulletin.

[32]  M. Hulme,et al.  A high-resolution data set of surface climate over global land areas , 2002 .

[33]  M. Scheffer,et al.  Lake and watershed characteristics rather than climate influence nutrient limitation in shallow lakes. , 2009, Ecological applications : a publication of the Ecological Society of America.

[34]  M. Appelberg.  Swedish standard methods for sampling freshwater fish with multi-mesh gillnets : stratified random sampling with Nordic multi-mesh gillnets provide reliable whole-lake estimates of the relative abundance and biomass of freshwater temperate lakes , 2000 .

[35]  T. V. Madsen,et al.  The impact of grazing waterfowl on submerged macrophytes: In situ experiments in a shallow eutrophic lake , 1996 .

[36]  A. Hasler,et al.  Demonstration of the Antagonistic Action of Large Aquatic Plants on Algae and Rotifers , 1949 .

[37]  Erik Jeppesen,et al.  Effects of habitat complexity on community structure and predator avoidance behaviour of littoral zooplankton in temperate versus subtropical shallow lakes , 2007 .

[38]  Erik Jeppesen,et al.  Can warm climate‐related structure of littoral predator assemblies weaken the clear water state in shallow lakes? , 2007 .

[39]  P. Chambers,et al.  The interaction between water movement, sediment dynamics and submersed macrophytes , 2001, Hydrobiologia.

[40]  Pierre Gagnon,et al.  Ranking the effects of site exposure, plant growth form, water depth, and transparency on aquatic plant biomass , 2000 .

[41]  Mark V. Hoyer,et al.  Relations between trophic state indicators and plant biomass in Florida lakes , 2002, Hydrobiologia.

[42]  B. Moss,et al.  Prevention of growth of potentially dense phytoplankton populations by zooplankton grazing, in the presence of zooplanktivorous fish, in a shallow wetland ecosystem , 1984 .

[43]  R. Jones.  The Effect of Submersed Aquatic Vegetation on Phytoplankton and Water Quality in the Tidal Freshwater Potomac River , 1990 .

[44]  M. Loureiro,et al.  Effects of Egeria densa Planch. beds on a shallow lake without piscivorous fish , 2003, Hydrobiologia.

[45]  G. Phillips,et al.  The practical importance of the interactions between fish, zooplankton and macrophytes in shallow lake restoration , 1999, Hydrobiologia.

[46]  E. Jeppesen,et al.  Fish manipulation as a lake restoration tool in shallow, eutrophic, temperate lakes 2: threshold levels, long-term stability and conclusions , 1990, Hydrobiologia.

[47]  R. W. Gregory,et al.  Distributions and Abundances of Early Life Stages of Fishes in a Florida Lake Dominated by Aquatic Macrophytes , 1990 .

[48]  A. Heathwaite,et al.  The Hydrology and Hydrochemistry of British Wetlands , 1995 .

[49]  D. Canfield,et al.  Prediction of Chlorophyll a Concentrations in Florida Lakes: Importance of Aquatic Macrophytes , 1984 .

[50]  Saúl Blanco,et al.  Fish communities and food web interactions in some shallow Mediterranean lakes , 2003, Hydrobiologia.

[51]  J. Barko,et al.  Effects of Submerged Aquatic Macrophytes on Nutrient Dynamics, Sedimentation, and Resuspension , 1998 .

[52]  D. Schindler,et al.  Variation in spatial and temporal gradients in zooplankton spring development: the effect of climatic factors , 2005 .

[53]  M. Scheffer.  Ecology of Shallow Lakes , 1997, Population and Community Biology Series.

[54]  H. Buiteveld,et al.  A model for calculation of diffuse light attenuation (PAR) and Secchi depth , 1995, Netherland Journal of Aquatic Ecology.

[55]  R. Quirós,et al.  Fish effects on trophic relationships in the pelagic zone of lakes , 2004, Hydrobiologia.

[56]  Maria Rosa Miracle,et al.  Effects of nutrients and fish on periphyton and plant biomass across a European latitudinal gradient , 2008, Aquatic Ecology.

[57]  F. Esteves,et al.  Food Sources of the Teleost Eucinostomus argenteus in Two Coastal Lagoons of Brazil , 1997 .

[58]  Erik Jeppesen,et al.  The role of climate in shaping zooplankton communities of shallow lakes , 2005 .

[59]  M. Meijer,et al.  Effects of biomanipulation in the large and shallow Lake Wolderwijd, The Netherlands , 2004, Hydrobiologia.

[60]  K. Havens,et al.  Zooplankton–phytoplankton relationships in shallow subtropical versus temperate lakes Apopka (Florida, USA) and Trasimeno (Umbria, Italy) , 2009, Hydrobiologia.