| Title | Impacts of anthropogenic pressures on underwater light conditions and diatom functional group distributions in mountain lakes |
| Abstract | underwater light availability and exposure of ultraviolet radiation (UV) in mountain lakes is mainly controlled by dissolved organic matter and ice-cover. However, both of these factors are affected by climate warming and other anthropogenic pressures. Still, little is known of the impacts of long-term fluctuations in underwater light conditions onto functional distribution of diatoms, species sensitive to changes in climate and UV penetration in mountain lakes. Two mountain lakes in the Italian Alps were analysed using paleolimnological approaches to investigate impacts of anthropogenic pressures (e.g., climate warming, acidification) on underwater light availability, exposure to UV and diatom functional group distributions, focusing on the post-industrial era. Contemporary diatom communities were collected from the main habitats in the shallow, high-irradiance littoral zones of these lakes and geochemical proxies describing the development of lake-water transparency and carbon dynamics were analyzed from the Sediment cores covering the time period from ca. 1400 CE to present. The geochemical data indicate that cultural acidification decreased lake-water organic carbon concentrations in both lakes, which suggests increased light availability and UV exposure during the past century. The responses of the studied lakes to anthropogenic pressures varied, as the lake situated at a lower altitude with a larger catchment showed only a few biotic changes indicating higher resilience, whereas the lake situated at higher altitude showed distinct changes in its ecological status. In this alpine lake, almost 30% of the diatom functional groups shifted from benthic to planktic during the post-industrial era. The role of increased light availability and UV exposure as a driver of diatom functional group distributions could not be unambiguously separated, and such diatom-assemblage changes have been shown in many regions and most closely linked to a warming climate. However, low guild functional groups, prevalent also in the contemporary samples from the shallow littoral zone, dominated the diatom communities throughout the studied period, suggesting high tolerance to UV radiation. |
| Source | Journal of paleolimnology 70 (1), pp. 57–76 |
| Keywords | Environmental changeMicroalgaeUV radiationFunctional paleoecology |
| Journal | Journal of paleolimnology |
| Editor | Kluwer Academic, Boston, Paesi Bassi |
| Year | 2023 |
| Type | Articolo in rivista |
| DOI | 10.1007/s10933-023-00283-y |
| Authors | Atti, Sanna; Rantala, Marttiina V.; Lami, Andrea; Meyer-Jacob, Carsten; Smol, John P.; Weckstrom, Jan; Nevalainen, Liisa |
| Text | 481860 2023 10.1007/s10933 023 00283 y ISI Web of Science WOS 000956693500001 Environmental change Microalgae UV radiation Functional paleoecology Impacts of anthropogenic pressures on underwater light conditions and diatom functional group distributions in mountain lakes Atti, Sanna; Rantala, Marttiina V.; Lami, Andrea; Meyer Jacob, Carsten; Smol, John P.; Weckstrom, Jan; Nevalainen, Liisa Univ Helsinki; CNR Water Res Inst IRSA; Queens Univ underwater light availability and exposure of ultraviolet radiation UV in mountain lakes is mainly controlled by dissolved organic matter and ice cover. However, both of these factors are affected by climate warming and other anthropogenic pressures. Still, little is known of the impacts of long term fluctuations in underwater light conditions onto functional distribution of diatoms, species sensitive to changes in climate and UV penetration in mountain lakes. Two mountain lakes in the Italian Alps were analysed using paleolimnological approaches to investigate impacts of anthropogenic pressures e.g., climate warming, acidification on underwater light availability, exposure to UV and diatom functional group distributions, focusing on the post industrial era. Contemporary diatom communities were collected from the main habitats in the shallow, high irradiance littoral zones of these lakes and geochemical proxies describing the development of lake water transparency and carbon dynamics were analyzed from the Sediment cores covering the time period from ca. 1400 CE to present. The geochemical data indicate that cultural acidification decreased lake water organic carbon concentrations in both lakes, which suggests increased light availability and UV exposure during the past century. The responses of the studied lakes to anthropogenic pressures varied, as the lake situated at a lower altitude with a larger catchment showed only a few biotic changes indicating higher resilience, whereas the lake situated at higher altitude showed distinct changes in its ecological status. In this alpine lake, almost 30% of the diatom functional groups shifted from benthic to planktic during the post industrial era. The role of increased light availability and UV exposure as a driver of diatom functional group distributions could not be unambiguously separated, and such diatom assemblage changes have been shown in many regions and most closely linked to a warming climate. However, low guild functional groups, prevalent also in the contemporary samples from the shallow littoral zone, dominated the diatom communities throughout the studied period, suggesting high tolerance to UV radiation. 70 Published version Articolo in rivista Kluwer Academic 0921 2728 Journal of paleolimnology Journal of paleolimnology J. paleolimnol. andrea.lami LAMI ANDREA |
