A1 Journal article (refereed)
Stratification strength and light climate explain variation in chlorophyll a at the continental scale in a European multilake survey in a heatwave summer (2021)

Donis, D., Mantzouki, E., McGinnis, D. F., Vachon, D., Gallego, I., Grossart, H., Senerpont Domis, L. N., Teurlincx, S., Seelen, L., Lürling, M., Verstijnen, Y., Maliaka, V., Fonvielle, J., Visser, P. M., Verspagen, J., Herk, M., Antoniou, M. G., Tsiarta, N., McCarthy, V., . . . Ibelings, B. W. (2021). Stratification strength and light climate explain variation in chlorophyll a at the continental scale in a European multilake survey in a heatwave summer. Limnology and Oceanography, 66(12), 4314-4333. https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.11963

JYU authors or editors

Publication details

All authors or editors: Donis, Daphne; Mantzouki, Evanthia; McGinnis, Daniel F.; Vachon, Dominic; Gallego, Irene; Grossart, Hans‐Peter; Senerpont Domis, Lisette N.; Teurlincx, Sven; Seelen, Laura; Lürling, Miquel; et al.

Journal or series: Limnology and Oceanography

ISSN: 0024-3590

eISSN: 1939-5590

Publication year: 2021

Publication date: 30/10/2021

Volume: 66

Issue number: 12

Pages range: 4314-4333

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Publication country: United States

Publication language: English

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.11963

Publication open access: Openly available

Publication channel open access: Partially open access channel

Publication is parallel published (JYX): https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/78530

Abstract

To determine the drivers of phytoplankton biomass, we collected standardized morphometric, physical, and biological data in 230 lakes across the Mediterranean, Continental, and Boreal climatic zones of the European continent. Multilinear regression models tested on this snapshot of mostly eutrophic lakes (median total phosphorus [TP] = 0.06 and total nitrogen [TN] = 0.7 mg L−1), and its subsets (2 depth types and 3 climatic zones), show that light climate and stratification strength were the most significant explanatory variables for chlorophyll a (Chl a) variance. TN was a significant predictor for phytoplankton biomass for shallow and continental lakes, while TP never appeared as an explanatory variable, suggesting that under high TP, light, which partially controls stratification strength, becomes limiting for phytoplankton development. Mediterranean lakes were the warmest yet most weakly stratified and had significantly less Chl a than Boreal lakes, where the temperature anomaly from the long-term average, during a summer heatwave was the highest (+4°C) and showed a significant, exponential relationship with stratification strength. This European survey represents a summer snapshot of phytoplankton biomass and its drivers, and lends support that light and stratification metrics, which are both affected by climate change, are better predictors for phytoplankton biomass in nutrient-rich lakes than nutrient concentrations and surface temperature.

Keywords: limnology; lakes; plankton; microalgae; biomass (ecology); chlorophyll; climate changes; summer; temperature; light (electromagnetic radiation); stratification

Contributing organizations

Ministry reporting: Yes

Reporting Year: 2021

JUFO rating: 2