A1 Journal article (refereed)
The relevance of ecological status to ecosystem functions and services in a large boreal lake (2014)
Tolonen, K., Hämäläinen, H., Lensu, A., Meriläinen, J. J., Palomäki, A., & Karjalainen, J. (2014). The relevance of ecological status to ecosystem functions and services in a large boreal lake. Journal of Applied Ecology, 51(3), 560-571. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.12245
JYU authors or editors
Publication details
All authors or editors: Tolonen, Kimmo; Hämäläinen, Heikki; Lensu, Anssi; Meriläinen, Jarmo J.; Palomäki, Arja; Karjalainen, Juha
Journal or series: Journal of Applied Ecology
ISSN: 0021-8901
eISSN: 1365-2664
Publication year: 2014
Volume: 51
Issue number: 3
Pages range: 560-571
Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Place of Publication: Oxford
Publication country: United Kingdom
Publication language: English
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.12245
Research data link: https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.7h6p6
Publication open access: Not open
Publication channel open access:
Abstract
The WFD requires member states to classify their surface waters aiming to achieve good ecological status of water bodies. However, an implicit assumption of the WFD, that the ecosystem functions and services targeted to be protected and maintained are related to the measured status, remains uncertain.
Using a time‐series data set covering almost 50 years, we examined the development of ecological status of eight sub‐basins of a large boreal lake in response to improved wastewater management and decreasing pollution. We particularly evaluated whether the observed descriptors of biodiversity, ecosystem functions and services were associated with the judgements of ecological status, and hence whether the ecological status is a relevant proxy for ecosystem values to be protected.
The ecological status of the polluted sub‐basins responded consistently to the decreased nutrient and organic loading. Temporal trends in the biological quality elements and water quality were mostly parallel and showed good status roughly simultaneously. Combined ecological status also appeared to predict some features of taxon diversity (profundal macroinvertebrate and phytoplankton richness), ecosystem functions (primary and bacterial production) and ecosystem services (fish catch and reproductive potential of coregonids).
Synthesis and applications. We observed that some ecosystem service supplies and taxon diversity increased with increasing ecological status of the lake. Therefore, our results suggest that ecological status estimates based on simple structural characters are relevant to the ultimate management goals of maintaining biodiversity, ecosystem functions and services and hence might suffice for extensive assessment and monitoring of lake ecosystems.
Keywords: lakes; aquatic ecosystems; biodiversity
Free keywords: bioassessment; lake ecosystems
Contributing organizations
Ministry reporting: Yes
Reporting Year: 2014
JUFO rating: 3