scholarly journals High Mercury Concentrations of European Perch (Perca fluviatilis) in Boreal Headwater Lakes with Variable History of Acidification and Recovery

2021 ◽  
Vol 232 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Martti Rask ◽  
Tommi Malinen ◽  
Mikko Olin ◽  
Kari Nyberg ◽  
Jukka Ruuhijärvi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Dissolved Organic Carbon ◽  
Mercury Concentration ◽  
Acid Stress ◽  
Perca Fluviatilis ◽  
Sharp Decrease ◽  
Mercury Content ◽  
Boreal Lakes ◽  
European Perch ◽  
Headwater Lakes

AbstractHigh dissolved organic carbon and low pH are often associated with elevated mercury content of fish in boreal lakes, but less is known about the fish mercury dynamics in lakes recovering from acidification stress. We measured total mercury concentration (THg) in muscle of European perch (Perca fluviatilis) and evaluated the overall correlation with environmental and growth variables in 24 boreal headwater lakes in the 2010s. We found negative correlations of length-corrected perch THg with lake pH and perch growth, but no correlation with dissolved organic carbon. The main emphasis in the present study was focused to a subset of ten lakes in southern Finland with known perch THg during severe acidification in the 1980–1990s. The comparison of perch THg concentrations in the 2010s with values determined in the 1980–1990s showed a sharp increase in most acidic lakes where the perch populations suffered from severe acid stress in the 1980s. This increase was attributed to growth condensation caused by sharp decrease in perch growth during recovery of reproduction capacity and the consequent increases in population densities of perch. Our results highlight the importance of perch growth rate and population density for understanding the variability of fish Hg in boreal headwater lakes, where recovery from acidification can lead to higher mercury concentration of fish in certain cases.

scholarly journals Quality transformation of dissolved organic carbon during water transit through lakes: contrasting controls by photochemical and biological processes

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Berggren ◽  
Marcus Klaus ◽  
Balathandayuthabani Panneer Selvam ◽  
Lena Ström ◽  
Hjalmar Laudon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Dissolved Organic Carbon ◽  
Heterotrophic Bacteria ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Boreal Lakes ◽  
Biological Processes ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
In Situ Data ◽  
Headwater Lakes ◽  
Quality Transformation

Abstract. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) may be removed, transformed or added during water transit through lakes, resulting in qualitative changes in DOC composition and pigmentation (color). However, the process-based understanding of these changes is incomplete, especially for headwater lakes. We hypothesized that because heterotrophic bacteria preferentially consume non-colored DOC, while photochemical processing remove colored fractions, the overall changes in DOC quality and color (absorbance) upon water passage through a lake depends on the relative importance of these two processes, accordingly. To test this hypothesis we combined laboratory experiments with field studies in nine boreal lakes, assessing both the relative importance of different DOC decay processes (biological or photo-chemical) and the loss of color during water transit time (WTT) through the lakes. We found that photo-chemistry qualitatively dominated the DOC transformation in the epilimnia of relatively clear headwater lakes, resulting in selective losses of colored DOC. However, in highly pigmented brown-water lakes (absorbance at 420 nm > 7 m−1) biological processes dominated, and there was no systematic relationship between color loss and WTT. Instead in situ data and dark experiments supported our hypothesis of selective microbial removal of non-pigmented DOC, mainly of low molecular weight, leading to persistent water color over time in these lakes. Our study shows that individual brown headwater lakes do not conform to the commonly reported pattern of selective removal of colored constituents in freshwaters, but rather the DOC shows a sustained degree of pigmentation upon transit through these lakes.

scholarly journals Quality transformation of dissolved organic carbon during water transit through lakes: contrasting controls by photochemical and biological processes

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 457-470 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Berggren ◽  
Marcus Klaus ◽  
Balathandayuthabani Panneer Selvam ◽  
Lena Ström ◽  
Hjalmar Laudon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Dissolved Organic Carbon ◽  
Heterotrophic Bacteria ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Boreal Lakes ◽  
Biological Processes ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
In Situ Data ◽  
Headwater Lakes ◽  
Quality Transformation

Abstract. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) may be removed, transformed, or added during water transit through lakes, resulting in changes in DOC composition and pigmentation (color). However, the process-based understanding of these changes is incomplete, especially for headwater lakes. We hypothesized that because heterotrophic bacteria preferentially consume noncolored DOC, while photochemical processing removes colored fractions, the overall changes in DOC color upon water passage through a lake depend on the relative importance of these two processes, accordingly. To test this hypothesis we combined laboratory experiments with field studies in nine boreal lakes, assessing both the relative importance of different DOC decay processes (biological or photochemical) and the loss of color during water transit time (WTT) through the lakes. We found that influence from photo-decay dominated changes in DOC quality in the epilimnia of relatively clear headwater lakes, resulting in systematic and selective net losses of colored DOC. However, in highly pigmented brown-water lakes (absorbance at 420 nm  > 7 m−1) biological processes dominated, and there was no systematic relationship between color loss and WTT. Moreover, in situ data and dark experiments supported our hypothesis on the selective microbial removal of nonpigmented DOC, mainly of low molecular weight, leading to persistent water color in these highly colored lakes. Our study shows that brown headwater lakes may not conform to the commonly reported pattern of the selective removal of colored constituents in freshwaters, as DOC can show a sustained degree of pigmentation upon transit through these lakes.

Hydro-climatic forcing of dissolved organic carbon in two boreal lakes of Canada

2016 ◽  
Vol 571 ◽  
pp. 50-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nazzareno Diodato ◽  
Scott Higgins ◽  
Gianni Bellocchi ◽  
Francesco Fiorillo ◽  
Nunzio Romano ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Dissolved Organic Carbon ◽  
Boreal Lakes ◽  
Climatic Forcing

Modeling Allochthonous Dissolved Organic Carbon Mineralization Under Variable Hydrologic Regimes in Boreal Lakes

Ecosystems ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 781-795 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominic Vachon ◽  
Yves T. Prairie ◽  
François Guillemette ◽  
Paul A. del Giorgio
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Dissolved Organic Carbon ◽  
Carbon Mineralization ◽  
Boreal Lakes ◽  
Hydrologic Regimes ◽  
Organic Carbon Mineralization

scholarly journals Dissolved organic carbon export and internal cycling in small, headwater lakes

2010 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. n/a-n/a ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward G. Stets ◽  
Robert G. Striegl ◽  
George R. Aiken
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Dissolved Organic Carbon ◽  
Carbon Export ◽  
Headwater Lakes ◽  
Internal Cycling

scholarly journals Seasonal and year-to-year variation of mercury concentration in perch (Perca fluviatilis ) in boreal lakes

2014 ◽  
Vol 33 (12) ◽  
pp. 2661-2670 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans Fredrik Veiteberg Braaten ◽  
Eirik Fjeld ◽  
Sigurd Rognerud ◽  
Espen Lund ◽  
Thorjørn Larssen
Keyword(s):  
Mercury Concentration ◽  
Perca Fluviatilis ◽  
Boreal Lakes ◽  
Perch Perca Fluviatilis

scholarly journals Coupling dissolved organic carbon, CO2and productivity in boreal lakes

2017 ◽  
Vol 62 (5) ◽  
pp. 945-953 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dag O. Hessen ◽  
Johnny P. Håll ◽  
Jan-Erik Thrane ◽  
Tom Andersen
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Dissolved Organic Carbon ◽  
Boreal Lakes

Role of ambient light in structuring north-temperate fish communities: potential effects of increasing dissolved organic carbon concentration with a changing climate

2012 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 173-190 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashley D. Stasko ◽  
John M. Gunn ◽  
Tom A. Johnston
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Dissolved Organic Carbon ◽  
Fish Communities ◽  
Water Clarity ◽  
Smallmouth Bass ◽  
Boreal Lakes ◽  
Light Environment ◽  
Individual Species ◽  
Terrestrial Organic Matter

The vertical light environment in freshwater lakes is sensitive to changes in dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations, and DOC concentrations in most boreal lakes appear to be increasing as the climate changes. Understanding how DOC dynamics in lakes and watersheds are then linked to fish habitat is therefore critical to assessing the effects of climate change on fish communities. This paper reviews the evidence for climate-induced alterations to DOC in north-temperate watersheds and assesses the potential consequences of the resultant decreases in water clarity on fish production and community structure in small boreal lakes (<500 ha). Although DOC increases are forecast for most boreal lakes, complex interactions between local climate, rates of terrestrial organic matter decomposition and runoff, existing water quality, species shifts in forest communities, and changing season lengths can all combine to affect the magnitude of water clarity declines that will occur in individual lakes. Elevated DOC concentrations will affect the availability of coldwater versus warmwater habitat and niche characteristics that are dependent on lake depth, water clarity, and the preferences and physiological tolerances of the individual species. The shifts in availability of suitable thermal habitat will in turn affect fish growth, production, and community composition. Range expansions for warmwater species and range reductions for coldwater species will likely occur in warmer, darker environments, with adverse consequences for some native species and likely advantages for invasive species such as smallmouth bass. Likewise, major shifts in trophic dynamics would accompany the darkening of boreal lakes as species-specific feeding efficiencies change and primary and secondary production are altered. From a beneficial perspective, elevated DOC concentrations will likely relieve some physiological stress in biota via protection against contaminant toxicity and ultraviolet radiation (UVR) exposure. As with many other disturbances, we need to view climate change impacts on fish communities as a multiple stressor problem and the potential impacts of the changing light environment needs to be given as much prominence as the study of stressors such as eutrophication and trace contaminants.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document