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Somogyi B, Li H, Tapolczai K, Kovács AW, G-Tóth L, Horváth H, Krassován K, Fodor-Kardos A, Vörös L. Regime shift in microalgal dynamics: Impact of water level changes on planktonic and benthic algal biomass. Sci Total Environ 2024; 929:172351. [PMID: 38615783 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2023] [Revised: 02/29/2024] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/16/2024]
Abstract
Whole-lake microalgal biomass surveys were carried out in Lake Balaton to investigate the seasonal, spatial, and temporal changes of benthic algae, as well as to identify the drivers of the phytobenthos. Phytobenthos was controlled mainly by light: the highest benthic algal biomass was in the shallow littoral region characterized by large grain size (sand) with good light availability but lower nutrient content in the sediment. During the investigated period, phytoplankton biomass showed a significant decrease in almost the entire lake. At the same time, the biomass of benthic algae increased significantly in the eastern areas, increasing the contribution of total lake microalgae biomass (from 20 % to 27 %). Benthic algal biomass increase can be explained by the better light supply, owing to the artificially maintained high water level which greatly mitigates water mixing. The decrease in planktonic algal biomass could be attributed to increased zooplankton grazing, which is otherwise negatively affected by mixing. As a result of the high water level, the trophic structure of the lake has been rearranged in recent decades with a shift from the planktonic life form to the benthic one while the nutrient supply has largely remained unchanged.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boglárka Somogyi
- HUN-REN, Balaton Limnological Research Institute, Klebelsberg Kuno utca 3, H-8237, Tihany, Hungary; National Laboratory for Water Science and Water Security, HUN-REN, Balaton Limnological Research Institute, Klebelsberg Kuno utca 3, H-8237, Tihany, Hungary.
| | - Huan Li
- HUN-REN, Balaton Limnological Research Institute, Klebelsberg Kuno utca 3, H-8237, Tihany, Hungary; National Laboratory for Water Science and Water Security, HUN-REN, Balaton Limnological Research Institute, Klebelsberg Kuno utca 3, H-8237, Tihany, Hungary
| | - Kálmán Tapolczai
- HUN-REN, Balaton Limnological Research Institute, Klebelsberg Kuno utca 3, H-8237, Tihany, Hungary; National Laboratory for Water Science and Water Security, HUN-REN, Balaton Limnological Research Institute, Klebelsberg Kuno utca 3, H-8237, Tihany, Hungary
| | - Attila W Kovács
- HUN-REN, Balaton Limnological Research Institute, Klebelsberg Kuno utca 3, H-8237, Tihany, Hungary; National Laboratory for Water Science and Water Security, HUN-REN, Balaton Limnological Research Institute, Klebelsberg Kuno utca 3, H-8237, Tihany, Hungary
| | - László G-Tóth
- HUN-REN, Balaton Limnological Research Institute, Klebelsberg Kuno utca 3, H-8237, Tihany, Hungary; National Laboratory for Water Science and Water Security, HUN-REN, Balaton Limnological Research Institute, Klebelsberg Kuno utca 3, H-8237, Tihany, Hungary
| | - Hajnalka Horváth
- HUN-REN, Balaton Limnological Research Institute, Klebelsberg Kuno utca 3, H-8237, Tihany, Hungary; National Laboratory for Water Science and Water Security, HUN-REN, Balaton Limnological Research Institute, Klebelsberg Kuno utca 3, H-8237, Tihany, Hungary
| | - Krisztina Krassován
- HUN-REN, Balaton Limnological Research Institute, Klebelsberg Kuno utca 3, H-8237, Tihany, Hungary; National Laboratory for Water Science and Water Security, HUN-REN, Balaton Limnological Research Institute, Klebelsberg Kuno utca 3, H-8237, Tihany, Hungary
| | - Andrea Fodor-Kardos
- HUN-REN Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Magyar tudósok körútja 2, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Lajos Vörös
- HUN-REN, Balaton Limnological Research Institute, Klebelsberg Kuno utca 3, H-8237, Tihany, Hungary; National Laboratory for Water Science and Water Security, HUN-REN, Balaton Limnological Research Institute, Klebelsberg Kuno utca 3, H-8237, Tihany, Hungary
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