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Community structure in boreal lakes with recurring blooms of the nuisance flagellate Gonyostomum semen

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Abstract

Blooms of the nontoxic raphidophyte Gonyostomum semen have shown a recent increase in frequency and distribution in the Fennoscandian region. Due to large cell size and several grazer-avoidance strategies, G. semen is hypothesized to be inedible for most zooplankton species and therefore may constitute a bottleneck for the transfer of energy and nutrients in pelagic food webs. Repression of other phytoplankton through increased competition and induced mortality could further exacerbate this effect. In a field study of four lakes with recurring blooms of G. semen and four lakes without blooms, we found significant differences in community structure between the two lake groups during the bloom period. Bloom-lakes had lower biovolumes of small chrysophytes and chlorophytes and zooplankton assemblages were predominated by small, potentially bacterivorous cladocerans, suggesting a limited availability of edible phytoplankton and an increased importance of microbial pathways during G. semen blooms. Low biovolumes of large cladocerans in bloom-lakes may be due to interference of G. semen with filter feeding. Moreover, high abundances of the phantom midge Chaoborus flavicans in bloom-lakes suggest that the flow of energy and nutrients is directed more towards this invertebrate predator than fish. This could have negative impacts on fish populations, especially if bloom periods are prolonged.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the many persons who assisted in the field and laboratory work: Peter Carlson, Simon Hallstan and Fredrik Pilström for field assistance, Marlen Sunna for analyzing phytoplankton samples, Björn Wiklund and Putte Olsson for sorting and Lars Eriksson for determining invertebrates. We would also like to thank Växjö municipality, Kronoberg county administrative board and landowners by the lakes for lending us boats, Värend’s Rescue Service for storing our field equipment and Kerstin Holmgren and the reviewers for constructive comments on earlier versions of the manuscript. The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency and the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management are acknowledged for making data available.

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  1. Cristina Trigal

    Present address: Swedish Species Information Center, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7050, 750 07, Uppsala, Sweden

    Karin S. L. Johansson, Cristina Trigal, Tobias Vrede & Richard K. Johnson

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  1. Karin S. L. Johansson
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Correspondence to Karin S. L. Johansson.

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Johansson, K.S.L., Trigal, C., Vrede, T. et al. Community structure in boreal lakes with recurring blooms of the nuisance flagellate Gonyostomum semen . Aquat Sci 75, 447–455 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00027-013-0291-x

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