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Effects of recent climate and environmental changes on the ecology of a boreal forest lake in Manitoba, Canada

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Abstract

Application of paleoenvironmental approaches provides insight into the magnitude and timing of responses to climate warming in aquatic-ecosystems of northern Canada. We examined subfossil biological (Diptera:Chironomidae) and geochemical indicators (organic carbon and elemental nitrogen and stable isotope composition) in a sediment core from Buckland Lake, northern Manitoba, to assess the influence of recent warming (1981–2011) in the central subarctic region of Canada. The earlier part of the paleolimnological record (1830–1980) was characterized by relatively low chironomid diversity (N2 ~ 6), consisting primarily of profundal taxa (Orthocladius consobrinus and Chironomus), low organic matter content of sediments (< 12%), low C:N ratios (< 9), and high δ15N values (> 3‰), indicative of a cold-water environment with low nitrogen demand. Between 1910 and 1980, there was a decline in profundal taxa, with small gradual increases in littoral taxa, such as Cladotanytarsus mancus-group. Post-1980 sediment core intervals had distinct geochemistry, with declines in δ13Corg from − 27.5‰ to almost − 29‰, consistent with warming, increased terrestrial influence, and increased snowfall and runoff. We found substantial inferred warming (+ 1–2 °C), with several chironomid-inferred temperatures nearly 3 °C warmer than typical pre-1980 inferences. Concurrently, several warm-water-adapted littoral chironomid taxa (Cladopelma, Cryptochironomus, Polypedilum) recorded increases. The post-1990 records reflected continued increases in warm-water taxa, changes in the benthic:pelagic trophic structure, and reversal of previous trends in the δ13Corg, %Organic Carbon, and δ15N profiles, suggestive of increased aquatic productivity. The meteorological station at Gillam, Manitoba, also recorded warming (1.5 °C) and a reduction in snowfall during that time period. A reduction in spring recharge may have increased littoral habitat associated with lake-level drawdown. The climate-driven shift observed ~ 1980 is in generally good agreement with other regional analyses, which show regime shifts occurred ~ 1995. The earlier lake response (~ 1980), however, demonstrates the role of increased catchment-mediated influences on northern boreal lake productivity that may only appear in records with sufficiently high resolution and multiple paleolimnological indicators.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Raymond Biastoch for assistance with sample collection and Pat Chartier, of Gillam Air Service, for providing logistical support. We are grateful to Dr. Derek Muir, Xiaowa Wang, and colleagues at the NLET water quality laboratory for the water chemistry analysis and sediment core dating used in this study. This research was funded by a NSERC Discovery Grant and NSERC Northern Research Supplement awarded to RQ, W. Garfield Weston Foundation postdoctoral travel funds awarded to ASM, NSERC Northern Research Internship (NRINT) and Northern Scientific Training Program (NSTP) funding to CEL, and additional research funding from Wilfrid Laurier University (ASM) and York University (CEL). The stratigraphic chironomid data and the R script used to perform goodness-of-fit and analogue analyses is available at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4404535.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, ON, M3J 1P3, Canada

    C. E. Luszczek & R. Quinlan

  2. School for Resource and Environmental Studies, College of Sustainability, Dalhousie University, 6100 University Ave, Halifax, NS, B3H4R2, Canada

    A. S. Medeiros

  3. Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, Wilfrid Laurier University, 75 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3C5, Canada

    B. B. Wolfe

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  1. C. E. Luszczek
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  2. A. S. Medeiros
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Correspondence to R. Quinlan.

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Fig. S1

Principal Components Analysis of geochemistry variables for Buckland Lake sediment core. Samples are labeled by their 210Pb date. Dotted line demarcates the two biostratigraphic zones from the fossil chironomid data (TIF 110 kb)

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Luszczek, C.E., Medeiros, A.S., Wolfe, B.B. et al. Effects of recent climate and environmental changes on the ecology of a boreal forest lake in Manitoba, Canada. J Paleolimnol 66, 15–27 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10933-021-00180-2

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