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Multi-proxy paleolimnological assessment of biogeochemical versus food web controls on the trophic states of two shallow, mesotrophic lakes

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Abstract

The frequency of nuisance algal blooms has been increasing during the last two decades in the shallow, headwater East Pond (Smithfield, Maine, USA). Meanwhile, the hydrologically linked North Pond has not experienced an increase in algal blooms, despite similar morphometry and higher external nutrient loads. Possible explanations for this difference include stronger trophic cascade effects from planktivorous white perch (Morone americana) in East Pond as well as differences in phosphorus (P) release from the sediments of these two lakes. We conducted a paleolimnological investigation of these two lakes to assess whether sedimentary evidence supported trophic cascade effects based on cladoceran ephippia size, diatom fossils, and fossil pigments or biogeochemical controls based on potential sedimentary P release as the primary driver of these increased algal blooms in East Pond. At the time of white perch introduction (~1930–1950), ephippia size increases in East Pond, although no changes are observed in either diatom abundance or trends in the algal pigments. Instead, algal pigments increase in recent decades (~1980 to present) along with an increase in diatom taxa with higher TP optima These results suggest that predation by white perch is not resulting in top-down effects on algal abundance in East Pond, as predicted by the trophic cascade hypothesis. While the P content of sediments from both lakes is relatively equal, the releasable P in the top 10 cm of sediment in East Pond constitutes a greater percentage of the P extracted. Also, North Pond sediments exhibit a greater capacity to permanently bury P via the mechanisms of sorption to Al(OH)3(s) and a slower mineralization of organic P compounds. The results of this investigation suggest that the ultimate driver of the recent algal blooms in East Pond is internal P release from the sediments instead of trophic cascade effects.

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Acknowledgments

Funding for this work was provided by grants from the U.S. National Science Foundation (DEB-0415348), and the U.S. Geological Survey-Water Resources Research Institute (2007ME108B). The authors are grateful to David Halliwell at the Maine Department of Environmental Protection and Dr. Whitney King at Colby College for supplying data and advice; Megan Tylka for field assistance, sample preparation, and GIS assistance; Dennis Anderson and Heather Arnett for diatom analysis; Dr. Brian Ginn at Queens University for running the TP inference models; the Colby College Chemistry Department for use of their NMR instrumentation; Suzanne McGowan at the University of Nottingham for providing assistance with pigment analysis; and the Department of Physics at the University of Maine for providing the 210Pb dates. We would also like to thank the insightful comments and improvements of two anonymous reviewers.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Maine, 5711 Boardman Hall, Orono, ME, 04469, USA

    Bjorn A. Lake & Aria Amirbahman

  2. School of Biology and Ecology, University of Maine, Orono, ME, 04469, USA

    Courtney R. Wigdahl, Kristin E. Strock & Jasmine E. Saros

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  1. Bjorn A. Lake
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  2. Courtney R. Wigdahl
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Correspondence to Aria Amirbahman.

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Lake, B.A., Wigdahl, C.R., Strock, K.E. et al. Multi-proxy paleolimnological assessment of biogeochemical versus food web controls on the trophic states of two shallow, mesotrophic lakes. J Paleolimnol 46, 45–57 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10933-011-9513-1

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