Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Stable isotopes and digital elevation models to study nutrient inputs in high-arctic lakes

  • Environmental Changes in Arctic
  • Published:
Rendiconti Lincei Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Five major factors control nutrient and organic matter inputs in high-Arctic lakes, all potentially affected by climate change: ice cover; run-off from the watershed; aquatic and terrestrial primary productivity; guano deposition from birds. Quantifying these controls is a key first step to understand what combination of factors underlies the biological productivity in Arctic lakes and drives their ecological response to climate change. Based on C and N elemental content and stable isotope analysis in sediments belonging to three lakes in North Spitsbergen (Svalbard), Digital Elevation Models and drainage maps, we propose an integrated approach for the analysis of nutrient and organic matter inputs in lakes and the role of catchment hydro-geomorphology in determining inter-lake differences in the isotopic composition of sediments. Given its high run-off and large catchment, organic deposits in Tvillingvatnet were dominated by terrestrial inputs, whereas inputs were mainly of aquatic origin in Storvatnet, a lowland lake characterised by low potential run-off. In Kolhamna, organic deposits seemed to be dominated by inputs from birds. Isotopic signatures were similar between samples within each lake, representing precise tracers for studies on the effect of climate change on biogeochemical cycles in lakes. The presented approach proved to be an effective research pathway for the identification of factors underlying nutrient and organic matter inputs within each water body, as well as for the modelling of expected changes in nutrient content associated with changes in isotopic composition of sediments.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • ACIA (2005) Arctic climate impact assessment. Cambridge University Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Basset A, Rossi L (1990) Competitive trophic niche modifications in three populations of detritivores. Funct Ecol 4:685–694

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bentivoglio F, Calizza E, Rossi D, Carlino P, Careddu G, Rossi L, Costantini ML (2015) Site-scale isotopic variations along a river course help localize drainage basin influence on river food webs. Hydrobiologia. doi:10.1007/s10750-015-2597-2

    Google Scholar 

  • Blais JM, Kimpe LE, McMahon D, Keatley BE, Mallory ML, Douglas MS et al (2005) Arctic seabirds transport marine-derived contaminants. Science 309:445

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Burrough PA (1986) Principles of geographic information systems for land resources assessment. Oxford University Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Calizza E, Costantini ML, Rossi D, Carlino P, Rossi L (2012) Effects of disturbance on an urban river food web. Fresh Biol 57:2613–2628

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Calizza E, Costantini ML, Carlino P, Bentivoglio F, Orlandi L, Rossi L (2013a) Posidonia oceanica habitat loss and changes in litter-associated biodiversity organization: a stable isotope-based preliminary study. Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 135:137–145

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Calizza E, Rossi L, Costantini ML (2013b) Predators and resources influence phosphorus transfer along an invertebrate food web through changes in prey behaviour. PLoS One 8(6):e65186. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0065186

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Calizza E, Aktan Y, Costantini ML, Rossi L (2015) Stable isotope variations in benthic primary producers along the Bosphorus (Turkey): a preliminary study. Mar Pollut Bull 97:535–538

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Careddu G, Costantini ML, Calizza E, Carlino P, Bentivoglio F, Orlandi L, Rossi L (2015) Effects of terrestrial input on macrobenthic food webs of coastal sea are detected by stable isotope analysis in Gaeta Gulf. Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 154:158–168

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Costantini ML, Rossi L (2010) Species diversity and decomposition in laboratory aquatic systems: the role of species interactions. Fresh Biol 55:2281–2295

    Google Scholar 

  • Costantini ML, Zaccarelli N, Mandrone S, Rossi D, Calizza E, Rossi L (2012) NDVI spatial pattern and the potential fragility of mixed forested areas in volcanic lake watersheds. For Ecol Manag 285:133–141

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Costantini ML, Calizza E, Rossi L (2014) Stable isotopes variation during fungal colonization of leaf detritus in aquatic environments. Fungal Ecol 11:154–163

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Costanzo SD, O’Donohue MJ, Dennison WC, Loneragan NR, Thomas M (2001) A new approach for detecting and mapping sewage impacts. Mar Pollut Bull 42:149–156

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fazi S, Rossi L (2000) Effects of macro-detritivores density on leaf detritus processing rate: a macrocosm experiment. Hydrobiologia 435:127–134

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fry B (2007) Stable isotope ecology. Springer, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Hai WW (2014) The accelerating rate of global change. Rend Fis Acc Lincei 25:29–48

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hall RI, Small JP (1993) The influence of catchment size on lake trophic status during the hemlock decline and recovery (4800–3500 BP) in southern Ontario lakes. Hydrobiologia 269:371–390

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hladyz S, Gessner MO, Giller PS, Pozo J, Woodward G (2009) Resource quality and stoichiometric constraints on stream ecosystem functioning. Fresh Biol 54:957–970

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hobbie JE, Peterson BJ, Bettez N, Deegan L, O’Brien WJ, Kling GW, Kipphut GW, Bowden WB, Hershey AE (1999) Impact of global change on the biogeochemistry and ecology of an Arctic freshwater system. Polar Res 18:207–214

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ianniello A et al (2016) Air-snow exchange of reactive nitrogen species at Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard (Arctic). Rend Fis Acc Lincei (this issue)

  • Jona-Lasinio G, Costantini ML, Calizza E, Pollice A, Bentivoglio F, Orlandi L, Careddu G, Rossi L (2015) Stable isotope-based statistical tools as ecological indicator of pollution sources in Mediterranean transitional water ecosystems. Ecol Indic 55:23–31

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Knoll AH (2009) The coevolution of life and environment. Rend Fis Acc Lincei 20:301–306

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lakka HK (2013) The ecology of a freshwater crustacean: Lepidurus arcticus (Branchipoda; Notostraca) in a high arctic region. Dissertation, University of Helsinky

  • Mancinelli G, Pasquali V (2016) Body-size related constraints on the movement behaviour of the arctic notostracan Lepidurus arcticus (Pallas, 1973) under laboratory conditions. Rend Fis Acc Lincei (this issue)

  • Moore ID, Grayson RB, Ladson AR (1991) Digital terrain modeling: a review of hydrological, geomorphological and biological applications. Hydrol Process 5:3–30

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Orlandi L, Bentivoglio F, Carlino P, Calizza E, Rossi D, Costantini ML, Rossi D (2014) δ15N variation in Ulva lactuca as a proxy for anthropogenic nitrogen inputs in coastal areas of Gulf of Gaeta (Mediterranean Sea). Mar Pollut Bull 84:76–82

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Papi F, Gudmundsson GA, Benvenuti S, Alerstam T, Åkesson S (1993) Migratory flights of Arctic geese tracked by satellite. Rend Fis Acc Lincei 4:153–156

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pasquali V (2015) Locomotor activity rhythms in high arctic freshwater crustacean: Lepidurus arcticus (Branchiopoda; Notostraca). Biol Rhythm Res 46:453–458

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Post E, Forchhammer MC, Bret-Harte MS, Callaghan TV, Christensen TR, Elberling B et al (2009) Ecological dynamics across the Arctic associated with recent climate change. Science 325:1355–1358

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Prop J, de Vries J (1993) Impact of snow and food conditions on the reproductive performance of barnacle geese Branta leucopsis. Ornis Scand 24:110–121

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Prowse TD, Wrona FJ, Reist JD, Gibson JJ, Hobbie JE, Levesque LMJ, Vincent WF (2006) Climate change effects on hydroecology of Arctic freshwater ecosystems. Ambio 35:347–358

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rooney N, McCann KS (2012) Integrating food web diversity, structure and stability. Trends Ecol Evol 27:41–46

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rossi L, Costantini ML, Carlino P, di Lascio A, Rossi D (2010) Autochthonous and allochthonous plant contributions to coastal benthic detritus deposits: a dual-stable isotope study in a volcanic lake. Aquatic Sci 72:227–236

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rossi L, di Lascio A, Carlino P, Calizza E, Costantini ML (2015) Predator and detritivore niche width helps to explain biocomplexity of experimental detritus-based food webs in four aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Ecol Compl 23:14–24

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spolaor A, Barbaro E, Christille JM et al (2016) Evolution of the Svalbard annual snow layer during the melting phase. Rend Fis Acc Lincei (this issue)

  • Valt M, Salvatori R (2016) Snowpack characteristics of Brøggerhalvøya, Svalbard Islands. Rend Fis Acc Lincei (this issue)

  • Van Geest GJ, Hessen DO, Spierenburg P, DahlHansen GAP, Christensen G, Brehm M, Loonen MJJE, Faerovig PJ, Van Donk E (2007) Goose-mediated nutrient enrichment and planktonic grazer control in arctic freshwater ponds. Oecologia 153:653–662

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vaze J, Teng J, Spencer G (2010) Impact of DEM accuracy and resolution on topographic indices. Environ Model Softw 25:1086–1098

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vincent WF, Hobbie JE, Laybourn-Parry J (2008) Introduction to the limnology of high-latitude lakes and river ecosystems. In: Laybourn-Parry J, Vincent WF (eds) Polar lakes and rivers: limnology of Arctic and Antarctic aquatic ecosystems. Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp 1–24

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Weibel R, Heller M (1991) Digital terrain modelling. In: Maguire DJ, Goodchild MF, Rhind DW (eds) Geographical information systems, vol 1. Longman, Harlow, pp 269–297

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilson JP, Gallant JC (2000) Digital terrain analysis. In: Wilson JP, Gallant JC (eds) Terrain analysis: principles an applications. Wiley, New York, pp 1–27

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This research has been conducted within the two Projects RIS-10242 (PI: E. Calizza) and RIS-10011 (PI: V. Pasquali) and was supported by Sapienza University Grants 2012. Authors wish to thank the CNR (Italy) for logistical support and Vetro Scientifica s.r.l. (www.vetroscientifica.it; Rome, Italy) for providing high-quality laboratory materials.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Trophic Ecology, Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, Via dei Sardi 70, 00185, Rome, Italy

    Edoardo Calizza, Maria Letizia Costantini, Giulio Careddu & Loreto Rossi

  2. National Research Council, Institute for Water Research (CNR-IRSA), Monterotondo, RM, Italy

    David Rossi

  3. Department of Psychology-Neurosciences Section, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy

    Vittorio Pasquali

  4. Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences (DEB), Tuscia University, Viterbo, Italy

    Giulio Careddu

Authors
  1. Edoardo Calizza
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Maria Letizia Costantini
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. David Rossi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Vittorio Pasquali
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Giulio Careddu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Loreto Rossi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Edoardo Calizza.

Additional information

This peer-reviewed article is a result of the multi- and inter-disciplinary research activities based at the Arctic Station “Dirigibile Italia”, coordinated by the “Dipartimento Scienze del Sistema Terra e Tecnologie per l’Ambiente” of the National Research Council of Italy.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary material 1 (DOCX 122 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Calizza, E., Costantini, M.L., Rossi, D. et al. Stable isotopes and digital elevation models to study nutrient inputs in high-arctic lakes. Rend. Fis. Acc. Lincei 27 (Suppl 1), 191–199 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12210-016-0515-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12210-016-0515-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation