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Coincidence of sedimentation peaks with diatom blooms, wind, and calcite precipitation measured in high resolution by a multi-trap

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Abstract

Organisms and processes in the epilimnion of lakes determine the rate of sedimentation. To investigate the impact of phyto- and zooplankton on the sedimentation rate, we sampled the sedimenting material in Lake Stechlin. Sedimenting matter was collected using a high-resolution multi-trap in three-day intervals during the thermally stratified seasons in 2011 (at 65 m depth) and 2012 (at 20 m depth). Dry weight of the sedimented material was related to chemical, physical, and biological data collected from the water column, as well as to meteorological data. The high-resolution trap showed two mass sedimentation peaks in 2011 and one in 2012. We found that diatom blooms in spring were followed by the highest sedimentation rate in 2011, but not in 2012. The sedimentation rates significantly correlated to low wind speed, followed by a rapid formation of the thermocline, as well as to high calcite concentrations in 2011. Our results suggest that the presence of some aggregation factors like calcite crystal exopolymers or fecal pellets support the sinking process. Furthermore, the high resolution of the trap used here allowed for obtaining precise correlations between sedimentation and the measured parameters indicating relevance of temporal coincidence of multiple environmental variables.

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Acknowledgments

U. Beyer, E. Huth, M. Lentz, U. Mallok, and M. Papke are acknowledged for excellent laboratory help, M. Sachtleben, R. Degebrodt, and H. Volkmann for technical support in the field, R. Rossberg for scanning electron microscopy, and F. Keck (INRA) for help and advice with R programming. We are grateful to the Federal Environmental Agency (UBA), K. Uhse (Langen) and O. Bath (Neuglobsow), for meteorological data. T. Mehner and the participants of a workshop “Scientific Writing” at the Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries helped to improve the manuscript. This work was funded by Leibniz Association (Berlin) within the project “Climate driven changes in biodiversity of microbiota –TemBi” (SAW-2011-IGB-2).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Experimental Limnology, Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Alte Fischerhütte 2, 16775, Stechlin, Germany

    Andrea Fuchs, Géza B. Selmeczy, Peter Kasprzak & Peter Casper

  2. Carl-von-Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, 26121, Oldenburg, Germany

    Andrea Fuchs

  3. Department of Limnology, University of Pannonia, Egyetem u. 10, Veszprém, 8200, Hungary

    Géza B. Selmeczy & Judit Padisák

  4. MTA-PE Limnoecology Research Group, Egyetem u. 10, Veszprém, 8200, Hungary

    Judit Padisák

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  1. Andrea Fuchs
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  2. Géza B. Selmeczy
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  4. Judit Padisák
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  5. Peter Casper
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Correspondence to Peter Casper.

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Fuchs, A., Selmeczy, G.B., Kasprzak, P. et al. Coincidence of sedimentation peaks with diatom blooms, wind, and calcite precipitation measured in high resolution by a multi-trap. Hydrobiologia 763, 329–344 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-015-2388-9

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