Eutrophication of Lake Neuchâtel indicated by the oligochaete communities

Abstract

Lake Neuchâtel (Switzerland), oligotrophic until 1950, was meso-eutrophic in 1980. The relative abundance in worm communities of Peloscolex velutinus and Stylodrilus heringianus was used to monitor the trophic state of the lake. In 1980, the median relative abundance of these oligotrophic species was 9% in the whole of Lake Neuchâtel compared with 70% in oligotrophic lakes, 35% in mesotrophic lakes, and 0% in eutrophic lakes. The scarcity of oligotrophic species in the deepest area (153 m) characterized better the meso-eutrophic state of Lake Neuchâtel than oxygen concentrations which never descended below 6 mg·1^-1. Location of the area within the lake from where worms were sampled was of critical importance to assess the trophic state: some areas reflected the past rather than the present state of the lake.