Abstract
The Interlake region of central Manitoba is characterized by numerous shallow, relatively unproductive wetlands. Typically, these wetlands are poorly utilized by breeding waterfowl in spite of generally reliable water conditions during spring and summer. Nutrient additions were made throughout the growing season to 18 PVC enclosures installed in a low productivity wetland near Lundar, Manitoba. Inorganic phosphorus (as H3PO4) and nitrogen (as NH4NO3) were added at bi-weekly intervals during the summer of 1988 at target rates of 0 and 0, 30 and 800, and 60 and 1600 µg 1−1 (P and N respectively). Algal and invertebrate communities were monitored from mid-June to September, 1988. Phytoplankton, epiphytic periphyton and metaphyton communities demonstrated significant increases in biomass over the treatment period. No significant differences in epipelon community biomass were noted. An examination of several indicators of nutrient deficiency indicated that algal productivity was moderately to severely limited in all enclosures, with little or no mitigative effects noted due to nutrient addition treatment. No significant differences in numbers or biomass of total invertebrates or invertebrate functional groups attributed to fertilization were observed. Nutrient additions did increase community productivity, however the levels used in this study were insufficient to yield a sustained increase in primary or secondary productivity.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Campeau, S., 1990. The relative importance of algae and vascular plant detritus to freshwater food chains. M. Sc. Thesis, McGill University.
Carpenter, S. R. & D. M. Lodge, 1986. Effects of submersed macrophytes on ecosystem processes. Aquat. Bot. 26: 341–370.
Clark, J., 1978. Freshwater wetlands: habitats for aquatic invertebrates, amphibians, reptiles, and fish. In P. E. Greeson; J. R. Clark & J. E. Clark (eds), Wetland functions and values: the state of our understanding. American Water Resources Assoc. Tech. Publ. TPS79-2: 330–343.
Cummins, K. W., 1973. Tropic relations of aquatic insects. Ann. Rev. Ent. 18: 183–206.
Eaton, J. W. & B. Moss, 1966. The estimation of numbers and pigment content in epipelic algal populations. Limnol. Oceanogr. 11: 584–595.
Ellis, J. H., 1938. The soils of Manitoba. Manitoba Economic Survey Board. Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
Gabor, T. S., H. R. Murkin, M. P. Stainton, J. A. Boughen & R. D. Titman, 1994. Nutrient additions to wetlands in the Interlake region of Manitoba, Canada: effects of a single pulse addition in spring. Hydrobiologia 279/280 (dev. Hydrobiol. 96): 497–510.
Goldsborough, L. G., G. G. C. Robinson & S. E. Gurney, 1986. An enclosure/substratum for in situ ecological studies of periphyton. Arch. Hydrobiol. 106: 373–393.
Gurney, S. E. & G. G. C. Robinson, 1989. Algal primary production. In E. J. Murkin & H. R. Murkin (eds), Marsh Ecology Research Program long-term monitoring procedures manual. Delta Waterfowl & Wetlands Research Station Technical Bulletin 2: 18–22.
Healey, F. P. & L. L. Hendzel, 1979a. Fluorometric measurement of alkaline phosphatase activity in algae. Freshwat. Biol. 9: 429–439.
Healey, F. P. & L. L. Hendzel, 1979b. Indicators of phosphorus and nitrogen deficiency in five algae in culture. J. Fish. Res. Bd Can. 36: 1364–1369.
Hochbaum, G. S., 1983. Waterfowl of the prairie provinces and Northwest Territories: populations, habitat, and management. In H. Boyd (ed.), First western hemisphere waterfowl and waterbird symposium. Proc. Intern. Waterfowl Res. Bur. Sym., Canadian Wildlife Service, Edmonton, AB, Canada: 34–36.
Holm-Hansen, O. & B. Rieman, 1978. Chlorophyll a determination: improvements in methodology. Oikos 30: 438–447.
Hooper, N. & G. G. C. Robinson, 1976. Primary production of epiphytic algae in a marsh pond. Can. J. Bot. 54: 2810–2815.
Hosseini, S. M., 1986. The effects of water level fluctuations on algal communities of freshwater marshes. Ph. D. Thesis, Iowa State University.
Hosseini, S. M. & A. G. van der Valk, 1989. The impact of prolonged flooding on metaphyton in a freshwater marsh. In R. R. Sharitz & J. W. Gibbons (eds), Freshwater wetlands and wildlife. DOE Symposium Series No. 61, USDOE office of Scientific and Technical Information, Oak Ridge, TN, USA: 317–324.
Jorgenson, J. K., H. E. Welch & M. F. Curtis, 1992. Responses of Amphipoda and Trichoptera to lake fertilization in the Canadian arctic. Can. J. Fish. aquat. Sci. 49: 2354–2362.
Kadlec, J. A., M. P. Stainton & J. A. Boughen, 1989. Nutrient dynamics. In E. J. Murkin & H. R. Murkin (eds), Marsh Ecology Research Program long-term monitoring procedures manual. Delta Waterfowl & Wetlands Research Station Technical Bulletin 2: 12–17.
Kerekes, J., B. Freedman, G. Howell & P. Clifford, 1984. Comparison of the characteristics of an acidic eutrophic and an acidic oligotrophic lake near Halifax, Nova Scotia. Wat. Pollut. Res. J. Can. 19: 1–10.
Krapu, G. L., 1979. Nutrition of female dabbling ducks during reproduction. In T. A. Bookhout (ed.), Waterfowl and wetlands — an integrated review. La Crosse Printing, La Crosse, WI, USA: 59–70.
Lamberti, G. A. & J. W. Moore, 1984. Aquatic insects as primary consumers. In V. H. Resh & D. M. Rosenberg (eds), The ecology of aquatic insects. Praeger, New York, USA: 164–195.
Melanson, R. & F. Payne, 1988. Wetlands habitat management through nutrient enrichment. Nova Scotia Dept. of Lands & Forests Occasional Paper 1, 115 pp.
Moss, B., 1967. A spectrophometric method for the estimation of percentage degradation of chlorophylls o pheopigments in extracts of algae. Limnol. Oceanogr. 12: 335–340.
Murkin, H. R., P. G. Abbott & J. A. Kadlec, 1983. A comparison of activity traps and sweep nets for sampling nektonic invertebrates in wetlands. Freshwat. Invert. Bio. 2: 99–105.
Murkin, H. R. & B. D. J. Batt, 1987. Interactions of vertebrates and invertebrates in peatlands and marshes. Mem. Ent. Soc. Can. 140: 15–30.
Murkin, H. R., M. P. Stainton, J. A. Boughen, J. B. Pollard & R. D. Titman, 1991. Nutrient status of wetlands in the Interlake region of Manitoba, Canada. Wetlands 11: 105–122.
O'Brien, W. J., A. E. Hershey, J. E. Hobbie, M. A. Hullar, G. W. Kipphut, M. C. Miller, B. Muller & J. R. Vestal, 1992. Control mechanisms of arctic lake ecosystems: a limnocorral experiment. Hydrobiologia 240 (Dev. Hydrobiol. 78): 143–188.
Olsson, H., P. Blomqvist & H. Olofsson, 1992. Phytoplankton and zooplankton community structure after nutrient additions to the oligotrophic Lake Hecklan, Sweden. Hydrobiologia 243/244 (Dev. Hydrobiol. 79): 147–155.
Robinson, G. G. C., 1983. Methodology: the key to understand periphyton. In R. G. Wetzel (ed.), Periphyton of freshwater ecosystems. Dr W. Junk Publishers, The Hague: 245–251.
Ross, L. C. M. & H. R. Murkin, 1989. Invertebrates. In E. J. Murkin & H. R. Murkin (eds), Marsh Ecology Research Program long-term monitoring procedures manual. Delta Waterfowl & Wetlands Research Station Technical Bulletin 2: 35–38.
Sanville, W., 1988. Response of an Alaskan wetland to nutrient enrichment. Aquat. Bot. 30: 231–243.
SAS Institute Inc., 1989. SAS/STAT Users Guide, Ver. 6, 4th edn. Vol. 2. Cary, N.C., Sas Institute Inc., 846 pp.
Shamess, J. J., G. G. C. Robinson & L. G. Goldsborough, 1985. The structure and comparison of periphytic and planktonic algal communities in two eutrophic prairie lakes. Arch. Hydrobiol. 103: 99–116.
Smith, M. W., 1969. Changes in the environment and biota of a natural lake after fertilization. J. Fish. Res. Bd Can. 26: 3101–3132.
Stainton, M. P., M. J. Capel & F. A. J. Armstrong, 1977. The chemical analysis of fresh water. Fish. Res. Bd Can. Misc. Spec. Publ. 25, 125 pp.
Steel, R. D. G. & J. H. Torrie, 1980. Principles and procedures of statistical analysis. A biometrical approach. McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, USA, 633 pp.
Swanson, G. A., 1984. Invertebrates consumed by dabbling ducks (Anatinae) on the breeding grounds. J. Minn. Acad. Sci. 50: 37–40.
Toner, E. D. & G. H. Lawler, 1969. Synopsis of biological data on the pike (Esox lucius L.). FAO Fisheries Synopsis 30. Food & Agric. Org., Rome, Italy.
Vollenweider, R. & J. Kerekes, 1982. OECD eutrophication of waters, monitoring, assessment and control. Organization for economic co-operation and development. Paris, 154 pp.
Weller, M. W., 1978. Management of freshwater marshes for wildlife. In R. E. Good, R. L. Simpson & D. F. Whigham (eds), Freshwater wetlands: ecological processes and management potential. Academic Press, New York, USA: 267–284.
Weller, M. W., 1981. Freshwater marshes: ecology and wildlife management. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Murkin, H.R., Pollard, J.B., Stainton, M.P. et al. Nutrient additions to wetlands in the Interlake region of Manitoba, Canada: effects of periodic additions throughout the growing season. Hydrobiologia 279, 483–495 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00027879
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00027879