Abstract
A bioassay was performed at neutral pH Lake O' Woods, West Virginia using in situ enclosures. Replicated enclosures were either (a) untreated controls, (b) acidified to pH 4.7, or (c) acidified and spiked with 300 μg L−1 Al. Algal and zooplankton responses to the treatments were compared to determine whether the impacts of acidification are influenced by Al concentration. With acidification, chlorophyll a concentration increased but zooplankton abundance did not change. The phytoplankton became dominated by the dinoflagellate Peridinium inconspicuum, while in the control, diatoms, euglenophytes and chlorophytes were dominant. Acidification did not result in succession in the zooplankton because all of the dominant species at the start of the experiment were acid tolerant. Aluminium addition resulted in reduced chlorophyll a concentration and zooplankton abundance. The same phytoplankton and zooplankton became dominant in the acid and acid plus Al treatments. This suggests a linkage between the ability to tolerate elevated H+ and elevated Al levels.
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Havens, K.E., Decosta, J. The role of aluminium contamination in determining phytoplankton and zooplankton responses to acidification. Water Air Soil Pollut 33, 277–293 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00294197
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00294197