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Improved prediction of vegetation composition in NW European softwater lakes by combining location, water and sediment chemistry

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Abstract

Isoetids, as indicators of near-pristine softwater lakes, have a high priority in national and international (European Water Directive Framework) assessments of ecological lake quality. Our main goal was to identify the most important environmental factors that influence the composition of plant communities and specifically determine the presence and abundance of the isoetid Lobelia dortmanna in NW European softwater lakes. Geographical position and composition of surface water, porewater, sediment and plant communities were examined in 39 lakes in four regions (The Netherlands, Denmark, West Norway and East Norway) distributed over a 1,200-km long distance. We confirmed that lake location was accompanied by significant changes in environmental variables between NW European lakes. Lake location was the single most important determinant of vegetation composition and it had significant individual contributions independent of the coupling to environmental variables. This influence of location was supported by a significant decline of community similarity with geographical distance between pairs of lakes at regional, inter-regional and international scales. Combining the geographical position with environmental variables for surface water, porewater and sediment significantly improved prediction of vegetation composition. Specifically, the combination of latitude, surface water alkalinity, porewater phosphate and redox potential offered the highest correlation (BIO ENV correlation 0.66) to vegetation composition. This complex analysis can also account for high sediment variability in the littoral zone of individual lakes, by using site-specific physico-chemical sediment factors, and offer better predictions of vegetation composition when lake water chemistry is relatively homogeneous among lakes within regions.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Jeroen Graafland and Jelle Eygensteyn for their technical and practical help. The project was funded by The Danish Council for Independent Research Natural Sciences grant No 645-06-0287 and the Centre for Lake Restoration, a Villum Kann Rasmussen Centre of Excellence.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Freshwater Biological Laboratory, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Helsingørsgade 51, 3400, Hillerød, Denmark

    Cristina Pulido, Kaj Sand-Jensen, Klaus P. Brodersen & Ole Pedersen

  2. B-WARE Research Centre, Radboud University Nijmegen, Toernooiveld 1, 6525 ED, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

    Esther C. H. E. T. Lucassen

  3. Department of Aquatic Ecology and Environmental Biology, Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Radboud University Nijmegen, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

    Jan G. M. Roelofs

Authors
  1. Cristina Pulido
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  2. Kaj Sand-Jensen
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  3. Esther C. H. E. T. Lucassen
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  4. Jan G. M. Roelofs
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  5. Klaus P. Brodersen
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  6. Ole Pedersen
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Correspondence to Cristina Pulido.

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Pulido, C., Sand-Jensen, K., Lucassen, E.C.H.E.T. et al. Improved prediction of vegetation composition in NW European softwater lakes by combining location, water and sediment chemistry. Aquat Sci 74, 351–360 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00027-011-0226-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00027-011-0226-3

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