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Nutrient limitation of primary production in rivers along a land use gradient in the Lake Biwa Basin, Shiga Prefecture, Japan

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Abstract

Benthic microalgae (BMA) biomass and community structure in freshwater lotic systems are often limited by inorganic nutrient availability. We examined nutrient limitation of benthic algae biomass and community structure using nutrient diffusing substrates in four rivers along a land use gradient in the Lake Biwa basin, Japan. Ambient in-stream nutrient concentrations were correlated to catchment land use, with the highest nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations being found in rivers draining more forested catchments. Nutrient limitation of primary producer biomass and nutrient-driven changes in community structure were evident in all four rivers, regardless of in-stream nutrient concentrations and surrounding land use. BMA biomass (measured as chlorophyll log-response ratio) exhibited the greatest nutrient limitation in rivers with higher in-stream nutrient concentrations. The relationship to catchment land use was less clear, with the highest nutrient limitation being observed in the catchment with moderate amounts of agricultural and forested land use. Nutrient additions resulted in a shift from dominance by Bacillariophyceae (diatoms) to a mixed Bacillariophyceae-Chlorophyceae (chlorophyte) community in all rivers and this shift was most pronounced in the forested catchments. Changes within the diatom community with nutrient additions were also observed, although the shifts in diatom community within a river in response to nutrient additions were much smaller than the differences in diatom community composition among rivers. Diatom taxa classified as highly motile increased with nutrient additions in all rivers. Our results suggest that primary producer community in rivers may be sensitive to nutrient inputs even in areas with elevated nutrient concentrations and catchments dominated by agricultural land use. There is likely widespread nutrient limitation in rivers of Japan, across both in-stream nutrient and land use gradients and any increases in nutrient loading will likely stimulate benthic algal growth. Our findings highlight the importance of looking at both biomass and species composition to assess ecosystem-level impacts of elevated nutrient levels.

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Fig. 1

source: Maximilian Dörrbecker (Chumwa), CC BY-SA 3.0 < https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0 > , via Wikimedia Commons; Shiga map source: Flappiefh, CC BY-SA 4.0 < https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 > , via Wikimedia Commons)

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Data availability

The datasets generated and analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported, in part, by a visiting researcher grant to C. L. Weilhoefer from Kyoto University Center for Ecological Research.

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Partial financial support for C. L. Weilhoefer was received from Kyoto University Center for Ecological Research. No additional funding, grants, or support was received by other authors.

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  1. Department of Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Portland, 5000 Willamette Blvd, Portland, OR, 97203, USA

    Christine L. Weilhoefer

  2. Center for Ecological Research, Kyoto University, Hirano 2-509-3, Otsu, Shiga, 520-2113, Japan

    Shin-ichi Nakano, Souyma Deb & Keitaro Fukushima

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  1. Christine L. Weilhoefer
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Weilhoefer, C.L., Nakano, Si., Deb, S. et al. Nutrient limitation of primary production in rivers along a land use gradient in the Lake Biwa Basin, Shiga Prefecture, Japan. Aquat Ecol 56, 1177–1203 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10452-022-09971-9

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