Abstract
To demonstrate the sensitivity of aquatic ecosystems to forecasted increases in nitrogen deposition along the eastern ranges of the Canadian Rocky Mountains, we conducted midsummer limnological surveys of 29 remote alpine lakes and ponds via helicopter in 2007. Chemical analysis of water and in vitro nitrogen-enrichment bioassays of phytoplankton collected from each site were performed to estimate nutrient limitation. Use of a common chemical index for nutrient limitation (total dissolved inorganic nitrogen: total phosphorus; DIN:TP) together with supportive experimental evidence revealed nitrogen limitation in only 14% of the cases. Shallow (≤1 m maximum depth) ponds were more likely to be nitrogen-limited than lakes, especially as the former exhibited a significantly lower mean DIN:TP ratio of 7.4 during the late summer. Chemical and bioassay-based inferences of nitrogen limitation agreed in 74.5% of the cases, owing mainly to evidence of phosphorus limitation of the surveyed lake ecosystems (mean DIN:TP = 18) being supported by nonsignificant responses of their phytoplankton to nitrogen amendment. Our findings reveal that increased nitrogen deposition should not result in immediate widespread eutrophication of the Canadian Rockies; however, certain alpine ponds appeared nitrogen-limited, making them sensitive early indicators of the potential effects of anthropogenic nitrogen deposition in remote mountainous regions.
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Acknowledgments
This study was supported by grants from the Alberta Ingenuity Centre for Water Research, and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada to RDV. We also thank Parks Canada for their permission to conduct our research in the national mountain parks of Canada.
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Guest editors: Hilde Eggermont, Martin Kernan & Koen Martens / Global change impacts on mountain lakes
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Murphy, C.A., Thompson, P.L. & Vinebrooke, R.D. Assessing the sensitivity of alpine lakes and ponds to nitrogen deposition in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Hydrobiologia 648, 83–90 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-010-0146-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-010-0146-6