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Effects of water browning on freshwater biodiversity: the case of the predatory phantom midge Chaoborus nyblaei

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Abstract

Water browning, due to increased runoff of terrestrial dissolved organic carbon (DOC), has recently gained considerable attention. While it is well settled how browning affects light regime and thereby aquatic primary production, other impacts on the aquatic biota is less explored. Water browning shelters against UV radiation, and may thus benefit range expansion of UV sensitive organisms, such as midges. We mapped occurrence of Chaoborids in 148 subalpine and alpine ponds in Norway, and identified an apparent threshold for their presence around 3 mg total organic carbon (TOC) l−1. The field study was complemented with laboratory experiments on Chaoborus nyblaei (Zetterstedt, 1838), to test if this species is able to identify and select water colour (concentrations of DOC) for oviposition. Number of egg rafts on brown water tanks was significantly higher than in clear water tanks, indicating that C. nyblaei performs oviposition habitat selection. Chaoborids are effective predators in planktonic habitats, and our findings support the hypothesis that climate change may cascade through the ecosystem and promote range shifts of species due to alternated habitat frame conditions.

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Acknowledgements

This work was funded by the Norwegian Research Council Project ECCO (224779/E10), and by NIVA’s. Strategic Institute Initiative “Climate effects from mountains to fjords” (Research Council of Norway, Contract No. 208279). We are indebted to Jon Arne Eie for field work assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), Gaustadalléen 21, 0349, Oslo, Norway

    Markus Lindholm, Joachim Tørum Johansen & Jens Thaulow

  2. Rudolf Steiner University College, Prof. Dahls gate 30, 0260, Oslo, Norway

    Markus Lindholm

  3. University of Oslo, P. O. Box 1066, Blindern, 0316, Oslo, Norway

    Martin Eie & Dag Olav Hessen

  4. Norwegian University for Life Sciences/NMBU, 1432, Ås, Norway

    Kristoffer Weiby

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  1. Markus Lindholm
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  2. Martin Eie
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Correspondence to Markus Lindholm.

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Lindholm, M., Eie, M., Hessen, D.O. et al. Effects of water browning on freshwater biodiversity: the case of the predatory phantom midge Chaoborus nyblaei. Hydrobiologia 813, 33–40 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-017-3503-x

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