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Impacts of nitrogen loads on the water and biota in a karst river (Loue River, France)

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Abstract

We measured nitrate in water (n = 4762) and nitrogen stable isotopes (δ15N) (n = 353) of macroalgae and macroinvertebrates at different sites in a French karst river (Loue River) which has moderate nitrogen loading (~ 23 kg nitrogen ha−1 year−1). The main objective was to estimate whether nitrate in water and nitrogen stable isotopes of the biota could allow identification of the spatial and temporal variations in agriculture-related nitrogen losses to the river. Highest nitrate concentrations (> 90% quantile) increased significantly over the last three decades but mean nitrate concentrations did not change significantly. Nitrate and biota δ15N values tended to increase from upstream to downstream, although the δ15N values decreased in the most downstream sites. Generalized additive mixed models allowed the identification of clear matching annual patterns of nitrate and biota δ15N values characterized by recurrent autumn to winter maxima, supporting that agricultural nitrogen export and its assimilation within the river biota would mostly occur during the autumn and winter seasons. Overall, our results highlight the high vulnerability of karst river to nitrogen-related eutrophication.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the different anonymous reviewers as well as the associate editor for their helpful comments that contributed to improve the early versions of the manuscript. We are also indebted to the Collectif SOS Loue Rivières Comtoises as well as the Humus Foundation for their financial support. Data for the annual survey were collected through the QUARSTIC network project funded by the Rhone-Mediterranean and Corsica Water Agency, the Doubs department, and the French Geological Survey (BRGM). We also thank Etienne Chanez for constructive discussions about nitrate dynamics, Renaud Scheffer for providing material for stocking isotope samples, and Valérie Verneaux for allowing us to use instruments for conditioning the biological samples for stable isotope analyses.

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  1. UMR 42 CARRTEL, Univ. Savoie Mont-Blanc, INRAE, 74200, Thonon-les-Bains, France

    Victor Frossard

  2. UMR CNRS 6249 Chrono-Environnement, Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté, 25000, Besançon, France

    Lotfi Aleya & Philippe Henry

  3. BRGM, 21000, Dijon, France

    Aurélien Vallet

  4. BRGM, Univ. Montpellier, Montpellier, France

    Jean-Baptiste Charlier

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  1. Victor Frossard
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Frossard, V., Aleya, L., Vallet, A. et al. Impacts of nitrogen loads on the water and biota in a karst river (Loue River, France). Hydrobiologia 847, 2433–2448 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-020-04264-4

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