Impact of water level fluctuations on the development of phytoplankton in a large subtropical reservoir: implications for the management of cyanobacteria

Li, Qiuhua; Xiao, Jing; Ou, Teng; Han, Mengshu; Wang, Jingfu; Chen, Jingan; Li, Yulin; Salmaso, Nico

doi:10.1007/s11356-017-0502-4

Research Article
Published: 31 October 2017

Impact of water level fluctuations on the development of phytoplankton in a large subtropical reservoir: implications for the management of cyanobacteria

Qiuhua Li¹,
Jing Xiao¹,
Teng Ou¹,
Mengshu Han¹,
Jingfu Wang²,
Jingan Chen²,
Yulin Li³ &
Nico Salmaso ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-6057-3642⁴

Environmental Science and Pollution Research volume 25, pages 1306–1318 (2018)Cite this article

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Abstract

Lake water level fluctuations (WLF) are an important factor driving the selection and seasonal dynamics of phytoplankton and potentially toxigenic cyanobacteria. Nevertheless, the relative importance of environmental drivers connected to WLF may be completely different, depending on the typology and use of waterbodies, latitude and climatic regimes. In this study, we investigated the impact of WLF in a large subtropical reservoir in south-eastern China (Hongfeng Reservoir, Guizhou Province). The study was based on monthly samplings carried out in 2014 in six stations. The strong increase in the water level observed in early summer caused a radical shift in the phytoplankton community. While in the pre-flooding period phytoplankton was composed of large diatoms, chrysophytes and Oscillatoriales (mostly Limnothrix sp.), the post-flooding period showed an increase in smaller and more competitive chlorophytes, smaller diatoms and cryptophytes better adapted to a fast colonisation of new and nutrient-rich environments. The environmental drivers that drove the change were dilution, flushing and interference with the seasonal water stratification processes. We concluded that, because WLF represents a complex variable integrating different physical effects in one explanatory descriptor, its value as a predictor of phytoplankton and cyanobacteria dynamics in lake ecosystems is difficult to generalise and needs to be investigated on a case-by-case basis. For this reason, considering the year-to-year hydrological variability that potentially characterise reservoirs, definite indications for management should be outlined considering more than 1-year study.

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Acknowledgements

The data on the lake level fluctuations were provided by the administration of Hongfeng, Baihua and Aha reservoirs.

Funding

This work was financed by the Natural Science Foundation of China (41163005), the Department of Science and Technology of Guizhou Province ([2015]2001, [2015]10, [2014]7001, [2014]7058), and the Water Resources Department of Guizhou Province [KT201401]. The first author received a scholarship from the China Scholarship Council to fund a research visit to Fondazione E. Mach—Istituto Agrario di S. Michele all’Adige.

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Key Laboratory for Information System of Mountainous Area and Protection of Ecological Environment of Guizhou Province, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, 550001, China
Qiuhua Li, Jing Xiao, Teng Ou & Mengshu Han
State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang, 550002, China
Jingfu Wang & Jingan Chen
Two Lakes and One Reservoir Environmental Protection Monitoring Station, Guiyang, 551400, China
Yulin Li
Fondazione E. Mach—Istituto Agrario di S. Michele all’Adige, Via E. Mach 1, 38010, S. Michele all’Adige Trento, Italy
Nico Salmaso

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Qiuhua Li
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Jing Xiao
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Teng Ou
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Mengshu Han
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Jingfu Wang
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Jingan Chen
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Yulin Li
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Nico Salmaso
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Correspondence to Qiuhua Li or Nico Salmaso.

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Li, Q., Xiao, J., Ou, T. et al. Impact of water level fluctuations on the development of phytoplankton in a large subtropical reservoir: implications for the management of cyanobacteria. Environ Sci Pollut Res 25, 1306–1318 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-017-0502-4

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Received: 19 April 2016
Accepted: 17 October 2017
Published: 31 October 2017
Issue Date: January 2018
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-017-0502-4

Keywords

Water level fluctuations
Flooding
Subtropical reservoirs
Phytoplankton
Cyanobacteria
Morpho-functional groups
Lake management
Drinking water