Abstract
Clear Lake, Iowa, USA is a shallow, agriculturally eutrophic lake that has changed drastically over the past century. Eight macrophyte surveys since 1896 were pooled and examined to characterize long-term impacts of eutrophication on macrophyte community composition and relative abundance. Surveys in 1981 and 2000 revealed few submergent and floating-leaved species and a dominance in emergent species (Scirpus, Typha). Over the past century, however, species richness has declined from a high of 30 species in 1951 to 12 found today, while the community composition has shifted from submergent-(99%) to emergent-dominated floras (84%). Potamogeton praelongus was the first emergent species to disappear but was followed by several other clear water Potamogeton species. Several floating leaved and emergent genera increased in relative abundance with eutrophication, notably Nuphar, Nymphaea, Phragmites, Polygonum, Sagittaria, Scirpus, and Typha. P. pectinatus was present over the entire century due to its tolerance of eutrophic conditions. Macrophyte growth was generally light-limited, with 93% of the variance in relative abundance of submergent species explained by changes in water transparency. Clear Lake exhibits signs of alternative stable states, oscillating between clear and turbid water, coupled with high and low submerged species relative abundance. The maximum macrophyte richness occurred as the lake oscillated between submergent- and emergent-dominated states. Changes in the water level have also impacted macrophyte growth since the area of the lake occupied by emergent macrophytes was negatively correlated with water level. Strongest correlations indicated that macrophytes respond to water level variations with a 2-year time-lag.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Anthony, J. L. & J. A. Downing, 2003. Physical impacts of wind and boat traffic on Clear Lake, Iowa. Lake and Reservoir Management 19: 1-14.
Arts, G. H. P., G. van der Velde, J. G. M. Roelofs & C. A. M. van Swaay, 1990. Successional changes in the soft-water macrophyte vegetation of sub Atlantic sandy lowland regions during this century. Freshwater Biology 24: 287-294.
Bachmann, R. W., M. R. Johnson, M. V. Moore & T. A. Noonan, 1980. Clean lakes classification study of Iowa's lakes for restoration.Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Des Moines, Iowa, 718 pp.
Bachmann, R. W., T. Hoyman, L. Hatch & B. Hutchins,1994.A classification of Iowa's lakes for restoration. A final report. Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Des Moines, Iowa, 17 pp.
Bailey, R. M. & H. H. Harrison, 1945.The fishes of Clear Lake, Iowa. Iowa State Journal of Sciences 20: 57-77.
Barko, J. W. & W. F. James, 1998.Effects of submerged aquatic macrophytes on nutrient dynamics, sedimentation, and resuspension. In Jeppesen, E., M. Sondergaard, M. Sondergaard & K. Christoffersen (eds.), The Structuring Role of Submergent Macrophytes in Lakes. Springer, New York: 197-214.
Bertness, M. D., P. J. Ewanchuk & B. R. Silliman, 2002. Anthropogenic modification of New England salt marsh landscapes. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 99: 1395-1398.
Blidnow, I., 1992. Long-and short-term dynamics of submerged macrophytes in two shallow eutrophic lakes. Freshwater Biology 28: 15-27.
Borman, S., R. Koth & J. Temte, 1997. Through the Looking Glass: A Field Guide to Aquatic Plants. Reindl Printing Inc., Merrill, WI, 248 pp.
Breukelaar, A. W., E. H. R. R. Lammens, J. G. P. Klein Breteler & I. Tatrai, 1994. Effects of benthivorous bream (Abramis brama) and carp (Cyprinus carpio) on sediment resuspensions and concentrations of nutrients and chlorophyll a. Freshwater Biology 32: 113-121.
Canfield, D. E., K. A. Langeland, S. B. Linda & W. T. Haller, 1985. Relations between water transparency and maximum depth of macrophyte colonization in lakes. Journal of Aquatic Plant Management 23: 25-28.
Chambers, P. A., 1987. Light and nutrients in control of aquatic plant community structure: II. In situ observations. Journal of Ecology 75: 621-628.
Chambers, P. A. & J. Kalff, 1985. Depth distribution and biomass of submersed aquatic macrophyte communities in relation to Secchi depth. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 42: 701-709.
Crivelli, V. J., 1983. The destruction of aquatic vegetation by carp. Hydrobiologia 106: 37-41.
Dieter, C. D., 1990. The importance of emergent vegetation in reducing sediment resuspension in wetlands. Journal of Freshwater Ecology 5: 467-473.
Downing, J. A., J. A. Kopaska & D. Bonneau, 2001. Clear Lake Diagnostic and Feasibility Study. Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Des Moines, Iowa, 325 pp.
Engel, S., 1988. The role and interactions of submersed macrophytes in a shallow Wisconsin lake USA. Journal of Freshwater Ecology 4: 329-342.
Fassett, N. C., 1940. A Manual of Aquatic Plants. The University of Wisconsin Press, Madison, 405 pp.
Froend, R. H. & A. J. McComb, 1994. Distribution, productivity, and reproductive phenology of emergent macrophytes in relation to water regimes at wetlands of south-western Australia. Australian Journal of Freshwater Research 45: 1491-1508.
Gafny, G. & A. Gasith, 1999. Spatially and temporally sporadic appearance of macrophytes in the littoral zone of Lake Kinneret, Israel: taking advantage of a window of opportunity. Aquatic Botany 62: 249-267.
Germ, M., M. Dolinsek & A. Gaberscik, 2003. Macrophytes of the River Izica: comparison of species composition and abundance in the years 1996 and 2000. Archiv f€ur Hydrobiologie,Supplement 147: 181-193.
Goulder, R., 1969. Interactions between the rates of production of a freshwater macrophyte and phytoplankton in a pond. Oikos 20: 300-309.
Grassmuck, N., J. Haurey, L. Leglize & S. Muller, 1995. Assessment of the bio-indicatory capacity of aquatic macrophytes using multivariate analysis. Hydrobiologia 300-301: 115-122.
Hamabata, E. & Y. Kobayashi, 2002. Present status of submerged macrophyte growth in Lake Biwa: recent recovery following a summer decline in the water level. Lakes Reservoir Research and Management 7: 331-338.
Horppila, J. & L. Nurminen, 2001. The effect of an emergent macrophyte (Typha augustifolia) on sediment resuspensionin a shallow north temperate lake. Freshwater Biology 46: 1447-1455.
Kowalczewski, A. & T. Ozimek, 1993. Further long-term changes in the submerged macrophyte vegetation of the eutrophic Lake Mikolajskie (North Poland). Aquatic Botany 46: 341-345.
Kufel, L. & T. Ozimek, 1994. Can Chara control phosphorus cycling in Lake Luknajno (Poland). Hydrobiologia 267: 277 283.
Magnuson, J. J., T. K. Kratz, T. M. Frost, C. J. Bowser, B. J. Benson & R. Nero, 1991. Expanding the temporal and spatial scales of ecological research and comparison of divergent ecosystems: roles for LTER in the United States. In Risser P. G. (ed.), Long Term Ecological Research. Wiley and Sons, Sussex, England: 45-70.
Mederios dos Santos, A. & F. Assis Esteves, 2002. Primary production and mortality of Eleocharis intersecta in response to water level fluctuations. Aquatic Botany 74: 189-199.
Mitsch, W. J. & J. G. Gosselink, 2000. Wetlands, 3rd edn,Wiley, New York.
Moss, B., 1988. Ecology of Fresh Waters: Man and Medium, 2nd edn, Blackwell Scientific, Oxford. Moss, B., 1990. Engineering and biological approaches to the restoration from eutrophication of shallow lakes in which aquatic plant communities are important components. Hydrobiologia 200/201: 367-377.
Mrachek, R. J., 1966. Macroscopic invertebrates on the higher aquatic plants at Clear Lake, Iowa. Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science 73: 168-177.
Murphy, J. & J. P. Riley, 1962. A modified single solution method for the determination of phosphate in natural waters. Analytica Chimica Acta 27: 31-36.
Neal, R. A., 1962. Black and white crappies in Clear Lake, Iowa. M.S. Thesis, Iowa State University, Ames, IA.
Niemeier, P. E. & W. A. Hubert, 1984. The aquatic vascular flora of Clear Lake, Cerro Gordo County, Iowa. Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science 91: 57-66.
Niemeier, P. E. & W. A. Hubert, 1986. The 85-year history of the aquatic macrophyte species composition in a eutrophic prairie lake (United States). Aquatic Botany 25: 83-89.
Parsons, J. W., 1950. The distribution of the yellow perch, Perca flavescens (Mitchell), of Clear Lake, Iowa. M.S. Thesis. Iowa State University, Ames, IA.
Pearcy, W. G., 1952. Some limnological features of Clear Lake, Iowa. M.S. Thesis. Iowa State University, Ames, IA.
Pip, E., 1987. The ecology of Potamogeton species in central North America. Hydrobiologia 153:203-216.
Ridenhour, R. L., 1958. Ecology of young game fishes of Clear Lake, Iowa. Ph.D. Dissertation. Iowa State University, Ames, IA.
Rintanen, T., 1996. Changes in the flora and vegetation of 113 Finnish lakes during 40 years. Annales Botanici Fennici 33(2): 101-122.
Sand-Jensen, K., 1997. Eutrophication and plant communities in Lake Pure during 100 years. In Sand-Jensen K. & O. Pedersen (eds.), Freshwater Biology: Priorities and Development in Danish Research. GEC gad, Copenhagen. 26-38.
Sand-Jensen, K., R. Tenna, O. Vestergaard & E. Larsen-Soren, 2000. Macrophyte decline in Danish lakes and streams over the past 100 years. Journal of Ecology 88: 1030-1040.
Scheffer, M., 1990. Multiplicity of stable states in freshwater ecosystems. Hydrobiologia 200/201:475-486.
Scheffer, M., 1998. Ecology of Shallow Lakes. Chapman and Hall, London, UK, 357 pp.
Scheffer, M., M. R. De Redelijkheid & F. Noppert, 1992. Distribution and dynamics of submerged vegetation in a chain of shallow eutrophic lakes. Aquatic Botany 42: 199-216.
Scheffer, M., S. Carpenter, J. A. Foley, C. Folke & B. Walker, 2002. Catastrophic shifts in ecosystems. Nature 413: 591-596.
Shimek, B., 1896. Notes on the aquatic plants from northern Iowa. Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science 3: 77 81.
Skubinna, J. P., T. G. Coon & T. R. Batterson, 1995. Increased abundance and depth of submersed macrophytes in response to decreased turbidity in Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron. Journal of Great Lakes Research 21: 476-488.
Small, L. F., 1961. Some aspects of plankton population dynamics in Clear Lake, Iowa. Ph.D. Dissertation. Iowa State University, Ames, IA.
Snedecor, G. W. & W. G. Cochran, 1989. Statistical methods. 8th edn, Iowa State University Press, Ames, Iowa, USA.
Timms, R. M. & B. Moss, 1984. Prevention of growth of potentially dense phytoplankton populations by zooplankton grazing, in the presence of zooplanktivorous fish, in a shallow wetland ecosystem. Limnology and Oceanography29: 472-486.
United States Environmental Protection Agency, 1976. National Eutrophication Survey: Report on Clear Lake, Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, Washington, DC.
Vaithiyanathan, P. & C. J. Richardson, 1999. Macrophyte species changes in the Everglades: examination along a eutrophication gradient. Journal of Environmental Quality 28: 1347-1358.
Van den Berg, M. S., H. Coops, M. L. Meijer, M. Scheffer & J.Simmons, 1997. Clear water associated with a dense Chara vegetation in the shallow and turbid Lake Veluwemeer, The Netherlands. In Jeppesen, E., M. Sondergaard, M. Sondergaard & K. Christoffersen (eds.), The Structuring Role of Submerged Macrophytes in Lakes. Springer, New York: 339-352.
Van den Berg, M. S., M. Scheffer, E. Van Nes & H. Coops, 1999. Dynamics and stability of Chara sp. and Potamogeton pectinatus in a shallow lake changing in eutrophication level. Hydrobiologia 408/409: 335-342.
van der Valk, A. G. & C. B. Davis, 1978. The role of seed banks in the vegetation dynamics of prairie glacial marshes. Ecology 59: 322-335.
van der Valk, A. G. & C. B. Davis, 1980. The impact of a natural drawdown on the growth of four emergent species in a prairie glacial marsh. Aquatic Botany 9:301-322.
Van Donk, E., R. D. Gulati, A. Iedema & J. T. Meulemans, 1993. Macrophyte-related shifts in the nitrogen and phosphorus contents of the different trophic levels in a biomanipulated shallow lake. Hydrobiologia 251: 19-26.
Van Wijk, R. J., 1988. Ecological studies on Potamogeton pectinatus L.: general characteristics, biomass production and life cycles under field conditions. Aquatic Botany 31: 211-258.
Venugopal, M. N. & I. J. Winfield, 1993. The distribution of juvenile fishes in a hypereutrophic pond: can macrophytes potentially offer a refuge for zooplankton? Journal of Freshwater Ecology 8: 389-396.
Wallsten, M. & P. O. Forsgren, 1989. The effects of increased water level on aquatic macrophytes. Journal of Aquatic Plant Management. 27: 32-37.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Egertson, C.J., Kopaska, J.A. & Downing, J.A. A Century of Change in Macrophyte Abundance and Composition in Response to Agricultural Eutrophication. Hydrobiologia 524, 145–156 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:HYDR.0000036129.40386.ce
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:HYDR.0000036129.40386.ce