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Water chemistry and phytoplankton communities in acidic clear and brown-water lakes in Eastern Finland

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Abstract

Water quality, phytoplankton biomass and species composition were surveyed in 9 acidic clear-water and 16 acidic humic lakes in eastern Finland. The lakes were sampled during summer stratification and autumn turnover periods. The lakes showed reasonably low variation within the two lake groups but the differences between the two groups were significant. Nutrient and base cation concentrations and color values declined with decreasing pH, but Secchi disc values increased. Phytoplankton species numbers and chlorophyll a concentrations tended to be lower at low pH, but biomass and cell numbers were more or less independent of pH. The functioning of the phytoplankton communities in both types of environment is discussed.

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Ilmavirta, V., Huttunen, P. Water chemistry and phytoplankton communities in acidic clear and brown-water lakes in Eastern Finland. Water Air Soil Pollut 46, 415–432 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00192874

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00192874

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