Abstract
We studied the phytoplankton seasonality in the subarctic Lake Saanajärvi, Finnish Lapland, in two successive years with slightly different weather conditions. The total number of taxa studied during the period was 148. Characteristic phytoplankton species were chrysophytes Uroglena sp., Chrysococcus spp., Dinobryon spp and diatoms Cyclotella spp. The results were analysed in relation to weather patterns and physico-chemical variables measured from the lake during the 2 years. The seasonal dynamics of phytoplankton were characterized by (1) maxima in total densities during autumn and minima in winter; (2) different species reaching maximum and minimum densities during different seasons; (3) close to equilibrium state during strong thermal stratification in 1997 with dominance of only a few taxa; and (4) two annual maxima in species diversity at the beginning of the thermal stratification and during the autumn overturn. According to canonical ordinations, calcium buffer capacity, nutrients and temperature all play a role in regulating algal biomass and species compositions. With regard to physical factors, the length of the mixing cycle, thermal stability of the water column and water temperature seem to have a major control over the plankton dynamics. The length of the ice-free season seems to be more decisive for biomass production than the thermal stability during this period, which, in turn, appears to affect the algal biodiversity.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Atlas of Finland (1986) Geology, folio 123–126. National Board of Survey. Geographical Society of Finland
Bourrelly P (1966) Les algues d’eau douce IN. Boubée et Cie, Paris
Bourrelly P (1968) Les algues d’eau douce II. N Boubée et Cie, Paris
Dokulil M, Teubner K (2003) Steady state phytoplankton assemblages during thermal stratification on deep alpine lakes. Do they occur? Hydrobiologia 502:65–72
Duff KE, Laing TE, Smol JP, Lean DRS (1999) Limnological characteristics of lakes located across arctic treeline in northern Russia. Hydrobiologia 391:205–222
Duthie HC, Hart CJ (1987) The phytoplankton of the subarctic Canadian Great Lakes. Arch Hydrobiol 25:1–9
Eloranta P (1986) The phytoplankton of some subarctic subalpine lakes in Finnish Lapland. Mem Soc Fauna Flora Fennica 62:41–57
Eloranta P (1995) Biogeography of chrysophytes in Finnish lakes. In: Sandgren CD, Smol JP, Kristiansen J (eds) Chrysophyte algae. Ecology, phylogeny and development. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 214–231
Flanagan KM, McCauley E, Wrona F, Prowse T (2003) Climate change: the potential for latitudinal effects on algal biomass in aquatic ecosystems. Can J Fish Aquat Sci 60:635–639
George DG (2000) The impact of regional-scale changes in the weather on the long-term dynamics of Eudiaptomus and Daphnia in Esthwaite Water, Cumbria. Freshwat Biol 45:111–121
Goldman CR, Jassby A, Powell T (1989) Interannual fluctuation in primary production: meteorological forcing at two subalpine lakes. Limnol Oceanogr 34:310–323
Goldman CR, Elser JJ, Richard RC, Reuter JE, Priscu JC, Levin AL (1996) Thermal stratification, nutrient dynamics, and phytoplankton productivity during the onset of spring phytoplankton growth in Lake Baikal, Russia. Hydrobiologia 331:9–24
Hausmann S, Lotter AF (2001) Morphological variation within the diatom taxon Cyclotella comensis and its importance for quantitative temperature reconstructions. Freshwat Biol 46:1323–1333
Heinonen P (1980) Quantity and composition of phytoplankton in Finnish inland waters. National Board of Waters Finland, Publ Water Res Inst 37:1–91
Hinder B, Gabathuler M, Steiner B, Hanselmann K, Preisig H (1999) Seasonal dynamics and phytoplankton diversity in high mountain lakes (Jöri lakes, Swiss Alps). J Limnol 59:152–161
Hobbie JE (ed.) (1980) Limnology of tundra ponds: Barrow, Alaska. Dowden, Hutchinson and Ross, Stroudsburg
Holen DA, Boraas ME (1995) Mixotrophy in chrysophytes. In: Sandgren CD, Smol JP, Kristiansen J (eds) Chrysophyte algae: ecology, phylogeny and development. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 119–140
Hollander M, Wolfe DA (1999) Nonparametric statistical methods 2nd edn. Wiley, New York
Holmgren SK (1983) Phytoplankton biomass and algal composition in natural, fertilized and polluted subarctic lakes. Acta Univ Ups Abstracts of Uppsala, Dissertations from the Faculty of Science 674, Uppsala, ISBN 91-554-1399-4
Hutchinson GE (1967) A treatise on limnology Vol 2. Introduction to lake biology and the limnoplankton. Wiley, New York
Järnefelt H (1934) Zur Limnologie einiger Gewässer Finnlands XI. Petsamo Bot Fennicae Vanamo 14:172–211
Järvinen A (1987) Basic climatological data on the Kilpisjärvi area, NW Finnish Lapland. Kilpisjärvi notes 10:1–16
Jefferey SW, Humphrey GF (1975) New spectrophotometric equations for determining chlorophyll a, b, c1 and c2 in higher plants, algae and natural phytoplankton. Biochem Physiol Pflantzen 167:191–194
Jongman RHG, Ter Braak CJF, van Tongeren OFR (eds) (1995) Data analysis in community and landscape ecology. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Komárek J, Fott B (1983) Chlorophyceae, Chlorococcales. In: Elster H-J, Ohle W (eds) Die Binnengewässer Das Phytoplankton des Süsswasser. Nägele & Obermiller, Stuttgart
Korhola A, Sorvari S, Rautio M, Appleby PG, Dearing JA, Hy Y, Rose N, Lami A, Cameron NG (2002a) A multi-proxy analysis of climate impacts on recent development of subarctic Lake Saanajärvi in Finnish Lapland. J Paleolim 28:59–77
Korhola A, Weckström J, Blom T (2002b) Relationships between lake and land-cover features along latitudinal vegetation ecotones in arctic Fennoscandia. Arch Hydrobiol Suppl Monogr Stud 139:203–235
Krammer K, Lange-Bertalot H (1988) Bacillariophyceae 2 Teil: Bacillariaceae, epithemiaceae, Surirellaceae. In: Ettl H, Gerloff J, Heynig H, Mollenhauer D (eds) Süßwasserflora von Mitteleuropa. Gustav Fischer Verlag, Stuttgart and New York
Krebs CJ (1999) Ecological methodology, 2nd edn. Addison Wesley Longman, Menlo Park
Kruk C, Mazzeo N, Lacerot G, Reynolds CS (2002) Classification schemes for phytoplankton: a local validation of a functional approach to the analysis of species temporal replacement. J Plankton Res 24(9):901–912
Kunz TJ, Diehl S (2003) Phytoplankton, light and nutrients along a gradient of mixing depth: a field test of producer-resource theory. Freshwat Biol 48:1050–1063
Lepistö L, Rosenström U (1998) The most typical phytoplankton taxa in four types of boreal lakes. Hydrobiologia 369/370:89–97
Levander KM (1901) Beiträge zur Fauna und Algenflora der süssen Gewässer an der Murmansküste. Acta Soc Fauna Flora Fennica XX:1–35
Luther H (1937) Algen aus dem westlichen Enare in Lappland. Mem Soc Fauna Flora Fennica 14:54–62
Moore JW (1978) Distribution and abundance of phytoplankton in 153 lakes, rivers, and pools in the Northwest Territories. Can J Bot 56:1765–1773
Mortimer CH (1974) Lake hydrodynamics. Mitt Internat Verein Limnol 20:124–197
Naselli-Flores L, Padisák J, Dokulil MT (2003) Phytoplankton and equilibrium concept: the ecology of steady-state assemblages. Devel Hydrobiol 172
Naulapää A (1972) Mean volumes of some plankton organisms found in Finland. National Board of Waters, Finland, Report 40 (in Finnish)
Nauwerck A (1968) Das Phytoplankton des Latnjajaure 1954–1965. Schweiz Z Hydrol 29:188–216
Nygaard G (1978) Freshwater phytoplankton from the Narssaq Area, South Greenland. Bot Tidskrift 73:191–238
Pechlaner R (1971) Factors that control the production rate and biomass of phytoplankton in high-mountain lakes. Mitt Int Verein Limnol 19:125–145
Pielou EC (1975) Ecological diversity. Wiley, New York
Pienitz R, Smol JP, Lean DRS (1997) Physical and chemical limnology of 59 lakes located between the southern Yukon and the Tuktoyaktuk Peninsula, Northwest Territories (Canada). Can J Fish Aquat Sci 54:330–346
Prentice IC (1980) Vegetation analysis and order invariant gradient models. Vegetatio 42:27–34
Rautio M, Sorvari S, Korhola A (2000) Diatom and crustacean zooplankton communities, their seasonal variability, and representation in the sediments of subarctic Lake Saanajärvi. J Limnol 59(Suppl 1):81–96
Reynolds CS (1980) Phytoplankton assemblages and their periodicity in stratifying lake systems. Holarct Ecol 3:141–159
Reynolds CS (1984a) Phytoplankton periodicity: the interactions of form, function and environmental variability. Freshwat Biol 14:111–142
Reynolds CS (1984b) The ecology of freshwater phytoplankton. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Reynolds CS (1988) Functional morphology and the adaptive strategies of freshwater phytoplankton. In: Sandgren CD (eds) Growth and reproductive strategies of freshwater phytoplankton. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 388–433
Reynolds CS, Huszar V, Kruk C, Naselli-Flores L, Melo S (2002) Towards a functional classification of the freshwater phytoplankton. J Plankton Res 24(5):417–428
Rojo C, Álvarez-Cobelas M (2003) Are there steady-state phytoplankton assemblages in the field?. Hydrobiologia 502:3–12
Rühland K, Smol JP (1998) Limnological characteristics of 70 lakes in spanning arctic treeline from Coronation Gulf to Great Slave Lake in the Central Northwest Territories, Canada. Int Rev ges Hydrobiol 83:183–203
Salmaso N, Decet F (1997) Seasonal and interannual changes of chemical characteristics and phytoplankton in a mountain lake of the eastern Italian Alps (Lake Calaita, Trentino). Int Rev ges Hydrobiol 82:15–31
Sandgren CD (1988) The ecology of chrysophyte flagellates: their growth and perennation strategies as freshwater phytoplankton. In: Sandgren CD (eds) Growth and reproductive strategies of freshwater phytoplankton. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 9–104
Siver PA, Chock JS (1986) Phytoplankton dynamics in a chrysophycean lake. In: Kristiansen J, Andersen RA (eds) Chrysophytes: aspects and problems. Cambridge University Press, New York, pp 165–206
Sommer U (1983) Nutrient competition between phytoplankton species in multispecies chemostat experiments. Arch Hydrobiol 96:399–416
Sommer U, Padisák J, Reynolds CS, Juhász-Nagy P (1993) Hutchinson’s heritage: The diversity-disturbance relationship in phytoplankton. Hydrobiologia 249:1–7
Sorvari S, Rautio M, Korhola A (2000) Seasonal dynamics of the subarctic Lake Saanajärvi in Finnish Lapland. Verh Internat Verein Limnol 27:507–512
Starmach K (1985) Chrysophyceae und Haptophyceae. In: Ettl H, Gerloff J, Heynig H, Mollenhauer D (eds) Süsswasserflora von Mitteleuropa. Gustav Fischer Verlag, Stuttgart
ter Braak CJF, Smilauer P (1998) CANOCO reference manual and user’s guide to Canoco for Windows: software for canonical community ordination (version 4). Microcomputer Power, Ithaca
Teubner K, Crosbie ND, Donabaum K, Kabas W, Kirschner AKT, Pfister G, Salbrechter M, Dokulil MT (2003) Enhanced phosphorus accumulation efficiency by the pelagic community at reduced phosphorus supply: A lake experiment from bacteria to metazoan zooplankton. Limnol Oceanogr 48:1141–1149
Tikkanen T (1986) Kasviplanktonopas. Suomen Luonnonsuojelun Tuki Oy, Helsinki
Utermöhl H (1958) Zur Vervollkommnung der quantitativen Phytoplankton-Methodik. Mitt Int Verein Limnol 9:1–38
Vollenweider RA, Kerekes JJ (1980) Synthesis Report, Cooperative Programme on monitoring of Inland Waters (Eutrophication Control). Reports prepared on behalf of Technical Bureau, Water Management Sector Group, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Paris
Weckström J, Korhola A, Blom T (1997) Diatoms as quantitative indicators of pH and water temperature in subarctic Fennoscandian lakes. Hydrobiologia 347:171–184
Wetzel RG (2001) Limnology. Saunders College Publishing, London
Willén E (2003) Dominance patterns of planktonic algae in Swedish forest lakes. Hydrobiologia 502:315–324
Winberg GG, Alimov AF, Boullion VV, Ivanova MB, Korobtzova EV, Kuzmitzkaya NK, Nikulina VN, Finogenova NP, Fursenko MV (1973) Biological productivity of two subarctic lakes. Freshwat Biol 3:177–197
Acknowledgements
This research was supported by the European Community “Environment and Climate Programme” under contract ENV4-CT95-0007 (MOLAR Project) and by the Academy of Finland (Grant 1017383). We thank the staff of the Kilpisjärvi Biological Station and The Finnish Forest Research Institute, Kilpisjärvi Branch, for their hospitality and help with logistics, and H. Laamanen, J. Virkanen and the staff of the Laboratory of Physical Geography for their valuable contribution. We are grateful to M. Järvinen for critical reading of an earlier version of the manuscript and valuable suggestions. We would also like to thank two anonymous journal referees for their constructive comments on the original manuscript.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Forsström, L., Sorvari, S., Korhola, A. et al. Seasonality of phytoplankton in subarctic Lake Saanajärvi in NW Finnish Lapland. Polar Biol 28, 846–861 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-005-0008-2
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-005-0008-2