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Impact of DOC trends resulting from changing climatic extremes and atmospheric deposition chemistry on periphyton community of a freshwater tropical lake of India

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Abstract

Recent measurements have demonstrated unprecedented increase in atmospheric deposition of nutrients in many parts of India. To determine whether atmospheric nutrient inputs would increase phytoplankton growth and catchment dissolved organic carbon (DOC) flushing to constrain benthic algae, we analyzed NO3 − and PO −34 in atmospheric deposits; nutrients and DOC in runoff and lake water and standing crop biomass of phytoplankton and periphyton at Jaisamand Lake of Rajasthan, India. Atmospheric deposition of NO3 − (7.18–29.95 kg ha−1 year−1) and PO −34 (0.56–2.15 kg ha−1 year−1) showed a consistently rising trend across the year. Microbial biomass and activity in catchment increased in response to atmospheric deposition. Lake DOC and nutrients showed strong coherence with their terrestrial and atmospheric fluxes. Phytoplankton development showed significant linearity with atmospheric input of nutrients. Air-driven input appeared to have compensated the nutrient constraints to phytoplankton during drought. The N:P stoichiometry of deposition and that of lake water indicated that, although there was a seasonal switchover to N- or P-limitation, phytoplankton were mainly co-limited by N and P due probably to the synergistic effects of combined N + P enrichment in the pelagic zone of the lake. Periphyton standing crop showed inverse relationship with phytoplankton and lake DOC. The study indicated that enhanced phytoplankton development and terrestrial DOC flushing in response to atmospheric nutrient input attenuated light penetration to constrain algal periphyton. We suggests that data on these issues may be considered in developing aquatic ecosystem models to establish future links between changing air–water–land interactions and associated shifts in lake ecosystem functioning for more accurately predicting climate change drivers and designing integrated lake basin management strategies.

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Acknowledgments

We sincerely acknowledge Prof. H. R. Tyagi, formerly Convener, Department of Environmental Science, M. L. S. University for supports identifying sites and for facilities at the first stage of the study; Prof. R. C. Tewari (Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture and Technology), for help in catchment soil processing and Dr. B. Pandey (Banaras Hindu University) for geological classification and suggestions.

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  1. Department of Botany, Faculty of Science and Technology, Mahatma Gandhi Kashividyapith University, Varanasi, 221002, India

    Usha Pandey

  2. Environmental Science Division, Centre of Advanced Study in Botany, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, 221005, India

    Jitendra Pandey

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  1. Usha Pandey
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Correspondence to Jitendra Pandey.

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Pandey, U., Pandey, J. Impact of DOC trends resulting from changing climatic extremes and atmospheric deposition chemistry on periphyton community of a freshwater tropical lake of India. Biogeochemistry 112, 537–553 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-012-9747-7

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