TY - JOUR

T1 - Improved prediction of vegetation composition in NW European softwater lakes by combining location, water and sediment chemistry

AU - Pulido Pérez, Cristina

AU - Jensen, Kaj Sand

AU - Lucassen, Esther C.H.E.T.

AU - Roelofs, Jan G.M.

AU - Brodersen, Klaus Peter

AU - Pedersen, Ole

PY - 2012

Y1 - 2012

N2 - Isoetids, as indicators of near-pristine softwaterlakes, have a high priority in national and international(European Water Directive Framework) assessments ofecological lake quality. Our main goal was to identify themost important environmental factors that influence thecomposition of plant communities and specifically determinethe presence and abundance of the isoetid Lobeliadortmanna in NW European softwater lakes. Geographicalposition and composition of surface water, porewater,sediment and plant communities were examined in 39 lakesin four regions (The Netherlands, Denmark, West Norwayand East Norway) distributed over a 1,200-km long distance.We confirmed that lake location was accompaniedby significant changes in environmental variables betweenNW European lakes. Lake location was the single mostimportant determinant of vegetation composition and it hadsignificant individual contributions independent of thecoupling to environmental variables. This influence oflocation was supported by a significant decline of communitysimilarity with geographical distance between pairsof lakes at regional, inter-regional and international scales.Combining the geographical position with environmentalvariables for surface water, porewater and sediment significantlyimproved prediction of vegetation composition.Specifically, the combination of latitude, surface wateralkalinity, porewater phosphate and redox potential offeredthe highest correlation (BIO ENV correlation 0.66) tovegetation composition. This complex analysis can alsoaccount for high sediment variability in the littoral zone ofindividual lakes, by using site-specific physico-chemicalsediment factors, and offer better predictions of vegetationcomposition when lake water chemistry is relativelyhomogeneous among lakes within regions

AB - Isoetids, as indicators of near-pristine softwaterlakes, have a high priority in national and international(European Water Directive Framework) assessments ofecological lake quality. Our main goal was to identify themost important environmental factors that influence thecomposition of plant communities and specifically determinethe presence and abundance of the isoetid Lobeliadortmanna in NW European softwater lakes. Geographicalposition and composition of surface water, porewater,sediment and plant communities were examined in 39 lakesin four regions (The Netherlands, Denmark, West Norwayand East Norway) distributed over a 1,200-km long distance.We confirmed that lake location was accompaniedby significant changes in environmental variables betweenNW European lakes. Lake location was the single mostimportant determinant of vegetation composition and it hadsignificant individual contributions independent of thecoupling to environmental variables. This influence oflocation was supported by a significant decline of communitysimilarity with geographical distance between pairsof lakes at regional, inter-regional and international scales.Combining the geographical position with environmentalvariables for surface water, porewater and sediment significantlyimproved prediction of vegetation composition.Specifically, the combination of latitude, surface wateralkalinity, porewater phosphate and redox potential offeredthe highest correlation (BIO ENV correlation 0.66) tovegetation composition. This complex analysis can alsoaccount for high sediment variability in the littoral zone ofindividual lakes, by using site-specific physico-chemicalsediment factors, and offer better predictions of vegetationcomposition when lake water chemistry is relativelyhomogeneous among lakes within regions

U2 - 10.1007/s00027-011-0226-3

DO - 10.1007/s00027-011-0226-3

M3 - Journal article

VL - 74

SP - 351

EP - 360

JO - Aquatic Sciences

JF - Aquatic Sciences

SN - 1015-1621

IS - 2

ER -