Algal Community Change in Mountain Lakes of the Alps Reveals Effects of Climate Warming and Shifting Treelines 1

• Published in: Journal of phycology Vol. 57; no. 4; pp. 1266 - 1283
• Main Authors: Kuefner, Wolfgang, Hofmann, Andrea M, Geist, Juergen, Dubois, Natalie, Raeder, Uta
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.08.2021
• Subjects: UV radiation; altitude; global warming; pigments; periphyton; sediment cores; plankton; vulnerability
• ISSN: 0022-3646; 1529-8817
• DOI: 10.1111/jpy.13163

The biological communities of mountain lakes are suspected to be highly sensitive to global warming and associated catchment changes. To identify the parameters determining algal community responses, subfossil pigments from 21 different mountain lakes in the Bavarian-Tyrolean Limestone Alps were investigated. Sediment cores were radio-isotopically dated, and their pigment preservation evaluated. General additive models (GAM) of pigment compositions were calculated with temperature as the explanatory variable and generalized linear models with several lake parameters explaining log-transformed GAM P-values. Lake depth and trophic state were identified as major control variables of the algal community and productivity changes. Shifts in a deep oligotrophic alpine lake (lg(P) = -1.04) were half as strong as in a shallow mesotrophic alpine lake (lg(P) = -1.86) with faster warming and higher productivity forcing the development of biomass. Phytoplankton and macrophyte pigments increased clearly with warming, at lower altitudes, and decreased at the treeline, so that periphytic pigments dominated alpine sediments. This pattern is probably the result of interactions of UV radiation and allochthonous inputs of DOM. Our findings suggest that (sub)alpine shallow lakes with higher nutrient levels are most vulnerable to climate change-driven changes whereas deep, nutrient-poor lakes appear more resilient.