Department of Hydrobiology and Protection of Ecosystems, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Dobrzańskiego 37, 20-262 Lublin, Poland.
Department of Hydrobiology and Protection of Ecosystems, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Dobrzańskiego 37, 20-262 Lublin, Poland.
Sci Total Environ. 2021 Jan 1;750:141508. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.141508. Epub 2020 Aug 4.
Chironomid larvae are used as indicators of environmental changes in neolimnological and paleolimnological research. In the present study, we evaluated the responses of epiphytic chironomids to changes in environmental conditions over a long time scale. We intended to decipher whether changes in the trophic status of a lake (hypertrophic-eutrophic) would affect the taxonomic structure of epiphytic chironomids by influencing their food availability (structure of periphytic algae) and whether the responses of chironomids are taxa specific. In a shallow hypertrophic lake ecosystem, epiphytic chironomids associated with the emergent macrophyte Phragmites australis were studied from 2001 to 2018. In the autumn of 2006, emergent macrophyte removal led to an improved water transparency and reduced phytoplankton biomass. Epiphytic chironomids responded clearly to the shift from hypertrophic to eutrophic conditions. Under hypertrophic conditions larvae of detritivorous Cricotopus sp. (gr. sylvestris) and filter-feeder larvae of Glyptotendipes sp. prevailed. After macrophyte removal, we observed high relative abundances of Endochironomus albipennis and Paratanytarsus austriacus, which are classified as grazers, utilise periphytic algae (mainly diatoms) as a food source. The results indicated that the density of P. australis, relative abundances of cyanobacteria and diatoms in periphyton communities, Secchi disc depth, and periphytic and planktonic Chl-a are significant determinants of the diversity of epiphytic chironomids. The results can provide a reliable reference to the neolimnological and paleominological studies on chironomid responses to multiple environmental stressors in shallow lakes.
摇蚊幼虫被用作新湖沼学和古湖沼学研究中环境变化的指示物。在本研究中，我们评估了底栖摇蚊对长时间尺度环境条件变化的响应。我们旨在阐明湖泊富营养化（富营养化-贫营养化）状态的变化是否会通过影响其食物供应（底栖藻类结构）而影响底栖摇蚊的分类结构，以及摇蚊的响应是否具有分类特异性。在一个浅水富营养化湖泊生态系统中，我们从 2001 年到 2018 年研究了与挺水植物芦苇（Phragmites australis）相关的底栖摇蚊。2006 年秋，去除挺水植物导致水透明度提高和浮游植物生物量减少。底栖摇蚊对从富营养化到贫营养化条件的转变做出了明显的响应。在富营养化条件下，碎屑食性的 Cricotopus sp.（gr. sylvestris）幼虫和滤食性的 Glyptotendipes sp.幼虫占优势。去除大型植物后，我们观察到 Endochironomus albipennis 和 Paratanytarsus austriacus 的相对丰度较高，它们被归类为食草动物，利用底栖藻类（主要是硅藻）作为食物来源。结果表明，芦苇的密度、底栖藻类中蓝藻和硅藻的相对丰度、塞氏盘深度以及底栖和浮游叶绿素 a 是底栖摇蚊多样性的重要决定因素。这些结果可为浅水湖泊中摇蚊对多种环境胁迫的新湖沼学和古湖沼学研究提供可靠的参考。
