Freshwater Centre, Finnish Environment Institute, Latokartanonkaari 11, FI-00790, Helsinki, Finland.
Geography Research Unit, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 3000, FI-90014, Oulu, Finland.
Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc. 2021 Feb;96(1):89-106. doi: 10.1111/brv.12647. Epub 2020 Sep 1.
The Anthropocene presents formidable threats to freshwater ecosystems. Lakes are especially vulnerable and important at the same time. They cover only a small area worldwide but harbour high levels of biodiversity and contribute disproportionately to ecosystem services. Lakes differ with respect to their general type (e.g. land-locked, drainage, floodplain and large lakes) and position in the landscape (e.g. highland versus lowland lakes), which contribute to the dynamics of these systems. Lakes should be generally viewed as 'meta-systems', whereby biodiversity is strongly affected by species dispersal, and ecosystem dynamics are contributed by the flow of matter and substances among locations in a broader waterscape context. Lake connectivity in the waterscape and position in the landscape determine the degree to which a lake is prone to invasion by non-native species and accumulation of harmful substances. Highly connected lakes low in the landscape accumulate nutrients and pollutants originating from ecosystems higher in the landscape. The monitoring and restoration of lake biodiversity and ecosystem services should consider the fact that a high degree of dynamism is present at local, regional and global scales. However, local and regional monitoring may be plagued by the unpredictability of ecological phenomena, hindering adaptive management of lakes. Although monitoring data are increasingly becoming available to study responses of lakes to global change, we still lack suitable integration of models for entire waterscapes. Research across disciplinary boundaries is needed to address the challenges that lakes face in the Anthropocene because they may play an increasingly important role in harbouring unique aquatic biota as well as providing ecosystem goods and services in the future.
人类世给淡水生态系统带来了巨大的威胁。湖泊既十分脆弱，又同时非常重要。它们在全球范围内的覆盖面积很小，但却拥有高度的生物多样性，并对生态系统服务做出不成比例的贡献。湖泊在其一般类型（例如内陆、排水、洪泛区和大型湖泊）和在景观中的位置（例如高地和低地湖泊）方面存在差异，这导致了这些系统的动态变化。湖泊通常应被视为“元系统”，即生物多样性受到物种扩散的强烈影响，而生态系统的动态则由物质和物质在更广泛的水域景观中的位置之间的流动所贡献。水域景观中的湖泊连通性和在景观中的位置决定了湖泊容易受到非本地物种入侵和有害物质积累的程度。高度连通的湖泊位于景观的低处，会积累来自景观高处的生态系统中的养分和污染物。湖泊生物多样性和生态系统服务的监测和恢复应考虑到在地方、区域和全球尺度上都存在高度动态的事实。然而，地方和区域监测可能会受到生态现象不可预测性的困扰，从而阻碍了对湖泊的适应性管理。尽管监测数据越来越多地可用于研究湖泊对全球变化的响应，但我们仍然缺乏适用于整个水域景观的模型的合适整合。需要跨越学科界限开展研究，以应对人类世湖泊所面临的挑战，因为它们可能在未来会越来越多地发挥重要作用，不仅可以容纳独特的水生生物群，还可以提供生态系统产品和服务。
