Abstract
Long-term interannual (1991–2013) and monthly (1999–2013) data were analyzed to elucidate the effects of meteorological factors and nutrient levels on phytoplankton biomass in the cyanobacteria-dominated Waihai basin of Lake Dianchi. The interannual ln(chl. a) exhibited positive correlations with the mean air temperature, mean minimum air temperature, and mean maximum air temperature; in addition, a positive relationship between Δln(chl. a) and ΔTP was observed throughout the period. Additionally, ln(chl. a) exhibited a positive correlation with the TP concentration, negative correlations with the sunshine hours and wind speed during the dry season, and positive correlations with the TN and TP concentrations during the rainy season. Furthermore, TP was the most influential factor affecting cyanobacterial bloom dynamics throughout the entire period and during the dry season, and TN and TP were the most important factors during the rainy season, as determined by relative importance analysis. The results of this study based on interannual analysis demonstrated that both meteorological factors and nutrient levels have important roles in controlling cyanobacterial bloom dynamics. The relative importance of these factors may change according to precipitation patterns. Thus, climate change regulation and eutrophication management should be considered in strategies for bloom control. Decreasing the TP load should be prioritized throughout the entire period and during the dry season, and decreasing the TN and TP loads should be considered initially during the rainy season. In addition, further studies of more frequent and complete data acquired over a longer period of time should be conducted in the future.
Similar content being viewed by others
Explore related subjects
Discover the latest articles, news and stories from top researchers in related subjects.References
Brookes JD, Carey CC (2011) Resilience to blooms. Science 334(6052):46–47
Burnham KP, Anderson DR (2002) Model selection and multimodel inference: A practical information-theoretic approach. Springer, New York (eBook)
Calcagno V, Mazancourt CD (2010) glmulti: an R package for easy automated model selection with (Generalized) Linear Models. J Stat Softw 34(12):1–29
Callieri C, Bertoni R, Contesini M, Bertoni F (2014) Lake level fluctuations boost toxic cyanobacterial “oligotrophic blooms”. PLoS One 9(10):e109526
Carey CC, Ibelings BW, Hoffmann EP, Hamilton DP, Brookes JD (2012) Eco-physiological adaptations that favour freshwater cyanobacteria in a changing climate. Water Res 46(5):1394–1407
Darley WM (1982) Algal biology: A physiological approach. Blackwell Scientific Publication, London
Davis TW, Berry DL, Boyer GL, Gobler CJ (2009) The effects of temperature and nutrients on the growth and dynamics of toxic and non-toxic strains of Microcystis during cyanobacteria blooms. Harmful Algae 8(5):715–725
Dokulil M, Teubner K (2000) Cyanobacterial dominance in lakes. Hydrobiologia 438(1-3):1–12
Duan H, Loiselle S, Zhu L, Feng L, Zhang Y, Ma R (2015) Distribution and incidence of algal blooms in Lake Taihu. Aquatic Sci 77(1):9–16
George JA, Lonsdale DJ, Merlo LR, Gobler CJ (2015) The interactive roles of temperature, nutrients, and zooplankton grazing in controlling the winter–spring phytoplankton bloom in a temperate, coastal ecosystem, Long Island Sound. Limnol Oceanogr 60(1):110–126
Gerla DJ, Mooij WM, Huisman J (2011) Photoinhibition and the assembly of light-limited phytoplankton communities. Oikos 120(3):359–368
Gkelis S, Papadimitriou T, Zaoutsos N, Leonardos I (2014) Anthropogenic and climate-induced change favors toxic cyanobacteria blooms: evidence from monitoring a highly eutrophic, urban Mediterranean lake. Harmful Algae 39:322–333
Håkanson L, Bryhn AC, Hytteborn JK (2007) On the issue of limiting nutrient and predictions of cyanobacteria in aquatic systems. Sci Total Environ 379(1):89–108
Heisler J, Glibert PM, Burkholder JM, Anderson DM, Cochlan W, Dennison WC, Dortch Q, Gobler CJ, Heil CA, Humphries E, Lewitus A, Magnien R, Marshall HG, Sellner K, Stockwell DA, Stoecker DK, Suddleson M (2008) Eutrophication and harmful algal blooms: a scientific consensus. Harmful Algae 8(1):3–13
He J, Xu X-M, Yang Y, Wu X, Wang L, Li S, Zhou H-B (2014) Problems and effects of comprehensive management of water environment in Lake Dianchi. J Lake Sci 27(2):195–199 (in Chinese)
Hu W, Connell D, Mengersen K, Tong S (2009) Weather variability, sunspots, and the blooms of cyanobacteria. EcoHealth 6(1):71–78
Huisman J (1999) Population dynamics of light-limited phytoplankton: microcosm experiments. Ecology 80(1):202–210
IPCC (2014) Climate Change 2014: Synthesis Report. Contribution of Working Groups I, II and III to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Core Writing Team, Pachauri RK, Meyer LA (ed)]. Geneva, Switzerland
Jöhnk KD, Huisman J, Sharples J, Sommeijer B, Visser PM, Stroom JM (2008) Summer heatwaves promote blooms of harmful cyanobacteria. Glob Chang Biol 14(3):495–512
Kalff J (2002) Limnology: Inland Water Ecosystems. Prentice Hall, New Jersey
Kanoshina I, Lips U, Leppänen J-M (2003) The influence of weather conditions (temperature and wind) on cyanobacterial bloom development in the Gulf of Finland (Baltic Sea). Harmful Algae 2(1):29–41
Khan MN, Mohammad F (2014) Eutrophication: Challenges and solutions. In: Ansari AA, Gill SS (ed), Eutrophication: Causes, consequences and control. Springer, Netherlands, pp. 1-15 (eBook)
Kosten S, Huszar VLM, Becares E, Costa LS, van Donk E, Hansson LA, Jeppesenk E, Kruk C, Lacerot G, Mazzeo N, De Meester L, Moss B, Lurling M, Noges T, Romo S, Scheffer M (2012) Warmer climates boost cyanobacterial dominance in shallow lakes. Glob Chang Biol 18(1):118–126
Lau WKM, Wu HT, Kim KM (2013) A canonical response of precipitation characteristics to global warming from CMIP5 models. Geophys Res Lett 40(12):3163–3169
Li G-B, Li L, Pan M, Xie Z-C, Li Z-S, Xiao B-D, Liu G-H, Chen J, Song L-R (2014) The degradation cause and pattern characteristics of Lake Dianchi ecosystem and new restoration strategy of ecoregion and step-by-step implementation. J Lake Sci 26(4):485–496 (in Chinese)
Liu X, Lu X, Chen Y (2011) The effects of temperature and nutrient ratios on Microcystis blooms in Lake Taihu, China: An 11-year investigation. Harmful Algae 10(3):337–343
Liu Z, Liu X, He B, Nie J, Peng J, Zhao L (2009) Spatio-temporal change of water chemical elements in Lake Dianchi, China. Water Environ J 23(3):235–244
Mo M-X, Zhang S-T, Ye X-C, Chen R-Y, Song X-L, Zhang Z-X (2007) pH characters and influencing factors in Dianchi and Xingyun lakes of Yunnan Plateau. J Agro-Environ Sci 26(Supplement):269–273 (in Chinese)
Nürnberg GK (1996) Trophic state of clear and colored, soft- and hardwater lakes with special consideration of nutrients, anoxia, phytoplankton and fish. Lake Reserv Manag 12(4):432–447
O’Neil JM, Davis TW, Burford MA, Gobler CJ (2012) The rise of harmful cyanobacteria blooms: the potential roles of eutrophication and climate change. Harmful Algae 14(1):313–334
Paerl HW, Gardner WS, McCarthy MJ, Peierls BL, Wilhelm SW (2014) Algal blooms: noteworthy nitrogen. Science 346(6206):175
Paerl HW, Huisman J (2008) Blooms like it hot. Science 320(5872):57–58
Paerl HW, Huisman J (2009) Climate change: a catalyst for global expansion of harmful cyanobacterial blooms. Environ Microbiol Rep 1(1):27–37
Paerl HW, Otten TG (2013) Harmful cyanobacterial blooms: causes, consequences, and controls. Microb Ecol 65(4):995–1010
Paerl HW, Paul VJ (2012) Climate change: links to global expansion of harmful cyanobacteria. Water Res 46(5):1349–1363
Posch T, Koster O, Salcher MM, Pernthaler J (2012) Harmful filamentous cyanobacteria favoured by reduced water turnover with lake warming. Nat Clim Chang 2(11):809–813
Qin B, Li W, Zhu G, Zhang Y, Wu T, Gao G (2015) Cyanobacterial bloom management through integrated monitoring and forecasting in large shallow eutrophic Lake Taihu (China). J Hazard Mater 287:356–363
Qin B, Zhu G, Gao G, Zhang Y, Li W, Paerl HW, Carmichael WW (2010) A drinking water crisis in Lake Taihu, China: linkage to climatic variability and lake management. Environ Manage 45(1):105–112
Reichwaldt ES, Ghadouani A (2012) Effects of rainfall patterns on toxic cyanobacterial blooms in a changing climate: between simplistic scenarios and complex dynamics. Water Res 46(5):1372–1393
Reynolds CS (2006) Ecology of phytoplankton. Cambridge University Press, New York
Rigosi A, Carey CC, Ibelings BW, Brookes JD (2014) The interaction between climate warming and eutrophication to promote cyanobacteria is dependent on trophic state and varies among taxa. Limnol Oceanogr 59(1):99–114
Rigosi A, Hanson P, Hamilton DP, Hipsey M, Rusak JA, Bois J, Sparber K, Chorus I, Watkinson AJ, Qin B, Kim B, Brookes JD (2015) Determining the probability of cyanobacterial blooms: the application of Bayesian networks in multiple lake systems. Ecol Appl 25(1):186–199
Salameh E, Harahsheh S (2011) Eutrophication processes in arid climates. In: Ansari AA, Singh Gill S, Lanza GR, Rast W (ed) Eutrophication: Causes, consequences and control. Springer, Netherlands, pp 69-90 (eBook)
Shan K, Li L, Wang X, Wu Y, Hu L, Yu G, Song L (2014) Modelling ecosystem structure and trophic interactions in a typical cyanobacterial bloom-dominated shallow Lake Dianchi, China. Ecol Modell 291:82–95
Sheng H, Liu H, Wang C, Guo H, Liu Y, Yang Y (2012) Analysis of cyanobacteria bloom in the Waihai part of Dianchi Lake, China. Ecol Inform 10(7):37–48
Shi K, Zhang Y, Xu H, Zhu G, Qin B, Huang C, Liu X, Zhou Y, Lv H (2015) Long-term satellite observations of microcystin concentrations in Lake Taihu during cyanobacterial bloom periods. Environ Sci Technol 49(11):6448–6456
Sinha R, Pearson LA, Davis TW, Burford MA, Orr PT, Neilan BA (2012) Increased incidence of Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii in temperate zones—is climate change responsible? Water Res 46(5):1408–1419
Stich HB, Brinker A (2010) Oligotrophication outweighs effects of global warming in a large, deep, stratified lake ecosystem. Glob Chang Biol 16(2):877–888
Sukenik A, Quesada A, Salmaso N (2015) Global expansion of toxic and non-toxic cyanobacteria: effect on ecosystem functioning. Biodivers Conserv 24(4):889–908
Taranu ZE, Zurawell RW, Pick F, Gregory-Eaves I (2012) Predicting cyanobacterial dynamics in the face of global change: the importance of scale and environmental context. Glob Chang Biol 18(12):3477–3490
Verspagen JMH, Van de Waal DB, Finke JF, Visser PM, Van Donk E, Huisman J (2014) Rising CO2 levels will intensify phytoplankton blooms in eutrophic and hypertrophic lakes. PLoS One 9(8):e104325
Wagner C, Adrian R (2009) Cyanobacteria dominance: quantifying the effects of climate change. Limnol Oceanogr 54(6part2):2460–2468
Wang S, Zhu L, Li Q, Li G, Li L, Song L, Gan N (2015) Distribution and population dynamics of potential anatoxin-a-producing cyanobacteria in Lake Dianchi, China. Harmful Algae 48:63–68
Wang Y, Yang Y, Zhao N, Liu C, Wang Q (2012) The magnitude of the effect of air pollution on sunshine hours in China. J Geophys Res Atmos 117(D21):D00V14
Wu T, Qin B, Brookes JD, Shi K, Zhu G, Zhu M, Yan W, Wang Z (2015) The influence of changes in wind patterns on the areal extension of surface cyanobacterial blooms in a large shallow lake in China. Sci Total Environ 518–519:24–30
Wu T, Qin B, Zhu G, Luo L, Ding Y, Bian G (2013) Dynamics of cyanobacterial bloom formation during short-term hydrodynamic fluctuation in a large shallow, eutrophic, and wind-exposed Lake Taihu, China. Environ Sci Pollut Res 20(12):8546–8556
Yuan J-X, Zhang W-H, Wang Y-Z (1986) Thermal regime of Dianchi Lake. Oceanologia et Limnologia Sinica 17(6):481–492 (in Chinese)
Yang Y, Zhou F, Guo H, Sheng H, Liu Y, Dao X, He C (2010) Analysis of spatial and temporal water pollution patterns in Lake Dianchi using multivariate statistical methods. Environ Monit Assess 170(1-4):407–416
Zhang M, Duan H, Shi X, Yu Y, Kong F (2012) Contributions of meteorology to the phenology of cyanobacterial blooms: implications for future climate change. Water Res 46(2):442–452
Zhou J, Liang Z, Liu Y, Guo H, He D, Zhao L (2015a) Six-decade temporal change and seasonal decomposition of climate variables in Lake Dianchi watershed (China): stable trend or abrupt shift? Theor Appl Climatol 119(1-2):181–191
Zhou Q, Chen W, Shan K, Zheng L, Song L (2014) Influence of sunlight on the proliferation of cyanobacterial blooms and its potential applications in Lake Taihu, China. J Environ Sci 26(3):626–635
Zhou Q-C, Song L-R, Li L (2015b) Effect of shading on the algal blooms during spring in Lake Dianchi, China. Environ Sci Technol 38(9):53–59 (in Chinese)
Acknowledgments
This work was jointly supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 41301599) and the National Major Science and Technology Program for Water Pollution Control and Treatment of China (No. 2013ZX07102-005 and 2013ZX07102-006-02). We thank the National Meteorological Information Center of China and the Kunming Environmental Monitoring Center for providing data. We are grateful to the two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments and constructive suggestions.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding authors
Additional information
Responsible editor: Philippe Garrigues
Qichao Zhou is the first author.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Zhou, Q., Zhang, Y., Lin, D. et al. The relationships of meteorological factors and nutrient levels with phytoplankton biomass in a shallow eutrophic lake dominated by cyanobacteria, Lake Dianchi from 1991 to 2013. Environ Sci Pollut Res 23, 15616–15626 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-6748-4
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-6748-4