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Abundance and primary production of filamentous green algae Zygogonium ericetorum in an extremely acid (pH 2.9) mining lake and its impact on alkalinity generation
Author(s) -
KLEEBERG ANDREAS,
SCHUBERT HENDRIK,
KOSCHORRECK MATTHIAS,
NIXDORF BRIGITTE
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
freshwater biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.297
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1365-2427
pISSN - 0046-5070
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2427.2006.01542.x
Subject(s) - benthic zone , algae , alkalinity , biomass (ecology) , pelagic zone , chlorophyta , primary production , environmental chemistry , productivity , environmental science , ecology , biology , botany , chemistry , ecosystem , macroeconomics , organic chemistry , economics
Summary 1. In extremely acid mining lakes, benthic filamentous green algae (Zygnemataceae, Chlorophyta) thrive as effective competitors for limited carbon (C). These algae could supply C for microbial‐mediated benthic alkalinity generation. However, biomass, productivity and impact of the acidobiontic filamentous green algae at pH ≤3 have not previously been determined. 2. Periphytic filamentous green algae was mapped by harvesting their biomass from 85 1 × 1 m quadrats in mining lake Grünewalder Lauch. Zygogonium ericetorum colonised water depths between 1.6 and 10.5 m covering 88% of total area. Biomass peaked at 5–6 m depth. Total Zygogonium biomass amounted to 72.2 t dry weight for the whole lake (0.94 km 2 ), which corresponds to 16.1 t C and the accumulation of primary production from 2.2 years. 3. Growth of Zygogonium is moderately N, C and extremely P deficient, and seriously stressed by high rates of Fe deposition during summer. Consequently, net primary production (NPP) of Zygogonium , calculated from measured photosynthesis versus irradiance characteristics and calculated underwater irradiance (0.13 g C m −2 year −1 ) and in situ oxygen measurements (7.8 g C m −2 year −1 ), corresponds to only 0.3% and 18.1% of pelagic NPP. 4. Neither pelagic nor benthic Zygogonium primary production can supply enough C for efficient acidity removal. However, at rates of benthic NPP in summer of 21.4 mg C m −2 day −1 , Zygogonium contributed 26% of the C equivalents to remove acidity associated with ferric iron, contributing at least seasonally to efficient alkalinity generation.