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The abundance and composition of freshwater picocyanobacteria in relation to light penetration
Author(s) -
Pick F. R.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
limnology and oceanography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.7
H-Index - 197
eISSN - 1939-5590
pISSN - 0024-3590
DOI - 10.4319/lo.1991.36.7.1457
Subject(s) - abundance (ecology) , eutrophication , trophic level , nutrient , trophic state index , environmental science , ecology , environmental chemistry , spectral composition , phycoerythrin , chemistry , biology , physics , flow cytometry , genetics , optics
The abundance and composition of picocyanobacterial (PC) assemblages were measured in 38 lakes of varying trophic state and dissolved inorganic C concentrations. Light attenuation provided the best prediction of PC abundance, explaining half of the variation in summer abundance. Phycoerythrin‐containing PC were particularly abundant (> l0 5 cells ml ‒1 ) in oligotrophic to mesotrophic hard‐water lakes, while nonphycoerythrin types were generally found in eutrophic and colored lakes. The percentage of phycoerythrin‐containing PC declined significantly with increasing light attenuation among lakes and within experimental enclosures of one lake where light attenuation was altered by nutrient additions and food‐web manipulations. The relationship may be the consequence of changes in spectral quality as lakes become nutrient enriched or colored by humic material.