Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 10, 2026
07:59
Coral Reef Arks: An In Situ Mesocosm and Toolkit for Assembling Reef Communities
Published on: January 6, 2023
Forest die-back modified plankton recovery from acidic stress
Jaroslav Vrba1, Jiří Kopáček, Jan Fott
1Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 31, 37005, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic, jaroslav.vrba@prf.jcu.cz.
Ambio
|June 5, 2013
Summary
Lake Rachelsee
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Limnology
- Ecology
Background:
- Acidic deposition in Central Europe has impacted lake ecosystems.
- Lake Rachelsee showed gradual chemical recovery but delayed biological recovery.
- Forest die-back in 1999 caused a temporary reversal of lake recovery.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate plankton community dynamics following a re-acidification event.
- To understand the impact of altered nutrient and aluminum loads on lake biota.
- To document rapid plankton structure changes in a recovering acidic lake.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of long-term water chemistry data.
- Monitoring of plankton biomass structure and abundance.
- Assessment of nutrient and ionic aluminum export from the catchment.
Main Results:
- A shift from heterotrophic to autotrophic plankton dominance occurred.
- Phytoplankton biomass and rotifer abundance increased significantly.
- Bacterial filament abundance decreased following reduced nitrate leaching.
- The lake experienced a temporary re-acidification episode impacting plankton.
Conclusions:
- Rapid plankton community shifts can occur in response to abrupt environmental changes.
- Phosphorus limitation was alleviated for autotrophic organisms.
- This study documents a unique case of rapid plankton recovery after a re-acidification event.
Related Concept Videos
01:24Freshwater Microbial Ecology
Freshwater systems such as streams, rivers, and lakes exhibit distinct physical and biological characteristics that influence their microbial communities. These environments are broadly categorized into lotic systems—those with flowing waters like streams and most rivers—and lentic systems, which include still or slow-moving waters such as lakes, ponds, and marshes.In lentic systems, phytoplankton drive primary production, generating autochthonous organic carbon. In contrast, lotic systems...
01:30Marine Microbial Ecology
Marine microbial ecosystems are shaped by distinct physicochemical limits, including high salinity, low nutrient availability, and fluctuating oxygen levels. These conditions favor smaller microbial cell sizes, which maximize their surface-to-volume ratio for efficient nutrient uptake.Microbial activity and community composition are closely linked to biogeochemical cycles, particularly in dynamic environments like estuaries, where halotolerant microbes thrive in response to variable salinity...
00:46Bioremediation
Bioremediation is the use of prokaryotes, fungi, or plants to remove pollutants from the environment. This process has been used to remove harmful toxins in groundwater as a byproduct of agricultural run-off and also to clean up oil spills.
02:41Responses to Drought and Flooding
Water plays a significant role in the life cycle of plants. However, insufficient or excess of water can be detrimental and pose a serious threat to plants.
01:06Primary Production
The total amount of energy acquired by primary producers in an ecosystem is called gross primary production (GPP). However, of this energy, producers use some for metabolic processes, and some is lost as heat, decreasing the amount of energy available to the next trophic level. The remaining usable amount of energy is called the net primary productivity (NPP). In terrestrial ecosystems, NPP is driven by climate, while light penetration and nutrient availability drive NPP in aquatic ecosystems.
01:25Microbial Mats
Microbial communities forming biofilms and mats represent complex, spatially structured ecosystems where metabolic processes are stratified according to light, oxygen, and nutrient gradients. Biofilms are initial colonization stages, only a few millimeters thick, while mature microbial mats can reach centimeter-scale thickness and display intricate vertical organization. Their structural and functional heterogeneity allows microorganisms to occupy distinct ecological niches within a few...