@article{BrothersKoehlerAttermeyeretal.2014, author = {Brothers, Soren M. and Koehler, J. and Attermeyer, Katrin and Grossart, Hans-Peter and Mehner, T. and Meyer, N. and Scharnweber, Inga Kristin and Hilt, Sabine}, title = {A feedback loop links brownification and anoxia in a temperate, shallow lake}, series = {Limnology and oceanography}, volume = {59}, journal = {Limnology and oceanography}, number = {4}, publisher = {Wiley-Blackwell}, address = {Hoboken}, issn = {0024-3590}, doi = {10.4319/lo.2014.59.4.1388}, pages = {1388 -- 1398}, year = {2014}, abstract = {This study examines a natural, rapid, fivefold increase in dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations in a temperate shallow lake, describing the processes by which increased DOC resulted in anoxic conditions and altered existing carbon cycling pathways. High precipitation for two consecutive years led to rising water levels and the flooding of adjacent degraded peatlands. Leaching from the flooded soils provided an initial increase in DOC concentrations (from a 2010 mean of 12 +/- 1 mg L-1 to a maximum concentration of 53 mg L-1 by June 2012). Increasing water levels, DOC, and phytoplankton concentrations reduced light reaching the sediment surface, eliminating most benthic primary production and promoting anoxia in the hypolimnion. From January to June 2012 there was a sudden increase in total phosphorus (from 57 mg L-1 to 216 mg L-1), DOC (from 24.6 mg L-1 to 53 mg L-1), and iron (from 0.12 mg L-1 to 1.07 mg L-1) concentrations, without any further large fluxes in water levels. We suggest that anoxic conditions at the sediment surface and flooded soils produced a dramatic release of these chemicals that exacerbated brownification and eutrophication, creating anoxic conditions that persisted roughly 6 months below a water depth of 1 m and extended periodically to the water surface. This brownification-anoxia feedback loop resulted in a near-complete loss of macroinvertebrate and fish populations, and increased surface carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by an order of magnitude relative to previous years.}, language = {en} } @article{MehnerAttermeyerBraunsetal.2016, author = {Mehner, T. and Attermeyer, Katrin and Brauns, Mario and Brothers, Soren M. and Diekmann, J. and Gaedke, Ursula and Grossart, Hans-Peter and Koehler, J. and Lischke, Betty and Meyer, N. and Scharnweber, Inga Kristin and Syvaranta, J. and Vanni, M. J. and Hilt, S.}, title = {Weak Response of Animal Allochthony and Production to Enhanced Supply of Terrestrial Leaf Litter in Nutrient-Rich Lakes}, series = {Ecosystems}, volume = {19}, journal = {Ecosystems}, publisher = {Springer}, address = {New York}, issn = {1432-9840}, doi = {10.1007/s10021-015-9933-2}, pages = {311 -- 325}, year = {2016}, abstract = {Ecosystems are generally linked via fluxes of nutrients and energy across their boundaries. For example, freshwater ecosystems in temperate regions may receive significant inputs of terrestrially derived carbon via autumnal leaf litter. This terrestrial particulate organic carbon (POC) is hypothesized to subsidize animal production in lakes, but direct evidence is still lacking. We divided two small eutrophic lakes each into two sections and added isotopically distinct maize litter to the treatment sections to simulate increased terrestrial POC inputs via leaf litter in autumn. We quantified the reliance of aquatic consumers on terrestrial resources (allochthony) in the year subsequent to POC additions by applying mixing models of stable isotopes. We also estimated lake-wide carbon (C) balances to calculate the C flow to the production of the major aquatic consumer groups: benthic macroinvertebrates, crustacean zooplankton, and fish. The sum of secondary production of crustaceans and benthic macroinvertebrates supported by terrestrial POC was higher in the treatment sections of both lakes. In contrast, total secondary and tertiary production (supported by both autochthonous and allochthonous C) was higher in the reference than in the treatment sections of both lakes. Average aquatic consumer allochthony per lake section was 27-40\%, although terrestrial POC contributed less than about 10\% to total organic C supply to the lakes. The production of aquatic consumers incorporated less than 5\% of the total organic C supply in both lakes, indicating a low ecological efficiency. We suggest that the consumption of terrestrial POC by aquatic consumers facilitates a strong coupling with the terrestrial environment. However, the high autochthonous production and the large pool of autochthonous detritus in these nutrient-rich lakes make terrestrial POC quantitatively unimportant for the C flows within food webs.}, language = {en} }