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JPR Advance Access originally published online on September 24, 2009
Journal of Plankton Research 2009 31(12):1517-1529; doi:10.1093/plankt/fbp086
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© The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

The effects of light availability in shallow, turbid waters: a mesocosm study

M. E. Llames, L. Lagomarsino, N. Diovisalvi, P. Fermani, A. M. Torremorell, G. Perez, F. Unrein, J. Bustingorry, R. Escaray, M. Ferraro and H. E. Zagarese*

Laboratorio de Ecología y Fotobiología Acuática, Instituto Tecnológico de Chascomús (INTECH), CC 164 (B7130IWA), Chascomús, prov. de Buenos Aires, Argentina

* CORRESPONDING AUTHOR: zagarese{at}intech.gov.ar

Received on May 20, 2009; accepted on August 27, 2009


  Abstract

Seasonal patterns of water transparency in turbid Pampean lakes suggest that the amount of seston is strongly influenced by incident solar radiation. However, the unequivocal identification of light as the major forcing variable is precluded due its co-variation with several potentially confounding variables. In order to specifically investigate the role of light, we performed a mesocosm (3000 L) experiment aimed at investigating the effects of different degrees of light availability on planktonic community structure and metabolism. The experimental setup successfully mimicked the light limiting conditions prevailing in Pampean turbid lakes. We used neutral density filters to create four light treatments, approximately covering the natural annual range of incident irradiance. Our results are consistent with field patterns and light-limitation theory: (i) light attenuation and (ii) primary production increased with light availability. In contrast, the abundance of most grazers displayed negative relationships with light availability. The decreases in the density of grazers could have resulted from changes in the nutritional value of the food. This possibility is also supported by (iii) decreases in seston P-content and (iv) increases in community respiration with increasing light availability.

Corresponding editor: Roger Harris


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