Giovanna Flaim

Water residence time as a driving force of zooplankton structure and succession

Abstract.We studied zooplankton dynamics in a groundwater-fed, montane lake during four consecutive years and assessed the importance of water residence time for zooplankton dynamics. Crustacean abundance and biomass were significantly correlated with water residence time and temperature, but showed no significant correlation with phytoplankton biovolume. We hypothesised that temperature depended on water residence time (τ), and therefore we further investigated the functional relationship of crustacean dominance with the latter by logistic regression analysis. Water residence time values above a threshold value (τ = 193 days) determined crustacean biomass dominance while values below determined rotiferan dominance. Our results indicated that water residence time was an important factor structuring zooplankton succession in this lake that showed large fluctuations of τ values (median 263 days; range 23 – 786 days for the four year period) compared to other lakes. We suggest that crustacean biomass was directly controlled through water residence time as found for riverine systems, whereas rotifer biomass was controlled through exploitative competition with crustaceans for phytoplankton. The importance of water residence time may have been underestimated in lakes when explaining zooplankton community structure and succession, because studies usually focus on other factors such as temperature, predation, or food limitation.

Studies on woloszynskioid dinoflagellates II: On Tovellia sanguinea sp. nov., the dinoflagellate responsible for the reddening of Lake Tovel, N. Italy

The organism responsible for the former annual reddening of Lake Tovel in the Italian Alps (up to 1964) has been identified and studied in detail. Considerable confusion exists regarding the identity of this organism, and the detailed description by Baldi in 1941 is now believed to be based on more than one organism. Baldis red and green forms appear to be two different organisms, both of which have now been isolated into unialgal culture and studied using light microscopy, electron microscopy, and sequencing of the large subunit of ribosomal DNA (LSU rDNA). The organism has been found in three lakes in the area, but only in Lake Tovel have conditions allowed for reddening of the water during summer. The name of the organism believed to be the cause of the reddening, Glenodinium sanguineum Marchesoni, used in numerous publications, is an illegitimate homonym of G. sanguineum H.J. Carter, and the organism is described here as a new species, Tovellia sanguinea sp. nov., the seventh species of the newly described genus Tovellia. T. sanguinea is closely related to the other red-coloured species of Tovellia, Tovellia coronata (previously known as Woloszynskia coronata) but differs in several morphological features, notably the chloroplast arrangement, and in LSU rDNA sequence divergence (11–12%). Cells preserved from Lake Tovel during a reddening phenomenon in 1938 have been re-examined by scanning electron microscopy and agree morphologically with the new isolates. Tovellia sanguinea is a species of oligotrophic or mesotrophic–oligotrophic cold-water lakes, in which the average summer temperature does not exceed 15°C. It occurs on both calcareous (as in Lake Tovel) and non-calcareous substrata (as in the other two lakes).

Using the guild ratio to characterize pelagic rotifer communities

Ecological research is moving from a species-based to a functional-based approach to better understand the underlying principles that govern community dynamics. Studies of functional-based ecology, however, have been limited for zooplankton and particularly for rotifers. While rotifers show a variety of trophi types and coronal shapes, suggesting the importance of niche differentiation in their feeding strategy, relatively little is known of how this relates to rotifer dynamics. We used the guild ratio (GR′, a ratio of raptorial to microphagous species), an index based on a functional trait (i.e. feeding strategy), as a novel approach to rotifer dynamics. We extracted the seasonal GR′ by using seasonal trend decomposition and investigated similarities between study sites (Lake Washington, USA and Lake Caldonazzo, Italy) and its relation to cladocerans by cross-correlation analysis. Our study indicated that (i) raptorial and microphagous rotifers showed alternating dominance, and that raptorial rotifers and cladocerans had a synchronous pattern, (ii) the seasonal pattern of the GR′ was consistent across different sampling frequencies, and (iii) the GR′ was similar in both lakes. We interpreted these patterns as the general strength of the GR′: discernment of species–environment relationships and robustness across sampling regimes. The limitations of the GR′ (i.e. species identity is neglected, simplification of food preferences) can also be seen as its strong point: synthesis of multi-species patterns. In addition, the independence of GR′ from species-level identification and its potential to make use of datasets with infrequent sampling intervals and low taxon resolution could further support its innovative aspect.

Organochlorine and Metal Accumulation in Fish (Phoxinus phoxinus) Along a North-South Transect in the Alps

Southern populations of the European minnow fromremote oligotrophic mountain lakes along an Alpinenorth-south transect accumulated more p,p′ DDE andPCBs than northern populations. As these semi-volatileorganochlorines predominantly evaporate in warmcountries, higher rates of condensation (deposition)are assumed to occur in the southern slopes of theAlps. The higher accumulation of lead and cadmium insouthern population is rather attributed to geogenicand specific environmental impacts than to atmosphericdeposition. Increasing liver ratios of [glutathionedisulfide]/[glutathione], a potential indicator foroxidative stress, from north to south reflect thegenerally higher toxic load at remote sites at thesouthern edge of the Alps. However, histopathologicalchanges in the liver did not correlate withaccumulated toxicants indicating that deposition doesnot lead to severe lesions but induces specificmechanisms for detoxification.

A new method for the identification and the structural characterisation of carotenoid esters in freshwater microorganisms by liquid chromatography/electrospray ionisation tandem mass spectrometry

Liquid chromatography/electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry (LC/ESI-MS) has been employed to identify carotenoid esters present in raw organic extracts of pigmented freshwater microalgae and to gain structural information on these compounds. In particular, acyl carotenoid derivatives of Haematococcus pluvialis and Euglena sanguinea have been characterised by tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) in a quadrupole ion trap. ESI-MS/MS allows recognition of the presence of carotenoid esters in complicated mixtures without any initial chromatographic work-up and without the need to use UV-Vis photo-diode array (PDA) detectors. Product ion scans of the [M + Na]+ ion lead to known neutral losses of the C7H8 and C8H10 residues from the conjugated polyene moiety of the carotenoid unit, that permit the unambiguous identification of the carotenoid itself. These structurally relevant ions are not observed in positive or negative ion APCI (atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation) mass spectra. Moreover, the several product ions observed in positive and/or negative ion ESI-MS/MS not only are a diagnostic signature of the main structural features of the acyl chains such as length, position and unsaturation, but also display the nominal mass of the parent xanthophyll. Our methodology has been validated (i) by using esters of astaxanthin obtained from off-line purification of the H. pluvialis extracts and structurally elucidated through proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) spectroscopy and (ii) by product analysis of esters by alkaline hydrolysis. The characterisation of the unknown carotenoid esters of E. sanguinea is a demonstration of the capabilities of this methodology.

Long-term trends in species composition and diurnal migration of dinoflagellates in Lake Tovel (Trentino, Italy)

Lake Tovel, an oligotrophic mountain lake (Trentino, N. Italy) is famous for its past bright red summer blooms of the dinoflagellate Glenodinium sanguineum Marchesoni. In 1938 and 1941 Baldi studied the lake and bloom phenomenon in detail. In particular, he found that the dinoflagellate showed high morphological plasticity and that it was present in the whole lake, but concentrated in the Red Bay, where it exhibited an active vertical migration. In 2001 the presence of G. sanguineum in the whole lake, with higher densities in the Red Bay could be confirmed. However the cell densities found in the Red Bay are up to 103 lower than those reported by Baldi. During two diurnal studies in August 2001 almost identical diurnal depth variations of maximum density of G. sanguineum were found, likely to be related to positive phototaxis. Although in the Red Bay the patterns of vertical variations were less clear, potential influential factors (wind, sun, temperature) are analysed and discussed. Dinoflagellate species composition from this and earlier studies show an increase in the number of taxa recorded from the lake in recent years and a shift in species composition possibly related to changes in the trophic status of the lake.

A filtering unit for the removal of pesticide residues from aqueous solutions

Abstract Pesticide loss during filling and washing spray tanks can be considerable especially where cooperative pesticide distribution centres exist (up to 200 1000-litre tanks daily). A filtering unit using readily available organic media (peat, moss and manure) was designed to filter out a variety of commonly-used pesticides in apple orchards. Each filtering unit received residues from 20 pesticide applications consisting of a typical pesticide treatment schedule for apples. Initial concentration of the pesticides in the wastewater was between 26 and 1820 mg 1 −1 . Average removal efficiencies were > 99% for dodine. copper oxychloride, azinphos methyl, triadimefon, bitertanol, dithianon, fenarimol, chlorpyrifos ethyl, cyhexatin, benzomate, dinocap and benomyl. Removal efficiency for vamidothion averaged 61%; removal for sulphur was 73%. Bioassays with Daphnia magna and Gloeosporium sp. were performed to evaluate effluent toxicity.

Phytoplankton functional response to spatial and temporal differences in a cold and oligotrophic lake

We explored phytoplankton communities from a functional perspective in two connected but hydro-morphologically distinct basins during the ice-free period in the cold and oligotrophic Lake Tovel, Italy. Despite the absence of dispersal barriers, we expected a clear separation of the phytoplankton communities between basins based on their physical distinctions: a shallow and a deep basin with low and high water residence time, respectively. To investigate seasonal succession and spatiality, taxa were classified according to their functional groups (FGs) and traits (FTs). Relationships between functional classifications and environmental parameters were assessed by non-metric multidimensional scaling integrated with cluster analysis. Clustering of FGs and FTs was complementary and reflected different hydrological conditions of each basin: (i) more stable conditions and higher functional variation across seasons in the deep basin and (ii) less stable conditions and lower functional variation across seasons in the shallow basin. Phytoplankton functional composition evidenced how local conditions selected for corresponding functional attributes adapted to each basin’s environment. These results, together with the presence of rare, cold-tolerant taxa such as Pseudotetraëdriella kamillae and Stephanocostis chantaicus, highlighted the need for long-term phytoplankton studies, and the creation of a FG that includes cold-adapted, oligotrophic taxa.

Changes in galactolipid composition of the cold freshwater dinoflagellate Borghiella dodgei in response to temperature

The freshwater dinoflagellate Borghiella dodgei is adapted to cold temperatures. We investigated the effects of small temperature changes on its galactolipid composition, choosing 3 and 7°C as deviations from its optimal growth temperature (5°C). The galactolipid profile, important for maintenance of membrane fluidity, was determined by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry and the influence of temperature on galactolipids was investigated by one-way ANOVA. We found 24 different galactolipid species, including novel tri-galactosyldiacylglycerols (TGDGs). The overall amount of mono- (MGDG), di- (DGDG) and tri- (TGDG) galactosyldiacylglycerols remained stable while single galactolipids varied with temperature. Few changes were found from 3 to 5°C, instead 11 galactolipid species changed from 5 to 7°C. Concomitantly with the unsaturation index of MGDGs, the more unsaturated galactolipids decreased at higher temperature, and the less abundant and less unsaturated galactolipids in each lipid class accumulated. Changes in the galactolipid profile of Borghiella underlined its cold-stenothermal nature: it can adapt to relatively ‘higher’ temperatures by reducing the synthesis of the more unsaturated MGDGs, DGDGs and TGDGs, but remains restricted by its lower growth rate. Based on our results, we predict that with climate change the galactolipid profile of cold-stenothermal algae will change with important repercussions on their consumers.

Rotifer–crustacean interactions in a pseudokarstic lake: influence of hydrology

Zooplankton abundance was related to hydrological and environmental variables in a hydrologically dynamic lake fed by a pseudokarstic aquifer. The study period (2002–2006) in Lake Tovel covered different hydrological situations with water residence time (WRT) having the lowest values in 2002 and the highest values in 2003. WRT was negatively correlated with silica concentrations and algal biovolume. Furthermore, the biovolume of small algae was highest in spring and summer, while large algae did not show any pattern. In multivariate analysis, high abundance of crustacean species in autumn and winter was positively related to WRT and negatively to algal biovolume, while high abundance of rotifer species in spring and summer was negatively related to WRT and positively to algal biovolume. With the exception of Keratella cochlearis and Gastropus stylifer, rotifers showed a pattern of crustacean avoidance, and three groups were distinguished: (i) Ascomorpha ecaudis and Polyarthra dolichoptera, (ii) Asplanchna priodonta and Synchaeta spp., and (iii) Filinia terminalis and Keratella quadrata. These groups were associated with different food sources and depths. We suggest that WRT influenced the rotifer–crustacean relationship by wash-out effects and competition for food resources. The dynamics of single rotifer species were attributable to specific feeding requirements and adaptations. In summary, WRT determined the platform for abiotic and biotic interactions that influenced population dynamics of crustaceans and rotifers.