Umeå University's logo

Nutrient optimization has been proposed as a way to increase boreal forest production, and involves chronic additions of liquid fertilizer with amounts of micro- and macro-nutrients adjusted annually to match tree nutritional requirements. We used a short-term (maintained since 2007) and a long-term (maintained since 1987) fertilization experiment in northern Sweden, in order to understand nutrient optimization effects on soil microbiota and mesofauna, and to explore the relationships between plant litter and microbial elemental stoichiometry. Soil microbes, soil fauna, and aboveground litter were collected from the control plots, and short- and long-term nutrient optimization plots. Correlation analyses revealed no relationships between microbial biomass and litter nutrient ratios. Litter C:N, C:P and N:P ratios declined in response to both optimization treatments; while only microbial C:P ratios declined in response to long-term nutrient optimization. Further, we found that both short- and long-term optimization treatments decreased total microbial, fungal, and bacterial PLFA biomass and shifted the microbial community structure towards a lower fungi:bacterial ratio. In contrast, abundances of most fungal- and bacterial-feeding soil biota were little affected by the nutrient optimization treatments. However, abundance of hemi-edaphic Collembola declined in response to the long-term nutrient optimization treatment. The relative abundances (%) of fungal-feeding and plant-feeding nematodes, respectively, declined and increased in response to both short-term and long-term treatments; bacterial-feeding nematodes increased relative to fungal feeders. Overall, our results demonstrate that long-term nutrient optimization aiming to increase forest production decreases litter C:N, C:P and N:P ratios, microbial C:P ratios and fungal biomass, whereas higher trophic levels are less affected.

Climate change predictions indicate that coastal and estuarine environments will receive increased terrestrial runoff via increased river discharge. This discharge transports allochthonous material, containing bioavailable nutrients and light attenuating matter. Since light and nutrients are important drivers of basal production, their relative and absolute availability have important consequences for the base of the aquatic food web, with potential ramifications for higher trophic levels. Here, we investigated the effects of shifts in terrestrial organic matter and light availability on basal producers and their grazers. In twelve Baltic Sea mesocosms, we simulated the effects of increased river runoff alone and in combination. We manipulated light (clear/shade) and carbon (added/not added) in a fully factorial design, with three replicates. We assessed microzooplankton grazing preferences in each treatment to assess whether increased terrestrial organic matter input would: (1) decrease the phytoplankton to bacterial biomass ratio, (2) shift microzooplanlcton diet from phytoplankton to bacteria, and (3) affect microzooplankton biomass. We found that carbon addition, but not reduced light levels per se resulted in lower phytoplanlcton to bacteria biomass ratios. Microzooplankton generally showed a strong feeding preference for phytoplanlcton over bacteria, but, in carbon-amended mesocosms which favored bacteria, microzooplankton shifted their diet towards bacteria. Furthermore, low total prey availability corresponded with low microzooplankton biomass and the highest bacteria/phytoplankton ratio. Overall our results suggest that in shallow coastal waters, modified with allochthonous matter from river discharge, light attenuation may be inconsequential for the basal producer balance, whereas increased allochthonous carbon, especially if readily bioavailable, favors bacteria over phytoplankton. We conclude that climate change induced shifts at the base of the food web may alter energy mobilization to and the biomass of microzooplankton grazers.

Setting numeric in-stream objectives (limits, criteria) to inform limits on catchment loads for major land use stressors is a promising policy instrument to prevent ecosystem degradation. Management objectives can be informed by thresholds identified from stressor response shapes of ecological indicators based on field survey data. Use of multiple structural and functional indicators and different organism groups provides multiple lines of evidence to make objectives more robust. We measured a suite of ecological indicators during a regional field survey in New Zealand. We built flexible boosted regression tree (BRT) models with a predictor set consisting of nutrient, sediment, and environmental variables and investigated the fitted functions for different types of thresholds across each stressor gradient. Congruence of impact initiation (II) thresholds for N among macroinvertebrate metrics and 2 periphyton indicators provided multiple lines of evidence for ecosystem change with small increases in N concentrations above background levels. Impact cessation (IC) on macroinvertebrate metrics at total N = 0.5 mg/L (below N concentrations that saturate important ecosystem processes) highlighted sensitivity of macroinvertebrate communities to eutrophication. We found few stressor response relationships for sediment. We suggest use of sediment-specific macroinvertebrate metrics and a reliable measure of deposited fine sediment in the future. Few indicators responded to phosphorus (P) concentration. Limited information for setting P objectives highlights the need to develop alternative indicators of P loading. Statistical analysis based on single-stressor inferential threshold models suggested that these models carry high risk of identifying spurious thresholds and are less suitable for setting management objectives. II and IC thresholds of multiple ecological indicators can be used to set robust objectives aimed at different levels of protection of ecosystem health.

Increased reactive nitrogen (N-r) deposition has raised the amount of N available to organisms and has greatly altered the transfer of energy through food webs, with major consequences for trophic dynamics. The aim of this review was to: (i) clarify the direct and indirect effects of N-r deposition on forest and lake food webs in N-limited biomes, (ii) compare and contrast how aquatic and terrestrial systems respond to increased N-r deposition, and (iii) identify how the nutrient pathways within and between ecosystems change in response to N-r deposition. We present that N-r deposition releases primary producers from N limitation in both forest and lake ecosystems and raises plants' N content which in turn benefits herbivores with high N requirements. Such trophic effects are coupled with a general decrease in biodiversity caused by different N-use efficiencies; slow-growing species with low rates of N turnover are replaced by fast-growing species with high rates of N turnover. In contrast, N-r deposition diminishes below-ground production in forests, due to a range of mechanisms that reduce microbial biomass, and decreases lake benthic productivity by switching herbivore growth from N to phosphorus (P) limitation, and by intensifying P limitation of benthic fish. The flow of nutrients between ecosystems is expected to change with increasing N-r deposition. Due to higher litter production and more intense precipitation, more terrestrial matter will enter lakes. This will benefit bacteria and will in turn boost the microbial food web. Additionally, N-r deposition promotes emergent insects, which subsidize the terrestrial food web as prey for insectivores or by dying and decomposing on land. So far, most studies have examined N-r-deposition effects on the food web base, whereas our review highlights that changes at the base of food webs substantially impact higher trophic levels and therefore food web structure and functioning.

Climate change scenarios predict intensified terrestrial storm runoff, providing coastal ecosystems with large nutrient pulses and increased turbidity, with unknown consequences for the phytoplankton community. We conducted a 12-day mesocosm experiment in the Mediterranean Thau Lagoon (France), adding soil (simulated runoff) and fish (different food webs) in a 2 x 2 full factorial design and monitored phytoplankton composition, shade adaptation and stoichiometry. Diatoms (Chaetoceros) increased fourfold immediately after soil addition, prymnesiophytes and dinoflagellates peaked after six- and 12 days, respectively. Soil induced no phytoplanlcton shade adaptation. Fish reduced the positive soil effect on dinoflagellates (Scripsiella, Glenodinium), and diatom abundance in general. Phytoplankton community composition drove seston stoichiometry. In conclusion, pulsed terrestrial runoff can cause rapid, low quality (high carbon: nutrient) diatom blooms. However, bloom duration may be short and reduced in magnitude by fish. Thus, climate change may shift shallow coastal ecosystems towards famine or feast dynamics.

This survey of literature on substratum associated microbiota from 2015 highlights research findings associated with benthic algae and bacteria from a variety of aquatic environments, but primarily freshwaters. It focuses on topics of interest to the Water Environment Federation along with those of current emerging interest such as global change, oil spills, and environmental contaminants like pharmaceutical compounds, microplastics, nanoparticles and organic pollutants. Other interesting findings briefly covered include areas of general ecology, nutrient cycling, trophic interactions, water quality, nuisance and invasive species, bioindicators, and bioremediation.

Heavy rainfall events causing significant terrestrial runoff into coastal marine ecosystems are predicted to become more frequent with climate change in the Mediterranean. To simulate the effects of soil runoff on the pelagic food web of an oligotrophic Mediterranean coastal lagoon, we crossed soil extract addition (increasing nutrient availability and turbidity) and fish presence in a full factorial design to coastal mesocosms containing a natural pelagic community. Soil extract addition increased both bacteria and phytoplankton biomass. Diatoms however profited most from soil extract addition, especially in the absence of fish. In contrast zooplankton and fish did not profit from soil extract addition. Furthermore, our data indicate that nutrients (instead of light or carbon) limited basal production. Presumed changes in carbon availability are relatively unimportant to primary and secondary production in strongly nutrient limited systems like the Thau Lagoon. We conclude that in shallow Mediterranean coastal ecosystems, heavy rainfall events causing soil runoff will (1) increase the relative abundance of phytoplankton in relation to bacteria and zooplankton, especially in the absence of fish (2) not lead to higher biomass of zooplankton and fish, possibly due to the brevity of the phytoplankton bloom and the slow biomass response of higher trophic levels.

This review of literature on substratum-associated microbiota from 2014 highlights topics on benthic algae and bacteria from a range of aquatic environments, but focuses on freshwater habitats. Advances in pollution and toxin detection, assessment methods, and applications of new technologies are highlighted as are updates in taxonomy and systematics. Aspects of general ecology, water quality, nutrient cycling, trophic interactions, land use changes, biofuels, biofouling, and environmental challenges such as climate change, pollutants, tar sands and fracking, oil spills and nuisance blooms are presented.

Terrestrial runoff into aquatic ecosystems may have both stimulatory and inhibitory effects, due to nutrient subsidies and increased light attenuation. To disentangle the effects of runoff on microbenthos, we added soil to coastal mesocosms and manipulated substrate depth. To test if fish interacted with runoff effects, we manipulated fish presence. Soil decreased microphytobenthic chlorophyll-a per area and per carbon (C) unit, increased microbenthic phosphorous (P), and reduced microbenthic nitrogen (N) content. Depth had a strong effect on the microbenthos, with shallow substrates exhibiting greater microbenthic net ecosystem production, gross primary production, and community respiration than deep substrates. Over time, micobenthic algae compensated for deeper substrate depth through increased chlorophyll-a synthesis, but despite algal shade compensation, the soil treatment still appeared to reduce the depth where microbenthos switched from net autotrophy to net heterotrophy. Fish interacted with soil in affecting microbenthic nutrient composition. Fish presence reduced microbenthic C/P ratios only in the no soil treatment, probably since soil nutrients masked the positive effects of fish excreta on microbenthos. Soil reduced microbenthic N/P ratios only in the absence of fish. Our study demonstrates the importance of light for the composition and productivity of microbenthos but finds little evidence for positive runoff subsidy effects.

According to stoichiometric principles, the ratios at which consumers recycle nutrients depend on the elemental compositions of the consumer and its food. However, nutrient assimilation efficiencies and ingestion rates can vary among consumer species and, thus, can affect the rates of consumer-mediated nutrient recycling (CNR). The grazer Theodoxus fluviatilis has high nutrient excretion rates of either P or N, depending on grazer growth limitation, and has a high body N. I examined how a grazer with a high proportion of N in its body tissues can assimilate enough N to maintain that N content despite high N excretion rates by estimating the mass balance for nutrient recycling including nutrient excretion through fecal pellets. I used the snail species Theodoxus fluviatilis and Lymnea peregra fed nutrient-enriched periphyton in a 2-d grazing experiment done in 48 experimental units. I estimated periphyton and grazer nutrient stoichiometry and nutrient excretion rates and ratios in dissolved and fecal-pellet form, and calculated nutrient assimilation efficiencies of the limiting nutrient (N). Theodoxus fluviatilis had higher N excretion rates, lower N assimilation efficiency, and higher ingestion rates than L. peregra. Thus, T. fluviatilis recycled more N by ingesting and processing a larger amount of food per unit time than L. peregra. My study shows that grazers with low nutrient assimilation efficiencies and high nutrient demands can assimilate sufficient nutrients via high ingestion rates. The consequence of this strategy (high ingestion and excretion rates) could be a more rapid nutrient turnover in ecosystems dominated by these grazers.