Application of subfossil Bosmina and its δ13C values in tracing the long-term food web dynamics of shallow eutrophic lakes: A case in Taihu Lake, southeast China.

ABSTRACT

Cladoceran subfossil assemblages have been used successfully to trace the signals of long-term changes in lake eutrophication. However, their potential for reconstructing food webs has not yet been explored extensively. Here, we assess whether the stable carbon isotope analysis (SCIA) of subfossil Bosmina can be used to reconstruct the eutrophication and food web history of a shallow lake in southeast China. Two 210Pb-dated sediment cores were collected from the western and central parts of Taihu Lake, one of the largest eutrophic lakes in the region. Multiproxy analyses of the cores were performed, including of the subfossil Bosmina assemblages, stable carbon isotopes of subfossil Bosmina (δ13Cs-bos) and bulk sediment (δ13Corg), total organic carbon (TOC), loss on ignition (LOI), C/N, total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorous (TP). Stable carbon isotopes of living algae (δ13Calg) and Bosmina (δ13Cl-bos) were also measured at the same sampling locations. The δ13Cs-bos gradually declined over time with reciprocal increases in the assemblages of subfossil Bosmina and total cladocerans and in the TOC, LOI, TN and TP in both cores. The δ13Calg and δ13Cl-bos values further revealed depleted 13C. The changes in the δ13Cs-bos in relation to the other proxies indicated rapid nutrient enrichment and a possible shift in the food web in Taihu Lake, providing new insight into the reconstruction of food webs and eutrophication in shallow lakes in southeast China.