Seasonal diversity dynamics of a boreal zooplankton community under climate impact.

Seasonality and long-term environmental variability affect species diversity through their effects on the dynamics of species. To investigate such effects, we fitted a dynamic and heterogeneous species abundance model generating the lognormal species abundance distribution to an assemblage of freshwater zooplankton sampled five times a year (June-October) during the ice-free period over 28 years (1990-2017) in Lake Atnsjøen (Norway). By applying a multivariate stochastic community dynamics model for describing the fluctuations in abundances, we show that the community dynamics was driven by environmental variability in spring (i.e., June). In contrast, community-level ecological heterogeneity is highest in autumn. The autumn months (i.e., September and October) that rearranged the community are most likely crucial months to monitor long-term changes in community structure. Indeed, noises from early summer are filtered away, making it easier to track long-term changes. The community returned faster towards equilibrium when ecological heterogeneity was the highest (i.e., in September and October). This occurred because of stronger density-regulation in months with highest ecological heterogeneity. The community responded to the long-term warming of water temperature with decreasing species diversity and increasing abundance. Unevenness associated with variabilities in abundances might affect species interactions within the community. These can have consequences for the stability and functioning of the ecosystem.

Time series of freshwater macroinvertebrate abundances and site characteristics of European streams and rivers.

Freshwater macroinvertebrates are a diverse group and play key ecological roles, including accelerating nutrient cycling, filtering water, controlling primary producers, and providing food for predators. Their differences in tolerances and short generation times manifest in rapid community responses to change. Macroinvertebrate community composition is an indicator of water quality. In Europe, efforts to improve water quality following environmental legislation, primarily starting in the 1980s, may have driven a recovery of macroinvertebrate communities. Towards understanding temporal and spatial variation of these organisms, we compiled the TREAM dataset (Time seRies of European freshwAter Macroinvertebrates), consisting of macroinvertebrate community time series from 1,816 river and stream sites (mean length of 19.2 years and 14.9 sampling years) of 22 European countries sampled between 1968 and 2020. In total, the data include >93 million sampled individuals of 2,648 taxa from 959 genera and 212 families. These data can be used to test questions ranging from identifying drivers of the population dynamics of specific taxa to assessing the success of legislative and management restoration efforts.

Road effects on benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages in boreal headwater streams.

Roads constitute a worldwide network of ecological barriers traversing countless streams and rivers. A large fraction of the land area lies in close proximity to roads. Ecological effects of roads likely extend well beyond the road network, suggesting wide ranging impacts on lotic ecosystems. Road impacts are multifaceted including fragmentation, changing hydrology, sedimentation and pollution. Yet, the ecological impacts are incompletely documented. We examined the effects of roads traversing lotic ecosystems on the structure and function of benthic macroinvertebrates in small temperate headwater streams. Ecological effects differed between reaches upstream and downstream of roads compared to upstream and downstream reaches in control streams. Total macroinvertebrate density and mayfly density were lower downstream of roads than upstream of roads, but they were similar at downstream and upstream reaches of control streams. Species density, but not species richness, tended to be lower downstream than upstream of roads, likely due to the lower macroinvertebrate densities at downstream sites. There were no comparable effects in control streams. Species composition and species abundances differed between road impacted streams and control streams likely because streams that were traversed by roads selected for a different set of species compared to control streams as indicated by checkerboard distribution of species in streams that were traversed by roads. Functional impacts included a greater prevalence of predators in control streams, and a higher proportion of grazers and shredders in streams that were traversed by roads. The study is inconclusive regarding the mechanisms mediating the ecological impact of roads. The ecological effects are likely caused by a combination of factors including fragmentation, pollution and hydrological change among others. Given the vast global road network, the quantitative significance of road effects driving freshwater biodiversity loss may be highly underestimated especially in smaller headwater streams comprising the major part of fluvial ecosystems.

Does road salting confound the recovery of the microcrustacean community in an acidified lake?

Numerous boreal lakes across the Northern Hemisphere recovering from acidification are experiencing a simultaneous increase in chloride (Cl) concentrations from road salting. Increasing Cl may have profound effects on the lake ecosystem. We examine if an increase in Cl from road salting has modified the recovery of the microcrustacean community in an acidified boreal lake undergoing chemical recovery (study lake). Results from the study lake were compared with an acidified "reference lake". The community changed during the study period in the study lake mainly driven by the reduction in acidification pressure. Despite the community changes and an increase in species richness, the absence of several acid sensitive species, previously occurring in the lake, indicates a delayed biological recovery relative to the chemical recovery. Moreover, changes in occurrence of acid sensitive and acid tolerant species indicated that the biological recovery was slower in the study lake compared to the "reference". Although recurrent episodes of high aluminum and low pH and decreasing Ca are likely important factors for the delay, these do not explain, for instance, the shift from Cyclops scutifer to Bosmina longispina in the study lake. Although the contribution of Cl was not significant, the correlation between Cl and the variation in microcrustacean community was twice as high in the study lake compared to the "reference". We argue that small, sheltered forest lakes may be especially sensitive to increased Cl levels, through changes in pattern of stratification, thus providing a mechanism for the shift from C. scutifer to B. longispina. The reduction of the acidification pressure seems to override the Cl effects on microcrustaceans at low Cl levels in salt-affected lakes recovering from acidification. However, prognoses for growing traffic and increasing road salting raise concern for many recovering lakes located in proximity to roads and urbanized areas.