Patterns of long-term dynamics of aquatic communities and water quality parameters in the Great Lakes: Are they synchronized?

Katya E. Kovalenko; Euan D Reavie; Richard P. Barbiero; Lyubov E. Burlakova; Alexander Y. Karatayev; Lars G. Rudstam; James Watkins

doi:10.1016/j.jglr.2018.05.018

Patterns of long-term dynamics of aquatic communities and water quality parameters in the Great Lakes: Are they synchronized?

Katya E. Kovalenko, Euan D Reavie, Richard P. Barbiero, Lyubov E. Burlakova, Alexander Y. Karatayev, Lars G. Rudstam, James Watkins

Natural Resources Research Institute

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

18 Scopus citations

Abstract

Long time series data can provide insights into dynamics of large lakes. We use the USEPA-GLNPO biological monitoring dataset (phytoplankton, benthos, zooplankton and water quality), collected from 1996 through 2016, to identify whether there is evidence of concordant linear or non-linear trends in community composition, density/biomass/biovolume and major environmental parameters. We show changes in biotic assemblages and water quality variables, particularly in Lakes Michigan and Huron. These include changes in phytoplankton biovolume and zooplankton biomass, increasing invasive Dreissena abundance and decreasing densities of other benthos. Biotic changes are accompanied by pronounced changes in water quality and nutrient ratios. Species change-points, identified using threshold indicator taxon analysis, are often less abrupt, but there are clear shifts in a large proportion of species in each assemblage. The concordance of breakpoints among assemblages or lack thereof provides valuable insight into potential drivers of ecosystem change.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	660-669
Number of pages	10
Journal	Journal of Great Lakes Research
Volume	44
Issue number	4
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jglr.2018.05.018
State	Published - Aug 2018

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This study was supported by a grant to University of Minnesota Duluth from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under Cooperative Agreement GL-00E23101-2 and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) Cooperative Agreement to Cornell University and Buffalo State College ( GL 00E01184-0 ). The research described in this article has not been subjected to U.S. EPA review. Any opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. EPA. Any use of trade, product or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. EPA. We are grateful to the captains and crews of the R/V Lake Guardian and previous research groups (University of Michigan and University of Wisconsin-Superior) that contributed to the data presented in this paper. Data used in this study are available upon request from E. Reavie, L. Burlakova and L. Rudstam. This is publication number xxx of the Natural Resources Research Institute, University of Minnesota Duluth. We are very grateful to the team of Guest Editors of this Special Issue for inviting this submission. We thank Dr. Hinchey and two anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 International Association for Great Lakes Research

Keywords

Community thresholds
Multi-assemblage breakpoints
Random Forests
Water quality
Zebra mussels

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Publisher link

10.1016/j.jglr.2018.05.018

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Cite this

@article{88887ceb7a67433fb9b9652d657525ac,

title = "Patterns of long-term dynamics of aquatic communities and water quality parameters in the Great Lakes: Are they synchronized?",

abstract = "Long time series data can provide insights into dynamics of large lakes. We use the USEPA-GLNPO biological monitoring dataset (phytoplankton, benthos, zooplankton and water quality), collected from 1996 through 2016, to identify whether there is evidence of concordant linear or non-linear trends in community composition, density/biomass/biovolume and major environmental parameters. We show changes in biotic assemblages and water quality variables, particularly in Lakes Michigan and Huron. These include changes in phytoplankton biovolume and zooplankton biomass, increasing invasive Dreissena abundance and decreasing densities of other benthos. Biotic changes are accompanied by pronounced changes in water quality and nutrient ratios. Species change-points, identified using threshold indicator taxon analysis, are often less abrupt, but there are clear shifts in a large proportion of species in each assemblage. The concordance of breakpoints among assemblages or lack thereof provides valuable insight into potential drivers of ecosystem change.",

keywords = "Community thresholds, Multi-assemblage breakpoints, Random Forests, Water quality, Zebra mussels",

author = "Kovalenko, {Katya E.} and Reavie, {Euan D} and Barbiero, {Richard P.} and Burlakova, {Lyubov E.} and Karatayev, {Alexander Y.} and Rudstam, {Lars G.} and James Watkins",

note = "Funding Information: This study was supported by a grant to University of Minnesota Duluth from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under Cooperative Agreement GL-00E23101-2 and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) Cooperative Agreement to Cornell University and Buffalo State College ( GL 00E01184-0 ). The research described in this article has not been subjected to U.S. EPA review. Any opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. EPA. Any use of trade, product or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. EPA. We are grateful to the captains and crews of the R/V Lake Guardian and previous research groups (University of Michigan and University of Wisconsin-Superior) that contributed to the data presented in this paper. Data used in this study are available upon request from E. Reavie, L. Burlakova and L. Rudstam. This is publication number xxx of the Natural Resources Research Institute, University of Minnesota Duluth. We are very grateful to the team of Guest Editors of this Special Issue for inviting this submission. We thank Dr. Hinchey and two anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2018 International Association for Great Lakes Research",

year = "2018",

month = aug,

doi = "10.1016/j.jglr.2018.05.018",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "44",

pages = "660--669",

journal = "Journal of Great Lakes Research",

issn = "0380-1330",