Characteristics of Phytoplankton Productivity in Three Typical Lake Zones of Taihu, China

Jin Wei (), Xiaonan Ji and Wei Hu
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Jin Wei: Shanghai Investigation, Design & Research Institute Co., Ltd., Shanghai 200050, China
Xiaonan Ji: Shanghai Investigation, Design & Research Institute Co., Ltd., Shanghai 200050, China
Wei Hu: Shanghai Investigation, Design & Research Institute Co., Ltd., Shanghai 200050, China

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 6, 1-12

Abstract: In lake aquatic ecosystems, which form the material and energy base of lakes, primary production is critical. The present study addresses the characteristics of primary phytoplankton productivity and its relationship with environmental physicochemical factors in three typical zones (algae-type, transition, and grass-type) of the eutrophic Lake Taihu. Seasonal sampling was conducted, and black–white bottle oxygen measurement was used to determine the primary productivity in different water layers in the lake. The results show obvious temporal and spatial differences in the physicochemical factors and phytoplankton productivity in Lake Taihu. The water column productivity and respiration conformed to the following seasonal descending order, summer > fall > spring > winter, and the following regional descending order, algae-type zone > transition zone > grass-type zone. The seasonal proportions of primary productivity were approximately 40% in the summer, 25% in the fall, 20% in the spring, and less than 15% in the winter. The highest values of water layer productivity and respiration were mainly at a depth of 0.2 m and decreased with the water depth. The percentage of productivity at different water layers was 23% (0 m), 31% (0.2 m), 23% (0.4 m), 11% (0.6 m), 7% (0.8 m), and 5% (1 m). The optical compensation depth for Lake Taihu was about 0.8 times the transparency (SD). Spearman correlation indicated that the temperature (T) and water depth (D) had an obvious impact on productivity in all three lake zones. Multiple stepwise regression suggested that T, D, SD, and chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) can be used to estimate productivity in different seasons/regions. The main influencing factors on phytoplankton productivity are T, D, Chl-a, and SD in the algae-type and transition zones and T, D, and total suspended solids (TSSs) in the grass-type zone.

Keywords: phytoplankton productivity; physicochemical factors; black–white bottle oxygen measurement; eutrophication; algae-type zone; grass-type zone (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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