High-amplitude fluctuations and alternative dynamical states of midges in Lake Myvatn

Anthony R. Ives (), Árni Einarsson, Vincent A. A. Jansen and Arnthor Gardarsson
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Anthony R. Ives: University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
Árni Einarsson: Myvatn Research Station and Institute of Biology, University of Iceland, Sturlugata 7, IS-101 Reykjavik, Iceland
Vincent A. A. Jansen: School of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX, UK
Arnthor Gardarsson: Myvatn Research Station and Institute of Biology, University of Iceland, Sturlugata 7, IS-101 Reykjavik, Iceland

Nature, 2008, vol. 452, issue 7183, 84-87

Abstract: Feast or famine Iceland's Lake Myvatn ecosystem is remarkable in that it is so dominated by a single species. Myvatn translates as 'midge lake', and it is the midge Tanytarsus gracilentus that dominates, comprising two-thirds of the lake's secondary productivity. Midge numbers undergo extreme fluctuations of almost six orders of magnitude with an irregular period of 4 to 7 years. A new analysis of 25 years of population monitoring shows that this phenomenon can be explained by alternative dynamical states with the amplitude of the fluctuations set by small subsidies of food entering the habitat. Small decreases in food supply due to human disturbances could explain recent increases in midge fluctuations. In conservation terms, midge populations are inherently unpredictable and are much more vulnerable to small disturbances in the lake than was expected. The Lake Myvatn midges illustrate the fundamental complexities of natural ecosystems and the difficulties in managing them. The cover shows mating swarms of male midges waiting for females to join them.

Date: 2008
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DOI: 10.1038/nature06610

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