Varied impact of land use on water and sediment parameters in fish ponds of the Dombes agro-ecosystem,France

Abstract

Agricultural land use in the area of water bodies is generally considered to increase the nutrient status of the water body water and sediments, but is this also the case for already nutrient-rich fish ponds? We studied 83 fish ponds in the Dombes region, France, where 1100 ponds are located in a heterogeneous agricultural landscape. Different water and sediment parameters were analysed for ponds and in ditches after rainfall events. Land use was studied in the primary catchment of ponds and in a 100-m zone around ponds. Soil parameters of different land-use types were analysed and farmers interviewed about agricultural practices. Increasing cropping area in the catchment of the ponds is significantly correlated to higher PO₄ ^3- concentration of pond water and to a lower degree, also to NO₃ ^?, but only in certain years with higher rainfall and with a more uneven distribution in spring. Sediment parameters were not significantly influenced. High NO₃- concentration in the water of a ditch during significant rainfall events was found for a cropland dominated catchment.

Citation Wezel, A., Arthaud, F., Dufloux, C., Renoud, F., Vallod, D., Robin, J., and Sarrazin, B., 2013. Varied impact of land use on water and sediment parameters in fish ponds of the Dombes agro-ecosystem, France. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 58 (4), 854–871.     

The conservation of small water reservoirs in the Krajeńskie Lakeland (North-West Poland)

This study comprised an inventory of vascular plants in 450 small water reservoirs (up to 1 ha in size). Most water bodies (76%) in the study area (Krajeńskie Lakeland, NW, Poland) were located in an agricultural landscape, typical of the region. A total of 576 species of vascular plants were recorded. Of these, about 76% were native species, 34 taxa were listed as legally protected in Poland and endangered in the region (Western Pomerania) or in Poland. 201 plant communities were identified, including 128 associations.Depending on the surrounding habitat, the following groups of ponds were identified: (1) mid-forest ponds; (2) mid-wetland ponds; ponds between arable fields, including (3) water basins with wide, well developed ecotone zones and (4) ponds with narrow or disturbed contact zones; and (5) ponds in urban areas. 30 ponds of each type were compared in detail. Differentiation and plant species richness of small water reservoirs was dependent on landscape type. The richest ponds were located within fields but isolated from their surroundings by a natural belt of rushes or trees, whilst mid-forest ponds were the poorest. Valorization was based on the presence of valuable flora (e.g. native, rare, and endangered species) and plant communities. This revealed that mid-forest and mid-wetland ponds were the most natural, while ponds in urban areas were the most strongly transformed.Ponds in the study area (n = 450) were also analysed for anthropogenic impacts. Anthropogenic stressors were observed in 51% of ponds. The most serious threats to the ponds of the Krajeńskie Lakeland were deterioration due to drainage and eutrophication. Over 35% of ponds were connected to a network of drainage ditches, with the highest percentage (57.1%) found in mid-forest ponds type.     

Water age in stormwater management ponds and stormwater management pond-treated catchments

Expansion of impervious surface cover results in “flashy” hydrologic response, elevated flood risk, and degraded water quality in urban watersheds. Stormwater management ponds (SWMPs) are often engineered into stream networks to mitigate these issues. A clearer understanding of how water is stored and released from SWMPs and SWMP-treated catchments is required to better represent these engineered systems in hydrological and water quality models of urban and urbanizing watersheds. Stable water isotopes were used to compare water age in SWMPs and SWMP-treated catchments in an urbanizing watershed. We sampled water biweekly from two SWMPs and five stream sites with varying land cover and stormwater control in their catchments. Two inverse transit time proxies (damping ratio and young water fraction) were computed along with the mean transit time (MTT) by sine–wave fitting for each SWMP and stream site using the δ¹⁸O and δ²H data. Water entering the SWMPs was consistently older (224 and 177 days) than water in or exiting the ponds (ranging from 46 to 91 days and 39 to 67 days, respectively). This finding is likely due to a combination of groundwater infiltration into broken sewer pipes that transport water into the ponds and a bias toward baseflow sampling. At the catchment scale, detention provided by SWMPs was not found to be more significant than the interactive effects of impervious cover, surficial geology, land use proportions, and catchment size in determining MTT. Overall, surficial geology explained the most variation in MTT among the seven sites. This study illustrates the potential for isotope-based approaches of water age to provide information on individual SWMP functioning and the influence of SWMPs on catchment-scale water movement.     

Climate change and agricultural pollution effects on the trophic status of a Mediterranean lake

Trichonis Lake is the largest natural freshwater body in Greece with a surface area of 97 km². It receives pollutants from numerous anthropogenic activities, especially from intensive agricultural practices, urban sewages, stock grazing land and small industries. In this study, hydrologic and chemical parameters are assessed during two periods (1990–1991) and (2001–2002) to evaluate the effects of the climatic changes on phosphorous trends and consequently on the trophic status of Trichonis Lake. Even though large quantities of fertilizers are applied in the lake's catchment, phosphorus loads are still in the permissible level as estimated according to Vollenweider's relationship based on total phosphorus concentration. Due to relatively higher rainfall precipitation during the last years, an increased amount of the phosphorus entering into the lake system is flushed out, thus keeping the trophic status of the lake in oligotrophic levels. In contrast, lower rainfall rates during the first period (1990–1991) have led to the decrease in phosphorus flush out and its detainment into the lake water and sediment resulting to mesotrophic conditions. As the trophic status of the lake is mainly hydrologically dependent and thus unpredictable, effective management plans targeting the elimination of nutrient pollution loadings are necessary.     

Biological Analysis of Water Quality in the Noril'sko-Pyasinskaya System

The results of studying the concentration of chlorophyll in the water suspension (analysis of biomass, number, and species composition of phyto- and zooplankton) are used to estimate the trophic characteristics and saprobity of water bodies and streams of the Noril'sko-Pyasinskaya System. It has been found that during the period of the most intense operation of the Noril'sk Mining and Metallurgical Plant, the minimum values of plankton number and biomass become typical of the southern part of Pyasino Lake. The state of biota during extraordinary late spring flood and especially cold trans-polar summer has been studied.     

The role of land surface versus drainage network characteristics in controlling water quality and quantity in a small urban watershed

The processes that control run‐off quantity and quality in urban watersheds are complex and not well understood. Although impervious surface coverage has traditionally been used to examine altered hydrologic response in urban watersheds, several studies suggest that other elements of the urban landscape, particularly those associated with urban infrastructure and the drainage system, play an equally important role. The relative importance of impervious surfaces, stormwater ponds, expansion of the drainage network, and drainage network structures in controlling hydrologic response was examined in the subwatersheds of the Kromma Kill, an urban watershed located in Albany County, NY. In this study, geographic information systems was used to compute geospatial land surface and drainage network properties of 5 Kromma Kill subwatersheds. In these same subwatersheds, water quantity (rainfall and run‐off) and quality (macroinvertebrates, nitrate, total nitrogen, dissolved oxygen, total dissolved solids, and nonpurgable organic carbon) parameters were measured. Strong and significant correlations were identified between land surface and drainage network properties and field observations. Causal relationships were then tested using the Environmental Protection Agency's Stormwater Management Model. Field and model analyses suggest that whereas percent imperviousness is a dominant control on water quality, drainage density and slope are equally important. However, for water quantity, whereas imperviousness is positively correlated with increased run‐off volumes, drainage network properties and slope are the dominant controls on run‐off volumes. Results have important implications for stormwater management plans, especially those aimed at reducing the effective impervious surface coverage of urban watersheds. Reducing the percentage of effective imperviousness in a watershed is not a “one size fits all” solution and can help to meet some management objectives, such as reducing nitrogen concentrations and improving water quality, but may not serve as the most effective, and therefore economical, solution for every management objective including reducing run‐off volumes.     

Significance of Pigment Characteristics of Phytoplankton in Water Quality Estimating

Data on water bodies with different trophic status in the Upper Volga basin are used to analyze the relationship between the algological and pigment characteristics of blue-green alga development. The examined relationships for the phytoplankton of highly eutrophic Lake Nero are shown to feature higher correlation coefficients as compared with meso- and mesoeutrophic reservoirs.     

The use of satellite data to characterize phytoplankton in Sea of Okhotsk water

For the identification of natural processes taking place in surface water layer in the Sea of Okhotsk and nearby water areas, satellite data were used to determine seasonal variations of chlorophyll “a” concentration and the problem of water typification by satellite data in the visible light range was solved. Analysis of the annual cycle of phytoplankton concentration variations confirmed the presence of a short explosion in phytoplankton population in the southern Sea of Okhotsk during ice cover formation, which had been predicted before by model calculations. Classes of water reflecting different geoenvironmental situations were identified for characteristic regions of the Sea of Okhotsk. The dependences of chlorophyll “a” concentration growth on temperature were calculated, and corrections were introduced in the standard relationships used in biooptic algorithms for different parts of the Sea of Okhotsk.     

Effects of Watershed Land Use and Lake Morphometry on the Trophic State of Chinese Lakes: Implications for Eutrophication Control

Water quality in lakes is influenced by a large number of watershed and lake characteristics. In this study, we examined the relative effects of watershed land use and lake morphology on the trophic state of 19 lakes in the Yunnan plateau and lower Yangtze floodplain, the two most eutrophic regions in China. Trophic state parameters consisted of total nitrogen, total phosphorus, chemical oxygen demand, chlorophyll‐a, Secchi depth, and trophic state index, while lake morphometric variables included area, maximum depth, mean depth, water residence time (WRT), volume, and length to width ratio. Percentages of forest, grassland, cropland, unused land, built‐up land, and water body in each lake's watershed were extracted from a land use map interpreted from Landsat TM images. A t‐test indicated that lower Yangtze floodplain lakes were shallower and had higher percentages of cropland and built‐up land in watersheds than Yunnan plateau lakes. Pearson's correlation analysis indicated that both watershed land use and lake morphometric variables were significantly related to most of the trophic state parameters. However, stepwise regression analyses demonstrated that the trophic state of the lower Yangtze floodplain lakes was mainly controlled by the percentages of cropland and built‐up land in watersheds, while that of Yunnan plateau lakes was mostly determined by the lake depth and WRT. These results suggest that the relative effects of watershed land use and lake morphology on lake trophic state are dependent on the lake's location. This study can provide some useful information in watershed land use management for controlling eutrophication in Chinese lakes.     

Assessing the trophic state of water bodies by high-resolution remote spectrometry in visible band

Analysis is presented of many-year spectrometric data in the visible band of electromagnetic spectrum collected for the Don R., including the Tsimlyansk Reservoir in 2010–2013 with a period of ~15 days. An algorithm has been proposed for separating spectral brightness coefficient of the rising radiation from water into six categories. A nomenclature scale of the trophic status of water bodies has been constructed. The obtained scale coincides with the nomenclature scales constructed by chlorophyll a concentration for water bodies under different physiographic conditions. The unquestioning advantage of remote sensing methods for assessing water body (WB) trophic status is emphasized, i.e., the possibility to carry out real-time studies within minutes at high representativeness of the results with respect to the examined aquatic ecosystem.     

Impacts of meteorological variations on urban lake water quality: a sensitivity analysis for 12 urban lakes with different trophic states

Response of 12 urban lakes with different trophic states in Beijing to variations of meteorological factors was studied in this research. Monthly water quality parameters, including total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), chlorophyll a, chemical oxygen demand (COD), biological oxygen demand (BOD), dissolved oxygen, and water temperature, were analyzed from 2009 to 2011. Results indicated that TN in the urban lakes did not exhibit significant response to meteorological variations owing to relatively lower TN concentration in the urban soil. For the highly eutrophic lakes, TP, chlorophyll a, COD, and BOD were positively correlated with precipitation, and negatively correlated with wind speed (p < 0.05). Chlorophyll a showed significant positive correlation with TP and temperature. Moreover, the abrupt increase of TP occurred in spring, which was associated with higher temperature induced internal phosphorus loading. On average, temperature/precipitation and wind speed/sunshine duration contributed to 10.7–43.8 and 8.3–19.2 % of the variations in water quality. In contrast, lakes with mesotrophication/light eutrophication did not show significant sensitivity to meteorological variations owing to their better buffer capacity and regulation effect of algae growth. Beijing is undergoing increased temperature and heavy rainfall frequency as well as decreased wind speed during the past five decades; the above results infer that water quality of most urban lakes of Beijing is becoming worse under this climate change trend. This study suggested that urban lakes with different trophic states will respond differently to global climate change, and highly eutrophic lakes might face big challenges of water quality deterioration and algae bloom.     

How much information do we gain from multiple-year sampling in natural pond research?

Natural ponds are perceived as spatially and temporally highly variable ecosystems. This perception is in contrast to the often-applied sampling design with high spatial but low temporal replication. Based on a data set covering a period of six years and 20 permanently to periodically inundated ponds, we investigated whether this widely applied sampling design is sufficient to identify differences between single ponds or single years with regard to water quality and macrophyte community composition as measures of ecosystem integrity.In our study, the factor “pond”, which describes differences between individual ponds, explained 56 % and 63 %, respectively, of the variance in water quality and macrophyte composition. In contrast, the factor “year” that refers to changes between individual years, contributed less to understand the observed variability in water quality and macrophyte composition (10 % and 7 % respectively, of the variance explained). The low explanation of variance for “year” and the low year-to-year correlation for the single water quality parameter or macrophyte coverage values, respectively, indicated high but non-consistent temporal variability affecting individual pond patterns.In general, the results largely supported the ability of the widely applied sampling strategy with about one sampling date per year to capture differences in water quality and macrophyte community composition between ponds. Hence, future research can be rest upon sampling designs that give more weight to the number of ponds than the number of years in dependence on the research question and the available resources. Nonetheless, pond research would miss a substantial amount of information (7 to 10 % of the variance explained), when the sampling would generally be restricted to one year. Moreover, we expect that the importance of multiple-year sampling will likely increase in periods and regions of higher hydrological variability compared to the average hydrological conditions encountered in the studied period.     

邛海入湖河流水质及其湖区响应特征(2011—2021年)

邛海是云贵高原水域面积>25 km²的11个天然湖泊之一。基于邛海入湖河流与湖区水质监测数据,揭示入湖河流水质特征,并探究其湖区响应。结果表明:2021年,邛海入湖河流水质空间异质性显著,且分为自然型、农业型和城镇型3种类型河流。官坝河等3条自然型河流水质优良,而高仓河等8条城镇型和农业型河流(R4～R11)水质较差,污染物浓度超标严重。2011—2021年,邛海主要入湖河流(官坝河、鹅掌河、小青河)的营养盐浓度呈下降或先增加后下降趋势,水质逐渐改善。流域土地利用变化是导致邛海入湖河流水质空间异质性的主要因素,同时也是河流水质在2011—2021年改善的原因之一。受湖泊水文环境与入湖河流污染类型影响,2017—2021年邛海湖区水环境及其与河流水质响应关系差异性明显:高枧湾水域(L5)水深浅、水环境容量小,主要受纳城镇污水,因而湖区营养盐与叶绿素a浓度高,在2021年达富营养状态;官坝河、鹅掌河与小青河入湖影响区(L1～L3)与小渔村(L4)水域湖水深、水环境容量大,污染物浓度与营养状态指数低,但因汇入的河流污染类型不同,湖区营养水平与河流水质响应存在季节性...     

The conversion of natural riparian forests into agricultural land affects ecological processes in Atlantic forest streams

Agricultural practices affect the integrity of riparian areas of small streams. In this study we tested the hypothesis that the increase of agricultural activities influences negatively the functional conditions of the low order streams in the Atlantic forest of southern Brazil. Litter bags with leaves of Nectandra megapotamica (Spreng.) Mez were located in eight streams with different amounts of woody vegetation and agriculture land uses in their riparian zones. After 7, 15 and 30 days, the litter bags were removed for identification of associated invertebrates and determination of decomposition rate. Decomposition rates were negatively influenced by agriculture in the riparian zone while primary production was positively influenced. On the other hand, the decomposition mediated by microorganisms did not vary along the degradation gradient. The abundance of collectors increased in streams adjacent to agricultural land while the abundance of shredders was decreased. Our results showed that algae biomass and leaf decomposition were sensitive to the replacement of native vegetation by agricultural use. However, the trophic structure of invertebrates was moderately sensitive to agricultural land use.     

Phytoplankton pigments as ecological state indices of the Cheboksary Reservoir

Data on the composition and content of plant pigments in water of the Cheboksary Reservoir collected in 1985–2005 are used to analyze the seasonal dynamics and spatial distribution of phytoplankton at different stages of reservoir life. A trophic burst could be distinctly seen in the reservoir in 1985, manifesting itself in exceedingly high (198 ± 41 μg/l) concentrations of photosynthetic pigment chlorophyll. In the process of ecosystem stabilization, chlorophyll concentration significantly dropped to vary from 8.2 ± 1.5 to 45.1 ± 21.0 μg/l in 1989–2005. The reservoir, located in a region subject to high anthropogenic load, has acquired the features of an eutrophic water body immediately after its creation and its trophic status remains unchanged all over its existence.     

Nutrient dynamics in water and sediment of Mediterranean ponds across a wide hydroperiod gradient

In Mediterranean ponds, summer drought enhances seasonality whose intensity varies along topographic and climatic gradients. The alternation of wet and dry periods in rain dependent ponds affects their biogeochemistry and differentiates them from ponds fed by more stable water sources, such as groundwater springs. Superimposed onto this, land use is also a very strong factor of variability. In this study we compared nutrients and organic matter concentrations, in water and in sediment, among different types of Mediterranean ponds based on the source of water, hydroperiod and land use. Forty-three ponds were sampled in Eastern Spain corresponding to five pond types: (1) permanent spring ponds in lowlands, (2) permanent spring ponds in mountains, (3) semi-permanent rain ponds, (4) temporary rain ponds with long hydroperiod and (5) temporary rain ponds with short hydroperiod.The results of this study indicate relevant differences among these pond types. The temporary rain ponds with short hydroperiod are characterized by high turbidity due to suspension of sediment particles rich in phosphorous adsorbed onto them (argillotrophic aquatic systems). They are used for watering domestic sheep that enhance sediment suspension by trampling. Total phosphorous (TP) concentrations in the water are high (like those of hypertrophic lakes), but planktonic chlorophyll a is very low and not correlated with TP, because of the low P-bioavailavility in the water. At the other extreme, we have permanent ponds in lowlands fed by groundwater springs. They are heavily loaded with nitrates due to the surrounding intensive agriculture. In these and other permanent/semipermanent ponds chlorophyll is highly correlated with TP. Sediment characteristics provide a good indication of the hydroperiod, since desiccation has important effects on biogeochemical transformations. A threshold of 5% organic matter (OM) in the sediment separates temporary ponds with a short hydroperiod from those with a long hydroperiod, and a threshold of 8% separates the later from the semi-permanent and permanent ponds. Besides OM reduction, important loss of N occurs during desiccation through mineralization, ammonia volatization and the sequential nitrification/denitrification pathway. On the other hand, the increase of organic P mineralization in dry sediments does not represent a loss of P from the system, since o-P remains adsorbed or bound onto the soil. This leads to a low TN/TP ratio in sediments in temporary ponds with short hydroperiod. These characteristics have to be taken into account when establishing pond typologies and ecological thresholds to assess water quality in these unique aquatic habitats.     

Reduced abundance but increased diversity of chironomid larvae under higher trophic pressure from fish in semi-permanent ponds

Fish may affect macrobenthic communities through trophic interactions and modification of habitat conditions. We compared the density, diversity and taxonomic composition of larval chironomids under low vs high fish impact, created by stocking semi-natural ponds with either young/small common carp Cyprinus carpio at low biomass densities or with high biomass densities of older/large common carp, supplemented by other cyprinids and predatory fish species.Over the study season, May–August, total chironomid abundance was considerably lower in ponds with high fish biomass than in low fish biomass ponds. In July–August larval densities declined significantly, irrespective of the fish status of the ponds. The composition of larval communities diverged between ponds with different fish status. Chironomus riparius and C. plumosus accounted for most of the observed dissimilarity. C. plumosus densities were not affected by the fish status of the pond, constituting on average >38 % of chironomid specimens in both types of ponds. C. riparius was abundant in ponds with low fish biomass (on average 30 %), but rare in ponds with high fish biomass (4 %). Other common taxa were Glyptotendipes pallens (15 % and 13 %, respectively) and Procladius sp. (14 % in ponds with low fish impact). Canonical correspondence analysis showed that fish biomass was more important in determining chironomid community composition than environmental variables indicative of pond eutrophication (total N, P, chlorophyll a and conductivity).Despite adverse effects on total abundance, chironomid diversity was higher under apparently stronger trophic pressure by fish. Fish may have relieved some chironomid species from invertebrate predation and competition with dominant Chironomus larvae. Other important drivers of chironomid assemblage and diversity patterns may include species-specific feeding modes and prey size selectivity of fish, the ability of chironomid larvae to attain size- and depth-refuge from small fish but not larger fish, and differential vulnerability of free-living and tube-dwelling larvae relative to ontogenetic niche shifts of fish.     

Influences of watershed landscape composition and configuration on lake‐water quality in the Yangtze River basin of China

Lake‐water quality is highly dependent on the landscape characteristics in its respective watershed. In this study, we investigated the relationships between lake‐water quality and landscape composition and configuration within the watershed in the Yangtze River basin of China. Water quality variables, including pH, electrical conductivity (EC), dissolved oxygen (DO), Secchi depth (SD), NO₂^?, NO₃^?, NH₄⁺, TN, TP, chemical oxygen demand (COD_Mn), chlorophyll‐a (Chl‐a), and trophic state index (TSI), were collected from 16 lakes during the period of 2001–2003. Landscape composition (i.e. the percentage of vegetation, agriculture, water, urban, and bare land) and landscape configuration metrics, including number of patches (NP), patch density (PD), largest patch index (LPI), edge density (ED), mean patch area (MPA), mean shape index (MSI), contagion (CONTAG), patch cohesion index (COHESION), Shannon's diversity index (SHDI), and aggregation index (AI), were calculated for each lake's watershed. Results revealed that the percentage of agriculture was negatively related to NO₂^?, TN, TP, Chl‐a concentrations, and TSI, while the percentage of urban was significantly correlated with EC, NH₄⁺, and COD_Mn concentrations. Among landscape‐level configuration metrics, only ED showed significant relationships with TN, TP concentrations, and TSI. However, at the class level, the PD, LPI, ED, and AI of agriculture and urban land uses were significantly correlated with two or more water quality variables. This study suggests that, for a given total area, large and clustered agricultural or urban patches in the watershed may have a greater impact on lake‐water quality than small and scattered ones. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Isotopic evidence of subtle nutrient enrichment in mangrove habitats of Golfo Dulce,Costa Rica

Mangroves are of great ecological and socio‐economic importance, yet they are under threat from urban development on the southern Pacific coast of Costa Rica. To test for possible nutrient‐related impacts, we compared water‐column nutrient concentrations, C and N stable isotope values and other environmental variables between mangroves with known sewage loading (three “nutrient loaded” locations) and those without such loading (three “reference” locations). Instantaneous nutrient concentrations were low at all locations, Secchi depth was greater at reference locations, and chlorophyll concentrations were higher at nutrient loaded mangroves. Suspended matter did not vary between reference and nutrient loaded mangroves, and nor did bivalve and algal δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values. Enrichment of δ¹⁵N and δ¹³C of red mangrove leaves at the nutrient loaded locations is attributed to pulsed inputs of materials that were not detected in the instantaneous nutrient data. We provide evidence of isotopic enrichment at nutrient loaded locations from mangrove material and recommend that adequate waste water treatment be carried out on all anthropogenic discharges into this vulnerable marine system.