Publication Details |
| Category | Text Publication |
| Reference Category | Journals |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2024.132463 |
| Title (Primary) | Hydrological variation drives changes in food web structure and ecosystem function with potential hysteresis in a large temperate shallow lake |
| Author | Xue, Y.; Kong, X.; Mao, Z.; Zhang, C.; Xue, B.; Shi, X.; Gu, X. |
| Source Titel | Journal of Hydrology |
| Year | 2025 |
| Department | SEEFO |
| Volume | 650 |
| Page From | art. 132463 |
| Language | englisch |
| Topic | T5 Future Landscapes |
| Supplements | https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0022169424018596-mmc1.docx |
| Keywords | Water level fluctuations; Food web structure; Ecosystem function; Alternative stable states; ECOPATH; PCLake |
| Abstract | Hydrological variations in shallow temperate lakes act as sensitive barometers to climate change, affecting a broad spectrum of lake food web structure and function and may ultimately lead to ecological critical transitions. Yet, few investigations have described the effects of hydrological variations on the ecosystem scale due to the requirements of extensive field data and mechanistic modeling tools. Here, we investigated the long-term ecosystem dynamics in the largest freshwater lake in northern China (Lake Hulun) from the 1980 s to the 2010 s, which experienced substantial water level fluctuations (WLFs) with an approximate 4 m drop and then recovery over 5 years. We first established three steady-state food web models using ECOPATH corresponding to distinct hydrological conditions: 1982 (Wet), 2009 (Dry), and 2014 (Re-wet). The model suggests that the food web shifted from a pyramid to a truncated shape, with a significant loss of top predators and an increasing share of primary producers. This structural shift led to altered energy transfer efficiencies between trophic levels, suggesting an energy “short circuit” and an overall increase in ecosystem immaturity. These findings demonstrate that the lake suffers from a critical transition following the gradual change from wet to dry conditions and does not recover after re-wetting. Further, scenario analyses in PCLake determined that WLFs significantly altered the ecosystem state compared to the stable water level. Notably, despite the recovery of water level, ecosystem restoration was not achieved, pointing to a potential hysteresis response of the ecosystem to WLFs. Nevertheless, we would like to point out that the results of modeling analysis should be interpreted with caution, which serves as guiding hypothesis that requires further validation from more field observations. We summarized our findings by proposing a novel conceptual framework suggesting a hysteresis response to interannual WLFs in temperate shallow lake ecosystems. Our study reveals that the WLFs may have a much stronger and more persistent impact on lake ecosystems than previously anticipated, thus more attention is warranted on the associations between hydrological variation and ecosystem dynamics for lake management in a changing environment. |
| Persistent UFZ Identifier | https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=30128 |
| Xue, Y., Kong, X., Mao, Z., Zhang, C., Xue, B., Shi, X., Gu, X. (2025): Hydrological variation drives changes in food web structure and ecosystem function with potential hysteresis in a large temperate shallow lake J. Hydrol. 650 , art. 132463 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2024.132463 |
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