Author(s): Vörös, L., Somogyi, B. & Boros, E.
Title: Birds cause net heterotrophy in shallow lakes
Year: 2008
Volume: 54
Pages: 23-34.
Abstract: Primary production, community respiration, and net C load from aquatic birds were studied in two Hungarian turbid soda pans during 2002. The studied water bodies were hypertrophic. The gross primary production/respiration (GPP/R) ratios were usually below 1, which indicated that these soda pans were net heterotrophic during the study period. The respiration did not correspond with the production but showed strong correlation with net carbon loading from aquatic birds, which pointed out the important role of allochtonous organic matter. Considering the relationship between bacterio- and phytoplankton, the studied soda ponds formed a separated group among lakes, which indicated that the bacterioplankton depends mainly on the net carbon load of aquatic birds instead of primary production. In spite of the well-accepted approach that lakes above 17 µg l–1 chlorophyll a concentration are net autotrophic, these hypertrophic soda pans (maximum chlorophyll a larger than 75 µg l–1) proved to be net heterotrophic. The main factor causing net heterotrophy in these shallow soda ponds is the large organic carbon load (14.8 g C m–2 year–1 in the “Kelemen-szék” pan and 35.6 g C m–2 year–1 in the “Zab-szék” pan) of aquatic birds.
Keywords: production, respiration, net heterotrophy, aquatic birds, soda pans
Journal: Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae
Journal abbreviation:
ISSN: 1217-8837
Publisher: Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest
Editor(s): Bakonyi, G., Mahunka, S., Papp, L., Báldi, A., Csuzdi, Cs., Forró, L., Andrikovics, S. & Kerekes, J.
