Major changes in CO2 efflux when shallow lakes shift from a turbid to a clear water state

Abstract

Lakes can be sources or sinks of carbon, depending on local conditions. Recent studies have shown that the CO2 efflux increases when lakes recover from eutrophication, mainly as a result of a reduction in phytoplankton biomass, leading to less uptake of CO2 by producers. We hypothesised that lake restoration by removal of coarse fish (biomanipulation) or invasion of mussels would have a similar effect. We studied 14–22 year time series of five temperate Danish lakes and found profound effects on the calculated CO2 efflux of major shifts in ecosystem structure. In two lakes, where limited colonisation of submerged macrophytes occurred after biomanipulation or invasion of zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha), the efflux increased significantly with decreasing phytoplankton chlorophyll a. In three lakes with major interannual variation in macrophyte abundance, the efflux declined with increasing macrophyte abundance in two of the lakes, while no relation to macrophytes or chlorophyll a was found in the third lake, likely due to high groundwater input to this lake. We conclude that clearing water through invasive mussels or lake restoration by biomanipulation may increase the CO2 efflux from lakes. However, if submerged macrophytes establish and form dense beds, the CO2 efflux may decline again.