Biogeography and ecology of freshwater chrysophyte cysts in Finland

Abstract

The occurrence of various chrysophyte cyst morphotypes is unknown in Finland, with the exception of a few isolated lake studies. We set out to chart which cyst types are found in Finland and what their ecological preferences are, focusing on cyst-air temperature relationships that could be further utilized in reconstructing past winter/spring air temperatures and ice-free periods from sedimentary cyst assemblages. Surface sediment samples from lakes across Finland were analysed for their chrysophyte stomatocyst assemblages. Multivariate ecological techniques (e.g. canonical correspondence analysis, principal component analysis) were used to identify the environmental variables that most strongly affected the distribution of the cysts. This survey expanded the known geographical range for several cyst types. Lake water pH and ice-free periods (surrogate for air temperature) explained the statistically significant distribution and composition of the cyst assemblages studied. The results broaden our knowledge of cyst biogeography and strengthen the findings of previous studies of the environmental factors contributing to the occurrence of cysts. Highly variable and rich chrysophyte cyst assemblages in Finland are clearly associated with temperature, pH, electrical conductivity and total phosphorus, with good potential in contemporary and retrospective environmental assessment.