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Spatial distribution of subfossil Chironomidae in surface sediments of a large, shallow and hypertrophic lake (Taihu, SE China)

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Abstract

Spatial heterogeneity of benthic communities has clear implications for estimating lake production, biodiversity as well as identifying representative sites for palaeolimnological studies. This study investigates chironomid variability and the controlling factors (i.e., environmental and spatial variables) in surface sediments from Taihu Lake (2,338 km2), a hypertrophic lake in the Yangtze delta in eastern China. The spatial distribution of chironomids shows distinct heterogeneity. Microchironomus tabarui-type and Tanypus dominate the midge communities around the estuaries, while Cricotopus sylvestris-type and Polypedilum nubifer-type are the predominant taxa in the East Bays and the East Taihu Lake. Redundancy analysis was used for exploring the relationships between chironomid variability and environmental and spatial stressors. Four variables were identified as significant factors that influence chironomid community structures. The high nutrient concentrations around the estuarial areas favor the development of nutrient-tolerant taxa. Water depth-related oxygen depletion in the open lake during algae blooms prohibits the survival of many organisms, except for a few hypoxic-resistant species. High transparency in the East Bays and the East Taihu Lake indirectly creates a favorite microhabitat for macrophyte-associated chironomid species through aquatic plants. Space per se is a significant forcing factor for organism community and distribution at scales of >1,000 km2. It might be important to consider spatial variables more explicitly in future studies of chironomids in large lakes where multiple stressors make the interactions within the ecosystem more complicated. This study aims to illustrate the ecological characteristics of specific chironomid taxa related to a “microecosystem” which is contributed by the multiple environmental gradients within a large lake, and to provide empirical support for interpretation of palaeochironomid data.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (No: 2008CB418103, 2012CB956100), the Knowledge Innovation Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (kzcx2-yw-319) and National Natural Science Foundation of China (41072267). We thank Dr. Yunlin Zhang and Dr. Xuhui Dong for their help on the preparation of this manuscript, and two anonymous referees for comments which helped improve the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, People’s Republic of China

    Yanmin Cao, Enlou Zhang & Ji Shen

  2. Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, People’s Republic of China

    Yanmin Cao

  3. Faculty of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, People’s Republic of China

    Xu Chen

  4. Department of Geography, Loughborough University, Loughborough, LE11 3TU, UK

    N. John Anderson

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  1. Yanmin Cao
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  2. Enlou Zhang
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  5. Ji Shen
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Correspondence to Enlou Zhang.

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Cao, Y., Zhang, E., Chen, X. et al. Spatial distribution of subfossil Chironomidae in surface sediments of a large, shallow and hypertrophic lake (Taihu, SE China). Hydrobiologia 691, 59–70 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-012-1030-3

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