Terrestrial organic matter input suppresses biomass production in lake ecosystems

• Published in: Ecology (Durham) 2015-11, Vol.96 (11), p.2870-2876
• Main Authors: Karlsson, Jan, Bergström, Ann-Kristin, Byström, Pär, Gudasz, Cristian, Rodríguez, Patricia, Hein, Catherine
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 1962; 1988; 1994; 1995; 1996; 1997; 1998; 2004; 2005; 2007; 2011; 2012; 2014; allochthonous organic matter; Anal Chim Acta; Animals; ANNUAL REVIEW OF ECOLOGY AND SYSTEMATICS; Aquatic ecosystems; Biomass; Biomass production; boreal lakes; Brackish; Carbon - chemistry; Carbon - metabolism; Dissolved organic carbon; ECOLOGY; ECOLOGY LETTERS; Ecosystem; ECOSYSTEMS; ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEWS; Fishes - physiology; FRESHWATER BIOLOGY; Freshwater ecology; Freshwater fishes; Freshwater Reviews; GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY; GOTHENBURG; Journal of Geophysical Research (Biogeosciences); JUN 26-30; lake ecosystem; Lakes; Lentic systems; LGIORGIO PA; Limnology; LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY; Marine ecology; NATURE COMMUNICATIONS; OIKOS; Organic matter; P1011 lomon Christopher T; P1040 rlsson J; P1042 dasz Cristian; P1115 rggren Martin; P141 rsson L; P163 pelberg M; P1691 asko Ashley D; P173 nstad Anders G; P1947; P203 rsson L; P289 rlsson Jan; P2931 nes Stuart E; P31 lis GA; P36 rpenter SR; P37 gesten G; P401 ehl S; P526 rlsson J; P538 rlsson Jan; P73 helker J; P772 nentzap Andrew J; P900 rane Jan-Erik; productivity; rphy J; subsidy; Sweden; t-OC; Terrestrial ecosystems; terrestrial organic carbon, t-OC; terrestrial organic rbon; Umea; Umeå, Sweden; V10; V116; V117; V17; V20; V27; V28; V39; V43; V49; V50; V57; V77; V85; V86; V92; V95; WATER AIR AND SOIL POLLUTION5th International Conference on Acidic Deposition - ience and Policy: Acid Reign 95; Zooplankton; Zooplankton - physiology
• ISSN: 0012-9658; 1939-9170; 1939-9170
• DOI: 10.1890/15-0515.1

Terrestrial ecosystems export large amounts of organic carbon (t-OC) but the net effect of this OC on the productivity of recipient aquatic ecosystems is largely unknown. In this study of boreal lakes, we show that the relative contribution of t-OC to individual top consumer (fish) biomass production, and to most of their potential prey organisms, increased with the concentration of dissolved organic carbon (DOC; dominated by t-OC sources) in water. However, the biomass and production of top consumers decreased with increasing concentration of DOC, despite their substantial use (up to 60%) of t-OC. Thus, the results suggest that although t-OC supports individual consumer growth in lakes to a large extent, t-OC input suppresses rather than subsidizes population biomass production.