Vulnerability of diatom communities in the Peace–Athabasca Delta to environmental change

PeerJ

article

Stephanie J. Connor¹  Alexa C. Alexander-Trusiak²  Donald J. Baird² 

[1] Canadian Rivers Institute, Department of Biology, University of New Brunswick;Environment and Climate Change Canada, Department of Biology and Canadian Rivers Institute, University of New Brunswick

关键词: Diatoms;    Acidification;    Resource development;    Wetlands;    Environmental change;    Drought;   

DOI  :  10.7717/peerj.5447

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Inra

【 摘 要 】

Habitat degradation associated with resource development is a major ecological concern, particularly in Canada’s boreal zone where limited information on biodiversity is available. Habitat degradation can lead to reductions in biodiversity and ecosystem function, especially when drivers of variability and diversity patterns have not been identified for a region of interest. In this study, the distribution of diatom genera in the Peace–Athabasca Delta in northeastern Alberta was examined in relation to seasonal, geographic, and alkalinity gradients. Grab samples of six abiotic variables (total dissolved nitrogen, total dissolved phosphorus, dissolved iron, turbidity, pH, and specific conductance (SPC)) were taken from 12 remote wetlands over three sampling periods, and regressed against an ordination of diatom community composition to identify key environmental drivers of diatom community variation. Indirect gradient analysis identified two major gradients among sites. First, separation of sites among sampling periods showed successional seasonal changes in diatom community composition. Second, separation of sites from the Peace sub-delta and Birch sub-delta showed a gradient of geographic separation. Direct gradient analysis failed to explain the underlying drivers of these two gradients, but did show that alkalinity is a key driver of diatom community composition in the Embarras sub-delta, and that these sites could be particularly vulnerable to community changes associated with acidification.

【 授权许可】

CC BY