Biological and Ecological Features, Trophic Structure and Energy Flow in Meromictic Lakes

Case studies and typical examples for meromictic lakes are used to provide a review of the biology and ecology of these ecosystems. Water column in meromictic lakes is not entirely mixed. These lakes are chemically and/or thermally stratified for several years and have several specific ecological features. The chemocline —the habitat created between the mixolimnion on top and monimolimnion below—is characterised by the existence of complex bacterial communities, autotrophic and heterotrophic protists and metazooplankton, commonly dominated by rotifers , high rates of oxygenic and anoxygenic photosynthesis and some biogeochemical processes . In these lakes, the sulphur, carbon and nitrogen c…