0000000001166803
AUTHOR
Susana Romo
showing 31 related works from this author
Effect of multiple agricultural stressors on freshwater ecosystems: The role of community structure, trophic status, and biodiversity-functioning rel…
2022
Abstract The toxicity and widespread use of agricultural pesticides threaten freshwater biodiversity, but their long-term effects under different nutrient concentrations are poorly understood. We evaluated the single or combined effects of two pesticides (chlorpyrifos and diuron) under different nutrient regimes (mesotrophic and eutrophic) on community structure and ecosystem functions in replicated pond mesocosms. The individual application of nutrients and pesticides affected community composition and species richness. Ecosystem functioning was generally less sensitive to chemical stress than community structure, while eutrophication fostered the dominance of species that are more resilie…
Changes in community composition determine recovery trajectories from multiple agricultural stressors in freshwater ecosystems
2020
AbstractPesticides have been identified worldwide as a threat for aquatic biodiversity due to their widespread use in agriculture and their capacity to reach freshwater ecosystems. Very little is known about the consequences of pesticide mixtures targeting different organism groups on community dynamics. Especially, how horizontal changes within one trophic level are propagated vertically across the food web has been rarely investigated. To get insight on the effects of pesticide mixtures on community dynamics, we performed a mesocosm experiment manipulating three common agricultural stressors: chlorpyrifos (an insecticide), diuron (an herbicide) and nutrients. The results of this study sho…
A multivariate analysis of phytoplankton and food web changes in a shallow biomanipulated lake
1996
1. Phytoplankton dynamics, food chain changes and resilience in Lake Zwemlust, a shallow lake in The Netherlands, are described for the period 1986-94. 2. After biomanipulation in 1987, the lake moved through two alternative states, while the external nutrient loadings were maintained. A clear-water phase, mostly dominated by macrophytes, persisted from 1987 to 1991, and a rather turbid state, dominated by algae, occurred in the summers of 1992-94, after several consecutive and sustained perturbations affecting different parts of the food web in the lake. These two periods were characterized by different community structures. 3. The phytoplankton assemblage gradually changed in a pattern th…
Population dynamics using temporal series analysis in a industrial two-stage activated sludge pilot plant
1998
A time series analysis using an autocorrelation function (ACF) was used to assess the relative importance of density (DD) and non density-dependent - (NDD) factors on microfauna abundance of a two-stage activated sludge pilot plant treating industrial effluents. Although some previous work has detected a carrying capacity for the total microfauna abundance in both reactors, ACF showed a general pattern of non-density dependent abundance regulation. Stationarity due to density-dependent factors was observed for the two major species in the first reactor, the sessile Opercularia asymmetrica and the crawling Chilodonatella minuta. There was no evidence of bacterial competition and only weak ev…
First record of Synedropsis roundii (Bacillariophyta, Fragilariaceae) in the Mediterranean region
2019
Populations of the fragilarioid diatom Synedropsis roundii are described from the phytoplankton of the Albufera of Valencia, a large and shallow eutrophic lagoon in the Spanish Mediterranean coast. The specimens collected are described and illustrated with light and scanning electron microscopy. This is the first documented record of this species since its description, and the first illustrated record of the genus in the Mediterranean region. The Albufera lagoon and the type locality of the species (Imboassica Lagoon, SE Brazil) are similar in some ecological features. The ecological and biogeographical implications of this finding are briefly discussed.
Population dynamics and ecology of subdominant phytoplankton species in a shallow hypertrophic lake (Albufera of Valencia, Spain)
1994
Long-term population dynamics and ecology of the abundant but non-dominant phytoplankton species of the shallow hypertrophic lake the Albufera of Valencia (Spain) are described for the period 1980–1988. The lake is used as a reservoir for the surrounding ricefield cultivation. It is continuously dominated by three filamentous blue-green algae, Planktothrix agardhii, Pseudanabaena galeata and Geitlerinema sp. Horizontal differences of the phytoplankton were less important than annual and seasonal variations. An annual increasing trend was observed for Planktolyngbya subtilis, Planktolyngbya contorta, Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii, Microcystis incerta, Nitzschia palea var. tenuirostris and R…
Response of zooplankton to nutrient enrichment and fish in shallow lakes: a pan-European mesocosm experiment
2004
1. Responses of zooplankton to nutrient enrichment and fish predation were studied in 1998 and 1999 by carrying out parallel mesocosm experiments in six lakes across Europe. 2. Zooplankton community structure, biomass and responses to nutrient and fish manipulation showed geographical and year-to-year differences. Fish had a greater influence than nutrients in regulating zooplankton biomass and especially the relative abundances of different functional groups of zooplankton. When fish reduced the biomass of large crustaceans, there was a complementary increase in the biomasses of smaller crustacean species and rotifers. 3. High abundance of submerged macrophytes provided refuge for zooplank…
Multiple stressors in Mediterranean coastal wetland ecosystems : Influence of salinity and an insecticide on zooplankton communities under different …
2021
Temperature increase, salinity intrusion and pesticide pollution have been suggested to be among the main stressors affecting the biodiversity of coastal wetland ecosystems. Here we assessed the single and combined effects of these stressors on zooplankton communities collected from a Mediterranean coastal lagoon. An indoor microcosm experiment was designed with temperature variation (20 °C and 30 °C), salinity (no addition, 2.5 g/L NaCl) and the insecticide chlorpyrifos (no addition, 1 μg/L) as treatments. The impact of these stressors was evaluated on water quality variables and on the zooplankton comunity (structure, diversity, abundance and taxa responses) for 28 days. This study shows …
Warmer climates boost cyanobacterial dominance in shallow lakes
2011
Dominance by cyanobacteria hampers human use of lakes and reservoirs worldwide. Previous studies indicate that excessive nutrient loading and warmer conditions promote dominance by cyanobacteria, but evidence from global scale field data has so far been scarce. Our analysis, based on a study of 143 lakes along a latitudinal transect ranging from subarctic Europe to southern South America, shows that although warmer climates do not result in higher overall phytoplankton biomass, the percentage of the total phytoplankton biovolume attributable to cyanobacteria increases steeply with temperature. Our results also reveal that the percent cyanobacteria is greater in lakes with high rates of ligh…
Pesticide contamination in water and sediment of the aquatic systems of the Natural Park of the Albufera of Valencia (Spain) during the rice cultivat…
2021
The Natural Park of the Albufera (Valencia, Spain) is a Mediterranean wetland where rice cultivation dominates the agricultural activity. The purpose of this study was to offer broader information about the current state of the wetland assessing the contamination by pesticides in four aquatic habitats during the rice cultivation period in 2016. Liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometer (UHPLC-MS/MS) was used to determine the pesticides in water and sediment samples from the rice fields, Lake Albufera and irrigation and outlet channels. 21 pesticides were detected in our samples (seven already forbidden by European legislation). Higher values than 10000 ng L of accumulated pesticid…
Long-term phytoplankton changes in a shallow hypertrophic lake, Albufera of Valencia (Spain)
1994
A long-term phytoplankton study was carried out in the Albufera of Valencia, a shallow hypertrophic lake (surface area 21 km2, mean depth 1 m, total inorganic nitrogen load 155 g m-2 y-1, total inorganic phosphate load 15 g m-2 y-1) from 1980 to 1988. The lake functions as a reservoir for the surrounding rice cultivation. From 1940's to 1988, its phytoplankton assemblage has been altered from a mesotrophic to a hypertrophic character, as consequence of the increasing pollution. For 1980–88, annual variations in the phytoplankton were less pronounced than seasonal changes. The hypertrophic and morphometric features of the lake favoured the stability of the phytoplankton assemblage and chloro…
A European Multi Lake Survey dataset of environmental variables, phytoplankton pigments and cyanotoxins
2018
Under ongoing climate change and increasing anthropogenic activity, which continuously challenge ecosystem resilience, an in-depth understanding of ecological processes is urgently needed. Lakes, as providers of numerous ecosystem services, face multiple stressors that threaten their functioning. Harmful cyanobacterial blooms are a persistent problem resulting from nutrient pollution and climate-change induced stressors, like poor transparency, increased water temperature and enhanced stratification. Consistency in data collection and analysis methods is necessary to achieve fully comparable datasets and for statistical validity, avoiding issues linked to disparate data sources. The Europea…
Residence Time Analysis in the Albufera of Valencia, a Mediterranean Coastal Lagoon, Spain
2021
The Albufera of Valencia is a coastal lagoon located in the western area of the Mediterranean Sea, in the Iberian Peninsula. It has an area of 23.1 km2 and an average depth of only 1 m, with a maximum depth of 1.6 m. This lagoon is the remnants of an original and more extensive wetland of about 220 km2 which is now mostly dedicated to rice cultivation. Surface water is supplied through several main and many secondary canals for a total of 64 water entry points and three exit points to the sea. It is difficult to evaluate the residence time due to the lack of reliable measurements of the inflow or outflow, as well as continuous measurements. Between 1988 and 2018, several procedures were use…
A new tool for the assessment of severe anthropogenic eutrophication in small shallow water bodies
2017
Abstract Unlike in deep stratified lakes, the assessment of eutrophication in shallow aquatic systems (i.e., wetlands, marshes, ponds) should be based on the interaction between water and sediment. The availability of P to primary producers is naturally higher in shallow systems, because the sediment plays an active part via adsorption, precipitation and release processes. Thus, many wetlands in protected areas are naturally eutrophic and have a high trophic status due to intrinsic features and thus, display a high concentration of total-P in the water without necessarily implying pollution or poor quality. We have provided a diagnostic tool based on the chemical equilibrium of dissolved re…
Stratification strength and light climate explain variation in chlorophyll a at the continental scale in a European multilake survey in a heatwave su…
2021
The authors acknowledge COST Action ES 1105 "CYANOCOST Cyanobacterial blooms and toxins in water resources: Occurrence impacts and management" and COST Action Global Change Biology ES 1201 NETLAKE -Networking Lake Observatories in Europe" for contributing to this study through networking and knowledge sharing with European experts in the field. We acknowledge the members of the Global Lake Ecological Observatory Network (GLEON) for their collaborative spirit and enthusiasm that inspired the grassroots effort of the EMLS. E.M. was supported by a grant from the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation to Bas Ibelings and by supplementary funding from University of Geneva…
Multivariate-Analysis of Phytoplankton and Related Environmental-Factors, in a Shallow Hypertrophic Lake
1995
Data on some relevant environmental variables and phytoplankton species composition, collected from the hypertrophic shallow lake Albufera of Valencia (Spain) during 1980-88, were examined using Redundancy Analysis (RDA). The hydrological cycle of the lake is manipulated for rice cultivation in the area. Seasonality and the particular hydrological cycle of the lake were the principal factors influencing long-term phytoplankton dynamics. Annual or horizontal differences were less important than the seasonal factor. However, a trend of phosphate increase and underwater illumination decrease was observed between 1980 and 1988. These changes might be related to some species year-to-year variati…
Diatom species composition and indices for determining the ecological status of coastal Mediterranean Spanish lakes
2013
Diatom indices have been used and tested mainly for assessing the ecological status of rivers and deep lakes, but there are scarce studies that determine their effectiveness in shallow lakes and in coastal Mediterranean lakes. This study evaluates the validity of several common diatom indices (SPI, BDI, CEC and TDIL) for the determination of the ecological quality of three coastal lakes (Valencia, Spain) and presents descriptions and ecological data of the main diatom species recorded. Diatom samples were collected from phytobenthos, both from epiphyton of the dominant submerged macrophytes and the sediment. The ecological status of the systems was determined according to different physico-…
Comparative study of phytoplankton in an oligotrophic soft water lake under different pH-phosphate ranges
1998
This work reports phytoplankton changes in a shallow, acidic and oligotrophic lake (Loch Rusky, Scotland) from two different periods: one with artificial phosphate fertilization and neutral pH (SRP 3–18 µg l-1, pH 6.6–7.8, 1972–73) and the other with low phosphate and acidic pH values (SRP <1.5 µg l-1, pH 5.6–6.9, 1985–86). Phosphate enhanced markedly total algal biomass and favoured the presence of cyanophytes, especially in the summer epilimnion, while cryptophytes dominated at this time during unfertilized periods. Anabaena sp. peaked during summer and a higher density of Ceratium hirundinella and Peridinium sp. in mid-summer was also observed during the fertilized period. Otherwise, alg…
Fish communities and food web interactions in some shallow Mediterranean lakes
2003
Fish communities of five shallow Spanish Mediterranean lakes were studied and stomach content analysed to determine the foraging pattern of each species and the influence on the lake food web. Lakes ranged from 0.5 to 2300 ha with less than 3 m mean depth, while the trophic state varied from mesotrophy to hypertrophy. We fished during summer 2000 and 2001, and for one lake also during spring 2002. Almost no piscivores species were recorded and in general omnivorous species dominated independently of lake trophic state. Fish dietary differences were found among lakes and prey availabilities. Maximum fish biomass and diversity were found in the Albufera lake, where mugilids (Mugil cephalus an…
Experimental Study on the Diet of Mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) under Different Ecological Conditions in a Shallow Lake
2004
We studied the diet of the eastern mosquitofish Gambusia holbrooki with in situ experimental mesocosms located in a shallow lake. Different nutrient concentrations (phosphorus and nitrogen) and fish population densities were tested. Our results confirm that it is a planktivorous species, with also a great ingestion of algae and detritus. Nutrient fertilization caused almost no changes in this species feeding behavior, but larger mosquitofish stocks induced a shift to zooplanktivory and a decline in detritivory. When macrophytes were present, the predation effect focused on zooplankton and plant-associated animals, otherwise predation on bottom macroinvertebrates increased. Females preyed up…
Long-Term Hydrological Regime Monitoring of a Mediterranean Agro-Ecological Wetland Using Landsat Imagery: Correlation with the Water Renewal Rate of…
2021
The Natural Park of Albufera (Valencia, Spain) is one of the Spanish Mediterranean wetlands where rice is cultivated intensively. The hydrology of the Albufera Lake, located in the center, combines natural contributions with complex human management. The aim of our study was to develop a new methodology to accurately detect the volume of flood water in complex natural environments which experience significant seasonal changes due to climate and agriculture. The study included 132 Landsat images, covering a 15-year period. The algorithm was adjusted using the NDWI index and simultaneous measurements of water levels in the rice fields. The NDVI index was applied to monitor the cultivated area…
Factors controlling hydrochemical and trophic state variables in 86 shallow lakes in Europe
2003
In order to disentangle the causes of variations in water chemistry among European shallow lakes, we performed standardised sampling programs in 86 lakes along a latitudinal gradient from southern Spain to northern Sweden. Lakes with an area of 0.1 to 27 000 ha and mean depth of 0.4–5.6 m located in low to high altitudes were investigated within the EC project ECOFRAME 1–4 times during June–October 2000–2001. Several variables like conductivity, alkalinity, abundance of submerged plants, concentrations of suspended solids, total nitrogen and phosphorus were latitude-dependent decreasing from south to north. Secchi depth, concentrations of total nitrogen, total phosphorus, suspended solids, …
Mesocosm experiments on nutrient and fish effects on shallow lake food webs in a Mediterranean climate
2004
Summary 1. Nutrient and fish manipulations in mesocosms were carried out on food-web interactions in a Mediterranean shallow lake in south-east Spain. Nutrients controlled biomass of phytoplankton and periphyton, while zooplankton, regulated by planktivorous fish, influenced the relative percentages of the dominant phytoplankton species. 2. Phytoplankton species diversity decreased with increasing nutrient concentration and planktivorous fish density. Cyanobacteria grew well in both turbid and clear-water states. 3. Planktivorous fish increased concentrations of soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP). Larger zooplankters (mostly Ceriodaphnia and copepods) were significantly reduced when fish wer…
Taxonomic investigation using DNA fingerprinting in Geitlerinema species (Oscillatoriales, Cyanobacteria)
2007
SUMMARY The taxonomic study of 14 strains of Geitlerinema amphibium (Ag. ex Gom.) Anagnostidis and Geitlerinema unigranulatum (R.N. Singh) Komarek and Azevedo, coming from several localities was undertaken. Use was made of morphological data and molecular data were obtained by means of the DNA fingerprinting technique using highly iterated palindrome (HIP1) sequences. The employed morphological characteristics were those used for species taxonomic identification belonging to the Geitlerinema genus, namely, cell dimensions, shape of the apical cell, motility, number and localization of cyanophycin granules in the cell. The two species revealed as polymorphic were discriminated only by means …
Responses of phytoplankton to fish predation and nutrient loading in shallow lakes: a pan-European mesocosm experiment
2004
1. The impacts of nutrients (phosphorus and nitrogen) and planktivorous fish on phytoplankton composition and biomass were studied in six shallow, macrophyte-dominated lakes across Europe using mesocosm experiments. 2. Phytoplankton biomass was more influenced by nutrients than by densities of planktivorous fish. Nutrient addition resulted in increased algal biomass at all locations. In some experiments, a decrease was noted at the highest nutrient loadings, corresponding to added concentrations of 1 mg L1 P and 10 mg L1 N. 3. Chlorophyll a was a more precise parameter to quantify phytoplankton biomass than algal biovolume, with lower within-treatment variability. 4. Higher densities of pla…
Temperature effects explain continental scale distribution of cyanobacterial toxins
2018
Insight into how environmental change determines the production and distribution of cyanobacterial toxins is necessary for risk assessment. Management guidelines currently focus on hepatotoxins (microcystins). Increasing attention is given to other classes, such as neurotoxins (e.g., anatoxin-a) and cytotoxins (e.g., cylindrospermopsin) due to their potency. Most studies examine the relationship between individual toxin variants and environmental factors, such as nutrients, temperature and light. In summer 2015, we collected samples across Europe to investigate the effect of nutrient and temperature gradients on the variability of toxin production at a continental scale. Direct and indirect…
How agriculture, connectivity and water management can affect water quality of a mediterranean coastal wetland
2022
The Natural Park of Albufera (Valencia, Spain) is an important Mediterranean coastal wetland that suffers continuous environmental effects from human activities and water uses, mainly related to agriculture and urban/industrial sewage discharges. The aim of this research was to assess the water quality of the different aquatic environments of this wetland, taking into account the connection between them, the agricultural impact and the management of irrigation water. The UE Water Framework Directive was followed in order to evaluate the ecological and trophic status of water systems. Spatial approaches were used to integrate physicochemical data into GIS vector layers to map the more proble…
Water residence time and the dynamics of toxic cyanobacteria
2012
SUMMARY 1. Climate change affects aquatic ecosystems differently depending on local conditions. In the Mediterranean region, predicted drier seasons could especially affect lake water residence time and in consequence cyanobacteria and cyanotoxin dynamics. 2. We carried out a 3-year study of a shallow, Mediterranean lake (Lake Albufera, Spain), to study the effects of water residence time and other drivers on the dynamics of harmful cyanobacteria and microcystin concentrations (MCYST). 3. Longer water residence time in dry years and dry seasons increased total cyanobacteria biomass, Microcystis aeruginosa populations and MCYST concentrations in the lake water and seston. Droughts increased …
Phytoplankton strategies and diversity under different nutrient levels and planktivorous fish densities in a shallow Mediterranean lake
2005
Two mesocosm experiments were carried out to investigate the dynamic effects of nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) and planktivorous fish additions on phytoplankton strategies and diversity. The phylogenetic and functional approaches were used to understand phytoplankton ecology in shallow Mediterranean lakes. The experimental approach is new for the study of algal functional groups. Nutrient loading and fish stocks enhanced biomass of small algae but decreased phytoplankton diversity and species richness. Faster species replacement and fluctuations in diversity occurred above loadings of 1 μM P and 21 μM N. Mesotrophic conditions favoured a diverse pool of species, including nostocales an…
Response of a shallow Mediterranean lake to nutrient diversion: does it follow similar patterns as in northern shallow lakes?
2005
Summary 1. In view of the paucity of data on the response of warm shallow lakes to reductions in nutrient loading, this paper presents a long-term limnological data set to document changes in the food-web of a shallow Mediterranean lake (Lake Albufera, Valencia, Spain) that has experienced reductions in phosphorus (P) (77%) and nitrogen (N) (24%) loading following sewage diversion. 2. Nine years after sewage diversion, P concentration in the lake was reduced by 30% but remained high (TP = 0.34 mg L−1), although the mean water retention time in the lake was only 0.1 years. Nitrate concentrations did not significantly change, probably because the lake continued to receive untreated effluents …
Study of the Residence Time of the Albufera of Valencia, a Mediterranean Coastal Lagoon
2020
The Albufera of Valencia is a coastal lagoon located in the western area of the Mediterranean Sea, in the Iberian Peninsula. It has an area of 23.1 km2 and an average depth of only 1 m, with a maximum depth of 1.6 m. This lagoon is the rest of an original and more extensive wetland of about 220 km2, mostly dedicated to rice cultivation nowadays. Surface water is supplied through several main and many secondary canals for a total of 64 water entry points and three exit points to the sea. It is difficult to evaluate the renewal rate due to the lack of reliable measurements of the inflow or outflow, as well as continuous measurements. Between 1988 and 2018 several procedures have been used, sy…