Ecological effects of reduced nutrient loading (oligotrophication) on lakes: an introduction

1. The variable ecological response of lakes to reduced nutrient loading (oligotrophication) at sites in Europe and North America was discussed at a workshop held in Silkeborg (Denmark) in January 2003. Studies of lake oligotrophication were presented based on both long-term monitoring and data generated by palaeolimnological methods. 2. This introduction to the special issue provides short summaries of a series of the papers presented and their limnological context. Results show that the majority of lakes had approached a new equilibrium of phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) concentrations 10-15 years (P) and 0-5 years (N) after a major reduction in loading, irrespective of hydraulic retention time. Phytoplankton biomass decreased and a shift towards meso-oligotrophic species dominance occurred. The fish responded surprisingly fast to the loading reduction in most lakes. As a result, the percentage of piscivores increased and total fish biomass declined markedly, which may explain an increase in the body size of cladocerans and an increase in the zooplankton to phytoplankton biomass ratio seen in many of the lakes. 3. Monitoring has in general been initiated after the effects of eutrophication became apparent. In this context palaeolimnological techniques become very useful because they allow limnologists to extend time scales of coverage and to define restoration targets and baseline conditions. Moreover, lake sediments pre-dating anthropogenic disturbance can be used to examine ecological response to, for instance, climate variability, allowing problems associated with multiple stressors to be addressed. 4. It is concluded that there is a great need for a synthetic, holistic approach to studying lake oligotrophication, combining multiple techniques of palaeolimnological sediment analysis with detailed but temporally limited long-term monitoring of chemical and biological variables. This is important, not least to assess future responses to nutrient loading reductions, as global warming will interact with a range of external stressors and ultimately affect lake management strategies to deal with the resultant feedbacks.