Phytoplankton in Quebec Lakes: Variation with Lake Morphometry, and with Natural and Anthropogenic Acidification

• Published in: Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
• Main Authors: Pinel-Alloul, Bernadette, Méthot, Ginette, Verrault, Ghislain, Vigneault, Yvan
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Canadian Science Publishing 1990
• Subjects: Aquatic Science; Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics; Newfoundland
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/f90-120; http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/f90-120

Phytoplankton of 54 Québec lakes were studied to determine the effects of acidification, physico-chemistry, and lake morphometry on the community composition. The phytoplankton groups data matrix was submitted to a flexible linkage cluster analysis. The resulted six clusters of lakes are distributed along the northeast to southwest geographic axis and are related to an ascending density gradient in total phytoplankton, chlorophytes, cyanophytes, and microflagellates. Factor analysis produced five derived environmental factors (hardness-alkalinity, lake depth and transparency, dystrophy, lake size and salinity-sulphates loading), which explain 73% of the total variance of the abiotic data matrix. Alkalinity–acidity gradient is the most important factor related to phytoplankton groups and species distribution. Most of the cyanophytes taxa and some chlorophytes are positively related to the hardness-alkalinity and the sulphates loading factors. The abundances of pyrrophytes increases in alkaline lakes subjected to great sulphates loading. Lake morphometry and trophy also influence the phytoplankton distribution. Deep and clear lakes in eastern Quebec are dominated by chrysophycean species. Few species are related to the dystrophy factor. Phytoplankton distribution and relationships with environmental factors in Quebec lakes are compared with studies of the phytoplankton composition in Newfoundland and Labrador lakes.