Diatom communities and their patterns in paleocores from ancient Lake Towuti
Mariam Ageli, University of Windsor, [email protected]
G. Doug Haffner, Great Lakes Institute, Univ. of Windsor, [email protected]
Paul Hamilton, Canadian Museum of Nature, [email protected]
Abstract
Our understanding of ecological responses to changing environments can be improved through tracking the responses of ecosystems to climate change over thousands of years. Ancient lakes provide extensive historical records through their sediment, we can analyse their diatom content to study changes in lake ecosystems. Tracking patterns in diatom diversity and abundance over time will improve our understanding of species resilience and constancy in ancient lakes. Two deep sediment cores from Lake Towuti, Indonesia, both revealing two main periods of high primary productivity, separated by 7-8m of sediment. We hypothesize that both cores contain the same pattern of diatom composition and relative abundance. We hypothesize that the diatom strata within each core will have the same composition and relative abundance demonstrating species resilience and constancy in a changing environment. Our analysis reveals the dominance of planktonic Aulacoseira in the diatom strata in both cores. Between these strata in both cores, however, is a dominance of benthic Cymbopleura. These different growth patterns reflect major changes in lake ecology between the two periods of high primary productivity. As diatoms are primary producers, our results provide insight into the nature of ecosystem productivity in ancient lakes over the course of thousands of years.
1. Keyword
biodiversity
2. Keyword
diatoms
3. Keyword
climate change
4. Additional Keyword
Resilience