RE: NANFA-- oligotrophic lakes

Denkhaus, Robert (DenkhaR_at_Ci.Fort-Worth.TX.US)
Mon, 30 Apr 2001 10:34:37 -0500

Like terrestrial environments, the first plants to invade "new" territory
("Pioneer Species" in upland terminology) are those that can adapt to what
would normally be described as poor conditions, i.e. low nutrients, shallow
rocky soils, etc. Just a guess here but if I remember my basic aquatic
ecology from college, an oligotrophic lake is slowly moving onward along the
successional spectrum towards meso- and then eutrophic status. The
colonizing plant species would most likely be algae species and as they live
out their lifespan and sink to the bottom, decompose, etc. they would begin
formation of the necessary nutrient bed for future rooted plant growth.
However, if you have witnessed pioneer successional stages on land (I am
sure that you have) where bare soil and rock is colonized by plants, we
unfortunately see lots of exotic invaders that are adapted to some pretty
lousy soils. I would imagine that exotics are a problem in oligotrophic
lake succession as well.

Rob Denkhaus
Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge
"El muerto a la sepultura, el vivo a la travesura"
"The dead to burial, the living to mischief"

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Nicholas J. Zarlinga
> Sent: Wednesday, April 04, 2001 11:28 AM
> To: 'nanfa_at_aquaria.net'
> Subject: NANFA-- oligotrophic lakes
>
>
> Dan, I don't have and answer to your question but I was
> wondering what you
> meant by "enough nutrients" in an oligotrophic lake. An
> oligotrophic lake
> is clear and relatively nutrient free. I am not saying that
> plants can't
> grow however. Are you asking which plants are first in the
> transformation
> of a lake from oligotrophic to eutrophic? Good question, I
> would like the
> answer also.
>
>
>

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