Trophic dynamics of boreal lakes in a changing northern landscape: impacts of lake drying and forest fires

Abstract

The abundant lakes of northern latitudes are the primary breeding grounds for many waterbird species. In recent decades, temperatures in the north have increased by twice the global average. This substantial warming has caused lake drying and increased wildfires, both of which may impact waterbird habitats. Fires release nutrients locked in terrestrial resources, making them available for transport to lakes, while lake drying concentrates nutrients and other solutes into smaller water volumes. Increased nutrients may fundamentally alter ecosystem processes of lakes by changing the timing and abundance of phytoplankton blooms, which in turn affects the abundance of aquatic invertebrates - the primary food source for breeding waterbirds and their broods. I examined effects of forest fires and lake drying on ecosystems of Subarctic boreal lakes in the Yukon Flats, Alaska, documenting changes to (1) aquatic nutrient and chlorophyll concentrations, (2) aquatic invertebrate densities, and (3) abundance and occupancy of waterbirds. Nutrient, chlorophyll, and invertebrate levels were largely unaffected by a recent forest fire. This ecosystem stability transferred upward to waterbirds, as brood abundance was also unaffected by the fire. On drying lakes, nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations increased >200% and >100%, respectively, from the 1980s to present. At the same time, concentrations of 4 major ions increased, including increases of >500% for chloride and >100% for sodium. Nonetheless, chlorophyll levels, aquatic invertebrate abundance, and occupancy of waterbird broods were largely unaffected by these chemical changes on drying lakes. Overall, ecosystems of Yukon Flats were largely resilient to short-term effects of forest fires and rising chemical concentrations associated with lake drying. Moreover, this resilience spanned multiple trophic levels, from phytoplankton to aquatic invertebrates to waterbirds.