Abstract
This study examined the relationship between abundance of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) and the water trophic status of a group of lakes located in northwestern Hillsborough county. SAV abundance was expressed by the percent of lake volume infested with SAV (PVI) and the percent of lake area covered with SAV (PAC). The group of lakes was divided into two subgroups based on SAV abundance less than 20 PVI (PVI < 20) and lakes with more than 20 PVI (PVI > 20). Mean concentrations of total phosphorus (TP), total nitrogen (TN), and chlorophyll-α in lake water were used as indicators of trophic status, with the concentration of each nutrient in one group of lakes compared to its corresponding concentration in the other group. Lakes with PVI < 20 had a mean concentration of TP and chlorophyll-α of 28 and 11 µg/l, respectively, while those with a PVI > 20 had a mean concentration of 18 and 4 µg/l for the same parameters, respectively. The results of a t test and one-way ANOVA performed at the 95% confidence level indicated that the differences were significant for the concentrations of TP and chlorophyll-α but not for TN, the last of which had a mean lake water concentration of 0.8 and 0.7 mg/l for the PVI < 20 and PVI > 20 subgroups, respectively.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bachmann, R. W., Hoyer, M. V., & Canfield, D. E. J. (1999). The restoration of Lake Apopka in relation to alternative stable states. Hydrobiologia, 394, 219–232.
Bachmann, R. W., Horsburgh, C. A., Hoyer, M. V., Mataraza, L. K., & Canfield, D. E. J. (2002). Relations between trophic state indicators and plant biomass in Florida lakes. Hydrobiologia, 470, 219–234.
Bachmann, R. W., Hoyer, M. V., & Canfield, D. E., Jr. (2004). Aquatic plants and nutrients in Florida lakes. Aquatics, 26(3), 4–10.
Brenner, M., Whitmore, T. J., Lasi, M. A., Cable, J. E., & Cable, P. H. (1999). A multi-proxy trophic state reconstruction for shallow Orange Lake, Florida, USA: Possible influence of macrophytes on limnetic nutrient concentrations. Journal of Paleolimnology, 21, 215–233.
Canfield, D. E. J. (1983). Prediction of chlorophyll-α concentrations in Florida lakes: The importance of phosphorus and nitrogen. Journal of the American Water Resources, 19(2), 255–262.
Canfield, D. E., Jr., & Hoyer, M. V. (1992). Aquatic macrophytes and their relation to the limnology of Florida lakes. Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture Center for Aquatic Plants, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 599 pp
Canfield, D. E. J., Langeland, K. A., Maceina, M. J., Haller, W. T., Shireman, J. V., & Jones, J. R. (1983). Trophic state classification of lakes with aquatic macrophytes. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 40, 1713–1718.
Canfield, D. E., Jr., Shireman, J. V., Colle, J. V., Haller, W. T., & Watkins, C. E., II. (1984). Prediction of chlorophyll-α concentrations in Florida lakes: Importance of aquatic macrophytes. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 41(3), 497–501.
Carpenter, S. R., & Adams, M. S. (1979). Effects of nutrients and temperature on the decomposition of Myriophyllum spicatum L. in a hard-water eutrophic lake. Limnology and Oceanography, 24(3), 520–528.
Cattaneo, A., & Kalff, J. (1980). The relative contribution of aquatic macrophytes and their epiphytes to the production of macrophyte beds. Limnology and Oceanography, 25, 280–289.
Clescerl, L. S., Greenberg, A. E., & Eaton, A. D. (1998). Standard methods for examination of water and wastewater. Washington, DC: American Public Health Association (APHA).
Dierberg, F. E., DeBusk, T. A., Jackson, S. D., Chimney, M. J., & Pietro, K. (2002). Submerged aquatic vegetation-based treatment wetlands for removing phosphorus from agricultural runoff: Response to hydraulic and nutrient loading. Water Research, 36(6), 1409–1422.
Duarte, C. M. (1995). Submerged aquatic vegetation in relation to different nutrients regimes. Ophelia, 41, 87–112.
Duarte, C. M., & Kalff, J. (1986). Littoral slope as a predictor of the maximum biomass of submerged macrophytes communities. Limnology and Oceanography, 31(5), 1072–1080.
Forsberg, C., & Ryding, S. O. (1980). Eutrophication parameters and trophic state indices in 30 Swedish waste-receiving lakes. Archiv für Hydrobiologie, 89(1/2), 189–207.
Graneli, W., & Solander, D. (1988). Influence of aquatic macrophytes on phosphorus cycling in lakes. Hydrobiologia, 170(1), 245–266.
Griffith, G. E., Canfield, D. E. J., Horsburgh, C. A., & Omernick, J. M. (1997). Lake regions of Florida. US Environmental Protection Agency. 61. Corvallis, Oregon 97333: USEPA.
Gu, B., De Busk, T., Dierberg, F. E., Chimney, M., & Pietro, K. (2001). Phosphorus removal from Everglades agricultural area runoff by submerged aquatic vegetation/lime rock treatment technology: An overview of research. Water Science and Technology, 44, 101–108.
Hamilton, D. P., & Mitchell, S. F. (1996). An empirical model for sediment resuspension in shallow lakes. Hydrobiologia, 317, 209–220.
Knight, R. L., Gu, B., Clarke, R. A., & Newman, J. M. (2003). Long-term phosphorus removal in Florida aquatic systems dominated by submerged aquatic vegetation. Ecological Engineering, 20, 45–63.
Koenig, S., & Eilers, D. (2007). Lake Assessment Report for Lakes in Hillsborough County Florida. University of South Florida Center for Community Design and Research, and Hillsborough County Stormwater Management Section, Tampa. Lake Assessment Program. From the Water Atlas: Florida Center for Community.
Moreno, M., & Poor, N. (2010). Temporal trends in trophic state parameters for lakes clustered in Northwestern Hillsborough County. Tampa Bay BASIS 5 symposium for October 20–23, 2009 at the Holiday Inn SunSpree Resort in St. Petersburg, Florida.
O’Dell, K. M., VanArman, J., Welch, B. H., & Hill, S. D. (1995). Changes in water chemistry in a macrophyte-dominated lake before and after herbicide treatment. Lake and Reservoir Management, 11(4), 311–316.
Ozimek, T., Gulati, R. D., & van Donk, E. (1990). Can macrophytes be useful in biomanipulation of lakes? The Lake Zwemlust example Hydrobiologia, 200–201(1), 399–407.
Scheffer, M. (2004). Ecology of shallow lakes (p. 357). Norwell: Kluwer Academic.
Scheffer, M., Carpenter, S. R., Foley, J., Folke, C., & Walker, B. (2001). Catastrophic shifts in ecosystems. Nature, 413, 591–596.
Scinto, L. J., & Reddy, K. R. (2003). Biotic and abiotic uptake of phosphorus by periphyton in a subtropical freshwater wetland. Aquatic Botany, 77, 203–222.
Water Atlas (2007). From Water Atlas: Florida Center for Community Design and Research at the University of South Florida (updated 1/15/2008). http://www.wateratlas.usf.edu. Accessed: January, 2008.
Acknowledgments
The author would like to express his appreciation for the financial support provided by the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at the College of Public Health at the University of South Florida. He also thanks Dr. Jim Griffin and Mr. David Eilers for their assistance in data management, the Water Atlas for making the data available, the Hillsborough County Environmental Protection Commission laboratory for the information on water analysis, Dr. Alfred Mbah for his help with statistics, and Ms. Greta Klungness and Mr. Haofei Yu for their assistance with geographical information systems. Last but not the least, the author wants to express his great appreciation for the support, teaching, and guidance received from his major advisor Dr. Noreen Poor.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Appendix
Appendix
Table 2
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Moreno, M.J. Analysis of the Relationship Between Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (SAV) and Water Trophic Status of Lakes Clustered in Northwestern Hillsborough County, Florida. Water Air Soil Pollut 214, 539–546 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-010-0444-7
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-010-0444-7