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Larval chaoborid mandibles in surface sediments of small shallow lakes in Finland: implications for palaeolimnology

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Palaeolimnological Proxies as Tools of Environmental Reconstruction in Fresh Water

Part of the book series: Developments in Hydrobiology ((DIHY,volume 208))

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the value of phantom midge Chaoborus (Diptera: Chaoboridae) larvae as a palaeoenvironmental proxy in northern Europe. The presence of Chaoborus was examined in 80 small shallow lakes across Finland (60–70°N), based on their subfossil mandibles preserved in lake sediments. Chaoborus flavicans was present in 33 lakes, but was the most abundant midge taxon in only one of the lakes. Chaoborus crystallinus/obscurripes mandibles were present in two lakes. Statistical analyses showed that the distribution of Chaoborus was significantly correlated with lake depth and mean July air temperature. Chaoborus was absent in the northern study lakes, whereas the results indicated that C. flavicans was frequently found in small shallow lakes in southern Finland. Chaoborus flavicans was particularly abundant in fish-free, macrophyte-rich, dystrophic lakes, but absent in oligotrophic clear-water lakes having fish. The results of this study indicate that the subfossil mandibles of Chaoborus can provide valuable information in multiproxy palaeolimnological studies, especially when investigating past changes in water level and temperature in small shallow lakes in northern Europe.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geology, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 64, 00014, Helsinki, Finland

    Tomi P. Luoto & Liisa Nevalainen

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  1. Tomi P. Luoto
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  2. Liisa Nevalainen
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Correspondence to Tomi P. Luoto .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany, Hungarian Natural History Museum, 1476, Budapest, P.O. Box 222, Hungary

    Krisztina Buczkó

  2. West-Transdanubian District Water Authority, H-8360, Keszthely, Csik F. str. 1, Hungary

    János Korponai

  3. Department of Chemistry and Environmental Sciences, University of West Hungary, Szombathely, Hungary

    János Korponai

  4. Department of Limnology, University of Pannonia, Egyetem u. 10, 8200, Veszprém, Hungary

    Judit Padisák

  5. U.S. Geological Survey, 345 Middlefield Road, Menlo Park, CA, 94025, USA

    Scott W. Starratt

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Luoto, T.P., Nevalainen, L. (2009). Larval chaoborid mandibles in surface sediments of small shallow lakes in Finland: implications for palaeolimnology. In: Buczkó, K., Korponai, J., Padisák, J., Starratt, S.W. (eds) Palaeolimnological Proxies as Tools of Environmental Reconstruction in Fresh Water. Developments in Hydrobiology, vol 208. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-3387-1_11

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