Freshwater salinization is a widespread issue, but evidence of ecological effects on aquatic communities remains scarce. We experimentally exposed salt-naive plankton communities of a north-temperate, freshwater lake to a gradient of chloride (Cl⁻) concentration (0.27–1400 mg Cl L⁻¹) with in situ mesocosms. Following 6 weeks, we measured changes in the diversity, composition, and abundance of eukaryotic 18S rRNA gene. Total phytoplankton biomass remained unchanged, but we observed a shift in dominant phytoplankton groups with increasing salt concentration, from Cryptophyta and Chlorophyta at lower chloride concentrations (< 185 mg Cl⁻ L⁻¹) to Ochrophyta at higher chloride concentrations (> 185 mg Cl⁻ L⁻¹). Crustacean zooplankton and rotifers were sensitive to the salinity, and disappeared at low chloride concentrations (< 40 mg Cl⁻ L⁻¹). While ciliates thrived at low chloride concentrations (< 185 mg Cl⁻ L⁻¹), fungal groups dominated at intermediate chloride concentrations (185–640 mg Cl⁻ L⁻¹), and only phytoplankton remained at the highest chloride concentrations (> 640 mg Cl⁻ L⁻¹).

中文翻译：

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淡水盐碱化对无盐浮游真核生物群落的影响

淡水盐碱化是一个普遍的问题，但对水生群落的生态影响的证据仍然很少。我们通过实验将北温带淡水湖的无盐浮游生物群落暴露于氯化物 (Cl ^- ) 浓度梯度 (0.27–1400 mg Cl L ^-1 ) 和原位中宇宙。6 周后，我们测量了真核 18S rRNA 基因的多样性、组成和丰度的变化。浮游植物总生物量保持不变，但我们观察到随着盐浓度的增加，主要浮游植物群发生了变化，从较低氯浓度（< 185 mg Cl ^- L ^-1）的隐藻和绿藻到较高氯浓度（> 185 mg Cl ^-大号^-1）。甲壳类浮游动物和轮虫对盐度敏感，并且在低氯化物浓度（< 40 mg Cl ^- L ^-1）下消失。虽然纤毛虫在低氯化物浓度（< 185 mg Cl ^- L ^-1）下茁壮成长，但真菌群在中等氯化物浓度（185-640 mg Cl ^- L ^-1）下占主导地位，只有浮游植物保持在最高氯化物浓度（> 640 mg Cl ^- L ^-1）。