Since the 'discovery' of the high abundance of viruses in aquatic environments, it has been generally assumed that viruses in lakes are similar to those in oceans. I directly compared these two systems using a large, robust data set. Viral abundance was significantly different among the surveyed environments. The relationship between viral and bacterial abundance indicated a fundamental difference between lakes and oceans, and suggested that viruses infecting phytoplankton may be more important in lakes. Molecular techniques (PCR & DGGE) were used to document spatial and temporal variations in the richness of viruses that infect eukaryotic phytoplankton (Phycodnaviridae) in lakes at the Experimental Lakes Area (ELA). Phycodnavirus richness was highest in the eutrophic lake, and during the spring/early summer in all the lakes. Viral richness was closely associated with phytoplankton abundance and composition. As a result, richness was influenced by trophic status, while patterns of richness were affected by regional climatic conditions. Phylogenetic analysis of environmental Phycodnavirus DNA polymerase (pol) sequences indicated that freshwater Phycodnaviruses are genetically different from cultured isolates and marine environmental sequences. A genetic distance analysis indicated that pol sequences > 7 % different infected different host species. Therefore, the 20 different freshwater sequences likely infected nine different hosts. Multivariate statistics identified seven possible phytoplankton hosts, including chlorophytes, chrysophytes, diatoms and dinoflagellates. Finally, the modified dilution experiment was evaluated as an approach for estimating viral-mediated phytoplankton mortality in two lakes at the ELA. Experiments resulted in non-significant apparent growth rate regressions. While a model analysis, indicated that the method was sensitive to poorly constrained parameters such as burst size and length of the lytic cycle, making it unsuitable for estimating mortality rates in these lakes. These studies indicate that Phycodnaviridae are a genetically rich and dynamic component of lakes. Their richness is influenced by both the chemical and physical components of their environment. Although the presence of these viruses indicates that they are a source of phytoplankton mortality, the magnitude of their impact on structuring phytoplankton communities awaits methodological advances. Nonetheless, these findings support the view that viruses infecting phytoplankton are ecologically important components of lake ecosystems.

Since the 'discovery' of the high abundance of viruses in aquatic environments, it has been generally assumed that viruses in lakes are similar to those in oceans. I directly compared these two systems using a large, robust data set. Viral abundance was significantly different among the surveyed environments. The relationship between viral and bacterial abundance indicated a fundamental difference between lakes and oceans, and suggested that viruses infecting phytoplankton may be more important in lakes. Molecular techniques (PCR & DGGE) were used to document spatial and temporal variations in the richness of viruses that infect eukaryotic phytoplankton (Phycodnaviridae) in lakes at the Experimental Lakes Area (ELA). Phycodnavirus richness was highest in the eutrophic lake, and during the spring/early summer in all the lakes. Viral richness was closely associated with phytoplankton abundance and composition. As a result, richness was influenced by trophic status, while patterns of richness were affected by regional climatic conditions. Phylogenetic analysis of environmental Phycodnavirus DNA polymerase (pol) sequences indicated that freshwater Phycodnaviruses are genetically different from cultured isolates and marine environmental sequences. A genetic distance analysis indicated that pol sequences > 7 % different infected different host species. Therefore, the 20 different freshwater sequences likely infected nine different hosts. Multivariate statistics identified seven possible phytoplankton hosts, including chlorophytes, chrysophytes, diatoms and dinoflagellates. Finally, the modified dilution experiment was evaluated as an approach for estimating viral-mediated phytoplankton mortality in two lakes at the ELA. Experiments resulted in non-significant apparent growth rate regressions. While a model analysis, indicated that the method was sensitive to poorly constrained parameters such as burst size and length of the lytic cycle, making it unsuitable for estimating mortality rates in these lakes. These studies indicate that Phycodnaviridae are a genetically rich and dynamic component of lakes. Their richness is influenced by both the chemical and physical components of their environment. Although the presence of these viruses indicates that they are a source of phytoplankton mortality, the magnitude of their impact on structuring phytoplankton communities awaits methodological advances. Nonetheless, these findings support the view that viruses infecting phytoplankton are ecologically important components of lake ecosystems.

Since the 'discovery' of the high abundance of viruses in aquatic environments, it has been generally assumed that viruses in lakes are similar to those in oceans. I directly compared these two systems using a large, robust data set. Viral abundance was significantly different among the surveyed environments. The relationship between viral and bacterial abundance indicated a fundamental difference between lakes and oceans, and suggested that viruses infecting phytoplankton may be more important in lakes. Molecular techniques (PCR & DGGE) were used to document spatial and temporal variations in the richness of viruses that infect eukaryotic phytoplankton (Phycodnaviridae) in lakes at the Experimental Lakes Area (ELA). Phycodnavirus richness was highest in the eutrophic lake, and during the spring/early summer in all the lakes. Viral richness was closely associated with phytoplankton abundance and composition. As a result, richness was influenced by trophic status, while patterns of richness were affected by regional climatic conditions. Phylogenetic analysis of environmental Phycodnavirus DNA polymerase (pol) sequences indicated that freshwater Phycodnaviruses are genetically different from cultured isolates and marine environmental sequences. A genetic distance analysis indicated that pol sequences > 7 % different infected different host species. Therefore, the 20 different freshwater sequences likely infected nine different hosts. Multivariate statistics identified seven possible phytoplankton hosts, including chlorophytes, chrysophytes, diatoms and dinoflagellates. Finally, the modified dilution experiment was evaluated as an approach for estimating viral-mediated phytoplankton mortality in two lakes at the ELA. Experiments resulted in non-significant apparent growth rate regressions. While a model analysis, indicated that the method was sensitive to poorly constrained parameters such as burst size and length of the lytic cycle, making it unsuitable for estimating mortality rates in these lakes. These studies indicate that Phycodnaviridae are a genetically rich and dynamic component of lakes. Their richness is influenced by both the chemical and physical components of their environment. Although the presence of these viruses indicates that they are a source of phytoplankton mortality, the magnitude of their impact on structuring phytoplankton communities awaits methodological advances. Nonetheless, these findings support the view that viruses infecting phytoplankton are ecologically important components of lake ecosystems. / Science, Faculty of / Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Department of / Graduate

The impacts of current forest management methods on surface water quality, especially in northern parts of Sweden, are largely unexplored. In this review reports linked to logging impacts on catchment biogeochemistry, (with special emphasis on boreal ecosystems) has been assessed. Logging disturbances in boreal forest catchments can change biogeochemical processes in soils by alter transpiration, soil conditions, temperature, soil microbial activities and water fluxes. Combined these changes can cause increased soil nutrient leaching to receiving waters. In the studies reviewed, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations and export generally increased after logging. Similar responses followed for phosphorous (P), but to a lesser extent for nitrogen (N). Streamflow and peakflow and the export of suspended matter (SM) can also be altered after logging. Removal of streamside vegetation may result in increased stream water temperatures and potentially affect lake water temperature, deepen the epilimnion and deplete oxygen (O2) concentrations. Increased wind exposure can resuspend sediments and potentially release bioavailable P. Affected lake water concentrations of N can be considered negligible after logging, whereas tot-P concentrations has shown to increase to an almost twofold level in some studies. The overall impact on the pelagic productivity are therefore most likely those connected to increased DOC and SM concentrations. The general impact on fish biomass can be considered insignificant. In conclusions, to improve future forest management and for further understanding concerning the biogeochemical environmental impacts that forestry might have on freshwaters, additional studies are still required.

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Phytoplankton are single celled organisms capable of phytosynthesis, and are present in all the major oceans and lakes in the world. Phytoplankton contribute to 50% of the total primary production on Earth, and are the dominating primary producer in most aquatic ecosystems. This thesis is based on the 1D deterministic model by Jäger et. al. (2010) which models phytoplankton dynamics in freshwater lakes, where phytoplankton growth is limited by the availability of light and phosphorus. The original model is here extended to two dimensions to include a horizontal dimension as well as a vertical dimension, in order to simulate phytoplankton dynamics under varying lake bottom topographies. The model was solved numerically using a grid transform and a finite volume method in MATLAB. Using the same parameter settings as the 1D case studied by Jäger et. al. (2010), an initial study of plankton dynamics was done by varying the horizontal and vertical diffusion coefficients independently.