Evolution of lake ecosystems and their biological communities
Eidgenössische Anstalt für Wasserversorgung, Abwasserreinigung und Gewässerschutz - EAWAG
Eidgenössische Anstalt für Wasserversorgung, Abwasserreinigung und Gewässerschutz - EAWAG
Lay summary
Southern Greenland is home to thousands of freshwater lakes, scattered across the landscape between the Greenland Ice Sheet and the ocean. These lakes provide habitat for Greenland’s two freshwater fish species, the Arctic charr and the threespine stickleback, and for hundreds of freshwater invertebrate and plant species. As the Greenland Ice Sheet continues to melt, the meltwaters create new lakes and alter the connectivity of existing lakes. Connectivity to the ocean is essential for colonisation of lakes by the Arctic charr and the threespine stickleback. Both species are anadromous, meaning they spend their adulthood in the ocean and breed in freshwater streams and lakes. Often, these two fishes can become trapped in freshwater environments when the connectivity of freshwater habitats to the ocean is lost, which can happen due to the emergence of waterfalls or lake basins losing their outflowing streams. In such situations, these fish populations can then adapt to an entirely freshwater lifestyle. In Southern Greenland, they are relatively young, having only been established within the past 15000 years following the retreat of the ice sheet from the landscape. Nevertheless, they can adapt rapidly to freshwater and new species can form that feed on different prey species in the lake. The goal of our project is to study the processes of lake colonisation, organismal adaptation, and the formation of new species. To do this we will sample lakes of varying age and connectivity and learn more about the evolution of lake ecosystems and their biological communities.
Details
| Regional focus | Arctic |
| Location | Greenland (Kujalleq Municipality) |
| Funded amount | 33,500 CHF |
| Project dates | 1st May 2024 – 30th September 2024 |
| Category | SPI Exploratory Grants |