Regionalisation of remote European mountain lake ecosystems according to their biota: environmental versus geographical patterns
Abstract
A survey of c. 350 remote high altitude and high latitude lakes from 11 different mountain regions was undertaken to explore species distribution across Europe at a scale not previously attempted. Lakes were sampled for planktonic crustaceans, rotifers, littoral invertebrates and sub-fossil chironomids, diatoms and cladocerans.
Each lake was characterised in terms of water chemistry, morphology, catchment attributes and geographical location. Separate twinspan analyses were undertaken on diatom, chironomid, planktonic crustacean, littoral invertebrate and cladoceran (chydorids only) data to classify sites according to taxonomic composition.
For most datasets there was a spatial component to the classification with distinct geographical groups emerging - Norway and Scotland, Finland and Central/Eastern Europe.