On the biodiversity of diatom communities in lakes of east China: Geochemical effects dominated after eutrophication

Aim: Over the last century, lakes all over the world have experienced significant eutrophication and become more susceptible to critical transitions. This has prompted a growing need to understand how community dynamics shift following ecological perturbations. This study aims to elucidate the present status, spatial patterns and determinants of biological diversity, and how they have changed in response to alterations driven by eutrophication.
Location: Lakes of East China, mostly in the Yangtze River Basin
Taxa: Bacillariophyceae (163 species in 33 genres) 
Methods: The environmental conditions of over sixty lakes were assessed based on parameters such as water quality, physical characteristics and biogeochemical constituents. Surface sediment samples and high-resolution sediment records were collected to quantify the biodiversity of diatom communities, and Principle Component Analysis (PCA) was used to determine the major environmental gradients. Meanwhile, linear regression, Canonic...