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This mesocosm study from the oligotrophic Lake Eckarfjärden in Sweden shows, in contrast to many previous studies, that benthic microbiota dominated production following elevated nutrient concentrations in the water. Increased nutrient concentrations favoured microphytobenthos, whereas phytoplankton biomass remained roughly the same. Microphytobenthos biomass and production were clearly stimulated by nitrogen addition, while phytoplankton showed signs of phosphorus limitation. There were tight interactions between pelagic and benthic habitats and between organisms, and pelagic as well as benthic heterotrophic bacteria were disfavoured when microphytobenthos had access to nitrogen.

We conclude that increased nutrient concentrations in the water column may trigger immediate responses in both habitats, altering the tight interactions between microbiota, but not necessarily resulting in a shift towards pelagic production.

Biomass and production of microbiota—primary producers as well as heterotrophic bacteria—were studied both in the pelagial and in the benthic habitat over 2 yr in the shallow oligotrophic Lake Eckarfjärden, Sweden. Both biomass and production of microbiota were concentrated in the benthic habitat. Despite a high dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration of about 25 mg C l^–1 in the water, the total bacterial production was lower than the total primary production. Moreover, measurements of DOC concentrations in the in- and outflow, and CO₂-saturation measurements, indicate that the system is net autotrophic. Generally, low-productive systems (<100 µg C l^–1 d^–1) tend to be net heterotrophic. In contrast, we found a low-productive (55 µg C l^–1 d^–1) but net autotrophic system, the conditions of which were largely influenced by benthic production. Many lakes in the world are shallow and may provide substantial benthic areas suitable for primary production. Hence, it is important to include this habitat when evaluating whether lakes are autotrophic or heterotrophic systems.

1. We describe some remarkable ephemeral, oligotrophic hardwater lakes formed becauseof land rise in the coastal areas of the Baltic Sea, that are unique in Sweden and probablyalso worldwide. Two younger, coastal lakes were studied by regular sampling for 1 yearand compared with an older (i.e. greater altitude) lake, that passed through theoligotrophic hardwater stage some 3–4000 years ago.

2. Despite some differences in composition of the catchment, the two younger lakes weresimilar with regard to water chemistry and plankton community composition. Theconcentration of phosphorus was low while nitrogen was high, resulting in very high N/Pquotients (101 and 131). Although water colour was moderate, the concentration of organiccarbon was extremely high (average values of ‡ 20 lg TOC L–1), consisting mainly ofdissolved compounds (DOC).

3. While the plankton was poorly developed, sediments in both lakes were covered by alayer of photosynthesising micro-organisms. This substantial 'microbial mat', which hasnot been described in detail before, was up to 15 cm thick and dominated by cyanobacteriaand purple sulphur bacteria. The concentration of sediment phosphorus was extremelylow (352 lg g–1 dw) in one of the lakes and dominated by organic-bound (residual)phosphorus.

4. Deep sediments in the older lake, representing its oligotrophic hardwater period,differed in phosphorus composition from the currently oligotrophic hardwater lakes byhaving a strong dominance of HCl-extractable (Ca-bound) phosphorus. This indicates thatphosphorus, initially organic-bound within the microbial mat, is subsequently bound tocalcium. We hypothesise that this is promoted by the environmental conditions created bythe benthic photosynthetic activity, in combination with the prevailing hardwaterconditions.

5. The rich and flourishing microbial community on the sediments may also explain thehigh concentration of DOC in the lake.

Recruitment of Anabaena and Aphanizomenon from the sediments to the water column was investigated in shallow (1-2 m) and deep (6-7 m) areas of Lake Limmaren, central Sweden. Recruitment traps attached to the bottom were sampled weekly throughout the summer season (June through September). A comparison between the two sites shows that the largest part of the recruited cells originated from the shallow site, although recruitment occurred at all depths in the lake. There were also differences between the species, regarding the site as well as the timing of the recruitment. The contribution of the inoculum to the pelagic population was calculated to vary between 0.003% and 0.05% for the different species. From these results we conclude that shallow sediments are more important than deep ones for the recruitment and that the inoculum in Lake Limmaren is small but may still be an important factor in the population dynamics.

Lakes play an important role in the cycling of organic matter in the boreal landscape, due to the frequently high extent of bacterial respiration and the efficient burial of organic carbon in sediments. Based on a mass balance approach, we calculated a carbon budget for a small humic Swedish lake in the vicinity of a potential final repository for radioactive waste in Sweden, in order to assess its potential impact on the environmental fate of radionuclides associated with organic matter. We found that the lake is a net heterotrophic ecosystem, subsidized by organic carbon inputs from the catchment and from emergent macrophyte production. The largest sink of organic carbon is respiration by aquatic bacteria and subsequent emission of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. Although the annual burial of organic carbon in the sediment is a comparatively small sink, it results in the build-up of the largest carbon pool in the lake. Hence, lakes may simultaneously disperse and accumulate organic-associated radionuclides leaking from a final repository.

1. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of different nitrogen (N) to  phosphorus (P) loading ratios on phytoplankton community composition and primary production in a naturally eutrophic lake. Furthermore, the sources of N fuelling primary production were estimated using ¹⁵N stable isotope tracers.

2. A mesocosm experiment was performed with the same amount of P added to all mesocosms (similar to internal loading rates) but with a range of N additions (0–86 μm N), resulting in a gradient of N : P supply ratios.

3. Low N : P supply ratios resulted in a significant shift in the phytoplankton assemblage to a community dominated by N-fixing cyanobacteria and a supply of atmospheric N₂ estimated to be up to 60% of total supply.

4. The N : P loading ratio had no significant effect on primary production, total nitrogen (TN) concentration or particulate N concentration.

5. Our results imply that a reduced N : P ratio of the nutrient load does not necessarily result in a lower TN concentration and downstream N export due to compensation by N-fixing cyanobacteria.