Diatom Succession in a Core from Pickerel Lake, Northeastern South Dakota

Research Article| January 01, 1972 Diatom Succession in a Core from Pickerel Lake, Northeastern South Dakota ELIZABETH Y HAWORTH ELIZABETH Y HAWORTH Limnological Research Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455 PRESENT ADDRESS: FRESHWATER BIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION, AMBLESIDE, WESTMORLAND, ENGLAND Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar GSA Bulletin (1972) 83 (1): 157–172. https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1972)83[157:DSIACF]2.0.CO;2 Article history received: 06 Jan 1971 rev-recd: 14 Jun 1971 first online: 02 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation ELIZABETH Y HAWORTH; Diatom Succession in a Core from Pickerel Lake, Northeastern South Dakota. GSA Bulletin 1972;; 83 (1): 157–172. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1972)83[157:DSIACF]2.0.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGSA Bulletin Search Advanced Search Abstract Percentage analyses of the diatoms from a core of sediment show the changes in the community since the formation of Pickerel Lake. The lake basin is in calcareous drift from the Wisconsin glaciation and is located on the Coteau des Prairies upland.This work supplements earlier studies of the pollen, plant macrofossils, and mollusks made by Watts and Bright (1968), in which they presented evidence for four vegetational stages: (1) spruce forest, (2) deciduous woodland, (3) bluestem prairie, and (4) continued open prairie with the return of some woodland. The diatom core was correlated with the nearby pollen core by pollen analysis.The diatom succession begins in diatom zone I, with an assemblage dominated by Fragilaria and Mastogloia species and containing many taxa of alkaline waters. It also includes several taxa that generally prefer acid environments and only occur in the lower part of this core. This diatom assemblage is correlated primarily with the presence of spruce forest and its associated soils; the change in the diatoms occurs when the deciduous woodland that follows is partly replaced by prairie openings. It is suggested that the changes in the type of material (mainly soil) washed into the lake produced a more alkaline environment, which excluded some of the acidophilous taxa.Diatom zone II is largely transitional to zone III, which is dominated by Melosira species and includes many indicators of a more eutrophic (nutrient-rich) environment, for example Fragilaria crotonensis. More brackish-water taxa also indicate an increase in the mineral content of the water. All of these features are consistent with evidence from the pollen stratigraphy, which indicates that this is the time of maximum prairie development in this area, along with maximum soil erosion and lake-water evaporation.Diatom zone IV is largely transitional, corresponding to the time when woodland was once again developing around the margins of the lake basin. Diatom zone V features increasing percentages of forms characteristic of surf zones in lakes, indicating perhaps a shallowing of the site as a result of sedimentation. There is some indication of recent enrichment, concurrent with an increase in Ambrosia pollen (ragweed), which is possibly due to disturbance by man.The use of a constant volume of material in the diatom preparation makes it possible to draw a diagram of diatom abundance for each level. The diatoms are scarce in samples from the lower part of the core, and four radiocarbon dates bear out a suggestion that more inorganic material was deposited at the core site during the early history of the lake than subsequently.A total of 207 taxa is reported, and ecological notes on all are included in an appendix. A diatom diagram shows curves for 71 of the taxa. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.