Articles | Volume 23, issue 14
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-5185-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-5185-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
30 Jul 2026
Research article |
| 30 Jul 2026
| 30 Jul 2026
Tracking centennial changes in algal community composition and biomass using subfossil pigments in a high mountain lake (Sierra Nevada, Spain)
Joana Llodrà-Llabrés
Department of Ecology and Institute for Water Research, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
Carmen Pérez-Martínez
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Ecology and Institute for Water Research, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
Teresa Vegas-Vilarrúbia
Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 643, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
John P. Smol
Paleoecological Environmental Assessment and Research Laboratory, Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario K7L 3N6, Canada
Carsten Meyer-Jacob
Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue. Institut de Recherche sur les Forêts (IRF) 445 Boulevard de l'Université, Rouyn-Noranda, QC, J9X 5E4, Canada
Javier Sigro
Centre for Climatic Change (C3), Research Institute in Sustainability, Climate Change and Energy Transition, University Rovira i Virgili, C. Joanot Martorell 15, 43480 Vilaseca, Tarragona, Spain
Teresa Buchaca
Integrative Freshwater Ecology (CEAB-CSIC), C/ Accés a la Cala St. Francesc, 14, 17300, Blanes, Girona, Spain
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Short summary
This study examined changes in algae in a high mountain lake in Spain over the past 430 years by analyzing subfossil pigments. We found that algal biomass and composition shifted significantly, especially since the 1970s, mainly due to rising temperatures and phosphorus-rich dust from the Sahara. These findings reveal how climate change and atmospheric pollution impact even remote lakes, highlighting risks for similar ecosystems under future environmental changes.
This study examined changes in algae in a high mountain lake in Spain over the past 430 years by...
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