Phytoplankton community succession and cyanobacterial dominance shifts during South-to-North water diversion project: Insights from two impounding reservoirs, China

To alleviate local water crises, water diversion projects are carried out in many countries around the world. However, such projects can cause a series of ecological effects with controversial consequences in water-receiving systems. Our study shows the transformations of phytoplankton communities i...

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Main Authors: Shan Jiang, Shasha Zhang, Jielin Wei, Hangzhou Xu, Haiyan Pei
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-08-01
Series:Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651325008218
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author Shan Jiang
Shasha Zhang
Jielin Wei
Hangzhou Xu
Haiyan Pei
author_facet Shan Jiang
Shasha Zhang
Jielin Wei
Hangzhou Xu
Haiyan Pei
author_sort Shan Jiang
collection DOAJ
description To alleviate local water crises, water diversion projects are carried out in many countries around the world. However, such projects can cause a series of ecological effects with controversial consequences in water-receiving systems. Our study shows the transformations of phytoplankton communities in Datun Reservoir (DT) and Shuangwangcheng Reservoir (SWC), located on the eastern route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project (SNWDP), China. Phytoplankton communities in these two reservoirs exhibited transient homogenization driven by the complex effects of temperature and water diversion dynamics during the first three years of the study, but ultimately diverged into distinct assemblages after ten years. Further, the newly detected Raphidiopsis raciborskii in later years showed a significant positive correlation with accumulative inflow. Combined with the increase cyanobacterial diversity observed in both reservoirs, these findings indicate that water diversion may be a pathway for cyanobacterial expansion. Moreover, low nitrogen conditions resulting from the water diversion appear to provide a competitive advantageous for nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria (Raphidiopsis raciborskii and Pseudanabaena limnetica) over non-fixing species (Microcystis aeruginosa). Our study highlights several detrimental ecological issues affecting water-receiving systems, even in the context of improved water quality associated with the SNWDP. It also offers critical insights for managing of water-impounding systems in the future.
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spelling doaj-art-def6c7dbe3094d79b4d0cdba7f29eefc2025-08-20T03:30:44ZengElsevierEcotoxicology and Environmental Safety0147-65132025-08-0130111848110.1016/j.ecoenv.2025.118481Phytoplankton community succession and cyanobacterial dominance shifts during South-to-North water diversion project: Insights from two impounding reservoirs, ChinaShan Jiang0Shasha Zhang1Jielin Wei2Hangzhou Xu3Haiyan Pei4Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, ChinaSchool of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, ChinaDepartment of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, ChinaSchool of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, ChinaDepartment of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China; Shandong Provincial Engineering Center on Environmental Science and Technology, Jinan 250061, China; Institute of Eco-Chongming (IEC), Shanghai 202162, China; Corresponding author at: Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China.To alleviate local water crises, water diversion projects are carried out in many countries around the world. However, such projects can cause a series of ecological effects with controversial consequences in water-receiving systems. Our study shows the transformations of phytoplankton communities in Datun Reservoir (DT) and Shuangwangcheng Reservoir (SWC), located on the eastern route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project (SNWDP), China. Phytoplankton communities in these two reservoirs exhibited transient homogenization driven by the complex effects of temperature and water diversion dynamics during the first three years of the study, but ultimately diverged into distinct assemblages after ten years. Further, the newly detected Raphidiopsis raciborskii in later years showed a significant positive correlation with accumulative inflow. Combined with the increase cyanobacterial diversity observed in both reservoirs, these findings indicate that water diversion may be a pathway for cyanobacterial expansion. Moreover, low nitrogen conditions resulting from the water diversion appear to provide a competitive advantageous for nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria (Raphidiopsis raciborskii and Pseudanabaena limnetica) over non-fixing species (Microcystis aeruginosa). Our study highlights several detrimental ecological issues affecting water-receiving systems, even in the context of improved water quality associated with the SNWDP. It also offers critical insights for managing of water-impounding systems in the future.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651325008218Phytoplankton communityCyanobacteriaReservoirWater diversionHomogenization
spellingShingle Shan Jiang
Shasha Zhang
Jielin Wei
Hangzhou Xu
Haiyan Pei
Phytoplankton community succession and cyanobacterial dominance shifts during South-to-North water diversion project: Insights from two impounding reservoirs, China
Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
Phytoplankton community
Cyanobacteria
Reservoir
Water diversion
Homogenization
title Phytoplankton community succession and cyanobacterial dominance shifts during South-to-North water diversion project: Insights from two impounding reservoirs, China
title_full Phytoplankton community succession and cyanobacterial dominance shifts during South-to-North water diversion project: Insights from two impounding reservoirs, China
title_fullStr Phytoplankton community succession and cyanobacterial dominance shifts during South-to-North water diversion project: Insights from two impounding reservoirs, China
title_full_unstemmed Phytoplankton community succession and cyanobacterial dominance shifts during South-to-North water diversion project: Insights from two impounding reservoirs, China
title_short Phytoplankton community succession and cyanobacterial dominance shifts during South-to-North water diversion project: Insights from two impounding reservoirs, China
title_sort phytoplankton community succession and cyanobacterial dominance shifts during south to north water diversion project insights from two impounding reservoirs china
topic Phytoplankton community
Cyanobacteria
Reservoir
Water diversion
Homogenization
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651325008218
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