This document outlines a PhD proposal on assessing how local human pressures influence lakes' vulnerability and responses to climate change across Europe. The proposal involves meta-analyzing paleoecological data from 15 lakes around the Alps to compare responses of pelagic biological communities to climate change and determine if variability depends on local human pressures. The student will analyze diatom and cladoceran remains and photosynthetic pigments in sediments to compare community responses over time between lakes and quantify the influence of geomorphology and local human impacts. The supervisors are from INRA CARRTEL in France and CNR ISE in Italy.

1. Février 2014 1/2
PhD
Proposal
SUPERVISION
Perga
Marie
Elodie,
INRA
CARRTEL,
Thonon
les
Bains,
France
Contact
:
marie-­‐elodie.perga@thonon.inra.fr
Ph
:
00
33
4
50
26
78
18
Manca
marina
&
Lami
Andrea,
CNR
ISE,
Pallanza,
Italy
Contact
:
m.manca@ise.cnr.it
;
a.lami@ise.cnr.it
COLLABORATIONS
- A.
Marchetto
(CNR
ISE
Pallanza,
Italie)
- F.
Arnaud
(EDYTEM,
Université
de
Savoie)
- S.
Girardclos,
Institut
Forel
Université
de
Genève
Local
human
perturbations
increase
lakes
vulnerability
to
climate
changes
A
pan-­‐European
test
SUMMARY
OF
THE
PROPOSAL
Two
similar
lakes
subjected
to
the
same
climate
change
(CC)
will
share
less
than
a
half
of
their
ecological
responses.
Therefore,
over
50
%
of
lakes
ecological
responses
to
CC
cannot
yet
be
predicted.
During
the
program
ANR
IPER
-­‐RETRO
(2009-­‐2013
;
www.inra.fr/iper-­‐retro),
we
hypothesized
that
the
variability
of
ecological
responses
of
three
peri-­‐
alpine
lakes
(Lakes
Geneva,
Annecy
and
Bourget)
to
CC
depends
on
the
context
of
local
human
pressures.
We
have
indeed
shown
that,
regardless
of
the
biological
compartment
considered,
the
effect
of
CC
depends
less
on
the
speed
at
which
the
lake
waters
warm
up,
rather
than
on
the
intensity
of
local
human
pressures.
Responses
to
climate
are
both
stronger
and
more
deleterious
for
both
nutrient-­‐enriched
lakes
and
also
depend
on
fisheries
management
practices.
Our
results
hence
suggest
that
lake
vulnerability
and
ecological
responses
to
CC
depend
on
local
management
of
human
activities
taking
place
on
their
watershed.
Confirmation
over
a
larger
spatial
scale
would
create
opportunities
for
adaptation
to
CC
in
peri-­‐
alpine
lakes,
as
adequate
local
management
strategies
could
reduce
the
adverse
effects
of
CC
and
maximize
benefits.
The
objective
of
this
thesis
is
therefore
to
assess
whether
local
human
pressures
increase
lakes
vulnerability
and
sensitivity
to
climate
change
at
a
pan-­‐
European
scale.
The
PhD
work
will
be
based
on
the
meta-­‐analysis
of
paleoecological
series
that
had
been
collected
along
protocols
similar
to
IPER
–RETRO,
covering
15
lakes
around
the
Alpine
arc
(5
countries).
These
lakes
are
of
comparable
type
and
subjected
to
similar
climatic
variability.
These
series
were
generated
primarily
by
CARRTEL
and
the
ISE
-­‐CNR
Italian
laboratory,
creating
the
opportunity
for
a
co-­‐supervised
PhD
.
The
PhD
student
will
focus
on
pelagic
biological
communities
(phytoplankton
and
zooplankton)
since
(i)
they
are
those
for
which
the
sediment
data
are
the
most
abundant
and
comparable
between
lakes
(diatoms
and
cladoceran
remains
,
photosynthetic
pigments),
(ii
)
interactions
between
local
and
climate
forcings
were
shown
to
be
the
greatest
in
the
pelagial.
The
objective
is
two-­‐fold:
1
.
comparing
the
responses
of
pelagic
biological
communities
to
climate
change
between
the
15
lakes
and
quantifying
their
synchronicity
or
idiosyncracy;
2
.
Assessing
whether
and
to
what
extent
the
variability
of
responses
depend
on
the
geomorphological
characteristics
and
the
intensity
of
local
human
pressures
over
these
lakes.

2. Février 2014 2/2
SELECTED
REFERENCES
• Alric,
B.,
Jenny,
J.
P.,
Berthon,
V.,
Arnaud,
F.,
Pignol,
C.,
Reyss,
J.-­‐L.
et
al.
(2013)
Local
forcings
affect
zooplankton
responses
to
climate
warming.
Ecology,
94,
2767-­‐2780.
• Jenny,
J.
P.,
Arnaud,
F.,
Dorioz,
J.
M.,
Giguet-­‐Covex,
C.,
Frossard,
V.,
Sabatier,
P.
et
al.
(2013)
A
spatiotemporal
investigation
of
varved
sediments
highlights
the
dynamics
of
hypolimnetic
hypoxia
in
a
large
hard-­‐water
lake
over
the
last
150
years.
Limnology
and
Oceanography,
58,
1395-­‐1408.
• Frossard,
V.,
Verneaux,
V.,
Millet,
L.,
Jenny,
J.
P.,
Arnaud,
F.,
Magny,
M.
et
al.
(2014)
Depth-­‐specific
responses
of
the
chironomid
community
to
contrasting
anthropogneic
pressures:
a
paleolimnological
perspective
of
150
years.
Freshwater
Biology,
59,
26-­‐40.
• Frossard,
V.,
Verneaux,
V.,
Millet,
L.,
Jenny,
J.
P.,
Arnaud,
F.,
Magny,
M.
et
al.
(early
view)
Reconstructing
long-­‐term
changes
(150
years)
in
the
carbon
cycle
of
a
clearwater
lake
using
the
stable
carbon
isotope
composition
of
chironomid
and
cladoceran
subfossil
remains.
Freshwater
Biology,
• Domaizon,
I.,
Savichtcheva,
O.,
Debroas,
D.,
Arnaud,
F.,
Vilar,
C.,
Pignol,
C.
et
al.
(2013)
DNA
from
lake
sediments
reveals
the
long-­‐term
dynamics
and
diversity
of
Synechococcus
assemblages.
Biogeosciences,
10,
2515-­‐2564.
REQUIRED
QUALIFICATIONS
OF
THE
APPLICANT
The
applicant
has
to
be
qualified
in
limnology,
oceanography
or
paleolimnology,
along
with
good
aptitudes
in
statistics
and
modelling.
The
phD
work
will
be
shared
between
the
French
and
Italian
labs
and
therefore
english
speaking
candidates
are
required.
Abilities
in
French
or
Italian
are
not
required
but
appreciated.
FELLOWSHIPS:
1684,73
euros
(without
taxes)
/month
for
a
3
year-­‐contract.
Up
to
2024,70
euros
in
case
of
teaching
activities
(in
French)
APPLICATIONS
Contact
Marie-­‐Elodie
Perga
(Tél
:04
50
26
78
18
;
Email
:marie-­‐elodie.perga@thonon.inra.fr)
before
May
15th
2014.