Macrosystems Limnology and Beyond: Re-envisioning the Scale of Limnology

Past limnological studies have traditionally focused on local waterbodies and their watersheds. Whereas individually monitoring local ecosystems over decades has produced a wealth of foundational knowledge, recent advances in ecological knowledge and theory and the emergence of global change stressors and “big data” have spurred limnologists to think beyond local sites and increasingly across landscapes, regions, and continents. In this chapter, we describe the “5 Ws and How” of macrosystems limnology, an emerging subdiscipline that recognizes freshwater ecosystems as components of larger, integrated systems influenced by aquatic, terrestrial, and atmospheric components and processes at multiple spatial and temporal scales.

Impact/Purpose

The field of limnology was built on small-scale studies, where a waterbody and its watershed or a small group of waterbodies and their watersheds, are intensely studied to address an ecological or environmental question of interest. While these studies produced a wealth of foundational knowledge, they may not adequately address the regional and global stressors impacting freshwater ecosystems today that include land use conversion, changing climate conditions, invasive species, and emerging diseases. New perspectives and frameworks are needed to advance the field of limnology and support management and conservation efforts in the face of global change. In this chapter we describe macrosystems limnology as an emerging subdiscipline in limnology that combines the perspectives of landscape limnology and macrosystems ecology to re-envision how freshwater ecosystems are studied and managed. We define key terms and concepts to introduce readers to this field of study and highlight the essential data, analytic, and research culture components needed to carry out macrosystem limnological research. From a macrosystems limnology framework, freshwater ecosystems (lakes, streams, and/or wetlands) are recognized as components of larger, integrated systems that are influenced by aquatic, terrestrial, and atmospheric components and processes that operate at multiple spatial and temporal scales from local watershed to regional, continental, and even global extents. Commonly, numerous (hundreds to thousands of) freshwater ecosystems are studied together to identify general relationships that exist across different system types and landscape settings and to also identify where regional differences exist and what may be driving that variation. This information can help better predict how freshwaters will respond to global change stressors and where management efforts may have greater effects depending on the regional landscape and climatic setting. We feel that this framework can be a powerful tool to understand freshwater ecosystems, and limnologists are better positioned than ever to leverage large data resources and technological advances to broaden the field of limnology beyond watershed scales.

Citation

McCullough, I., C. Fergus, AND C. Scott. Macrosystems Limnology and Beyond: Re-envisioning the Scale of Limnology. ELSEVIER, AMSTERDAM, HOLLAND, 4:539-548, (2022). [DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-12-819166-8.00026-8]

DOI: Macrosystems Limnology and Beyond: Re-envisioning the Scale of Limnology