Hydrochemical and Seasonally Conditioned Changes of Microbial Communities in the Tufa-Forming Freshwater Network Ecosystem
Andrea Čačković, Katarina Kajan, Lorena Selak, Tamara Marković, Andrijana Brozičević, Petra Pjevac, Sandi Orlić
Abstract
Plitvice Lakes represent a rare freshwater ecosystem consisting of a complex network of lakes and waterfalls connecting them, as well as rivers and streams supplying water to the lake basin. The unique geomorphological, hydrological, biogeochemical, and biological phenomenon of Plitvice Lakes lies in the biodynamic process of forming tufa barriers. In addition to microbial communities, abiotic water factors also have a major influence on the formation of tufa. Therefore, it is important to understand how changes in environmental conditions and microbial community assembly affect the functioning of the ecosystem of a freshwater network with developed tufa barriers.