LONG-TERM RESPONSES OF CHIRONOMIDS TO HUMAN SETTLEMENT

Abstract

Anthropogenic stress has altered the ecological integrity of freshwater lakes for millennia. This remains a confounding factor when examining ecological changes prior to human records. Freshwater management attempts to understand human-induced damage that occurred in the past. Here, the applicability of paleolimnological methods to study complex socioecological systems is investigated. Paleolimnology is an essential methodology for informed environmental management using bioindicators to infer missing monitoring data. A systematic map demonstrated that paleolimnological strategies have wide applicability to reconstruct the relationship between humans and freshwater ecosystems. Fossil chironomid heads were then used to reconstruct the impact of humans on the ecological function of Chocolate Lake, N.S. The fossil record revealed a drastic change in ecological state from wetland to temperate lake, which was then impacted from human disturbances, e.g., industrialization and residential development. Paleolimnological studies can show the impacts of climate and human disturbance, making them essential for freshwater resource management.