1) WCL – WasserCluster Lunz
Dr. Carl Kupelwieser Promenade 5
A-3293 Lunz am See
2) Institute of Hydrobiology and Aquatic Ecosystem Management (IHG)
University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU)
Max-Emanuel-Straße 17
1180 Wien
Lunz am See, 150 km southwest of Vienna, Austria
Description of the infrastructure: The Lunz Mesocosm Infrastructure (LMI) belongs to WasserCluster Lunz (WCL), an inter-university research centre of the University of Vienna, the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU) and the Danube University Krems. It includes 2 permanent land-based mesocosm systems: 40 mesocosms holding 320 L of water each are equipped with a special port to minimize sample contact in experiments targeting dispersal limitation; 24 additional mesocosms holding 400 L each and placed next to a cabin are equipped with a filling system filtering water. Both are equipped with computer-controlled heating and mixing systems. In addition, LMI comprises two experimental flume systems. The Benthic Flumes consist of 6 streamside channels (40 m long, 0.4 m wide) that are continuously fed with stream water. Basic hydraulic and sediment characteristics can be adjusted and solutes such as inorganic nutrients or DOM be added. The Hyporheic Flumes consist of 6 deep channels (5 m long, 0.5 m wide, 1 m deep) filled with gravel and fed with oligotrophic stream water in flow-through mode. Inlets and outlets at different depths (0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 1 m) allow for gradually lowering and increasing water levels to study effects of intermittency on hyporheic communities and processes.
Available infrastructure and instruments beyond the mesocosm facilities include 3 boats and 2 cars, several labs, including a radio-isotope lab (3H,14C), walk-in environmental chambers, elemental analyser coupled to isotope-ratio mass spectrometer (IRMS), GC-FID/MS for analysing fatty acids, HPLC, flow cytometer, total organic carbon (TOC) analyser, nutrient autoanalyser, bench spectrophotometer, fluorometer; PhytoPAM fluorometer, and dissecting, bright- field, inverted and epifluorescence microscopes. Field gear and instrumentation is also available including sampling gear, nets of various mesh sizes, water collection tubes. temperature sensors. Equipment and gear used in the Hyporheic Flumes include a fully automated discharge and water-temperature interface, data loggers, a flow velocity measurement system, a remote-controlled (IR) video system, electrofishing devices, sampling gear, tanks for hatching and maintaining fish, and more.
1A) WCL-Mesocosms-Ptacnik
40 land-based mesososms (320 L each); water pipes for aeration and mixing; exchangeable inner walls; app. 500 m from lake; local tab water suitable for experiments (not chlorinated)
1B) WCL-Mesocosms-Kainz
24 land-based mesososms (400 L each), temperatured controlled, aerated, temperature sensors, remote controlled
2A) HyTEC
consists of two large channels (40 m length, 6 m width) fed with nutrient-poor lake water taken at different depths to vary water temperature. Peak flows of up to 600 l/s are produced to mimic hydropeaking, thermopeaking or extreme floods.
Channel size and morphology (slopes, structures substratum, etc.) is alterable, flow can be controlled, various experiments with different biological elements (fish, benthic invertebrates, algae, etc.) can be conducted in parallel (smaller sub-flumes within each large one) short-time and long-time experiments can be done simultaneously
2B) EcoCatch Flumes
The EcoCatch flumes, also named the ‘Lunzer Rinnen’ consist of 6 streamside experimental flumes of 40m length in which replicated streams can be simulated. The flumes can be used in two operational modes, in flow-through mode with raw stream water to all flumes, or in recirculation mode, with separate recirculation for each flume. A fact-sheet can be found here.
1A) WCL-Mesocosms-Ptacnik
Air flow; possibly shading; nutrient levels
1B) WCL-Mesocosms-Kainz
Temperature, air flow
2) HyTEC
Discharge, ramping rates of discharge, water temperature, substrate, channel morphology
1A) WCL-Mesocosms-Ptacnik
Role of dispersal for maintenance of diversity; diversity-functioning research in plankton communities
1B) WCL-Mesocosms-Kainz
Effects of temperature, heat waves, light, brownification on phytoplankton and zooplankton biodiversity and biochemical composition (elemental stoichiometry, fatty acids)
2A) HyTEC
Hydropeaking-related effects on various aquatic organism groups (juvenile fish, macroinvertebrates and development of benthic algae) and ecosystem processes such as litter decay, primary production
Effects of thermopeaking, analyses of multiple pressures (discharge, nutrients and temperature)
Fish protection and fish guidance efficiency (experiments with a flexible fish fence)
2B) EcoCatch Flumes
Discharge (0 to ~7,5 L/s per flume), flow velocity, water level, slope, bed structure/ sediment composition, biofilm age (often co-variable), light/shading, nutrient status, additions of nutrients, DOM, soil etc. possible. Potentially water temperature can also be modified.
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