Watchorn, M.A., Hamilton, P.B., Anderson, T., Roe, H.M., and Patterson, R.T. Diatoms and pollen as indicators of water quality and land use change: a case study from the Oak Ridges Moraine, Southern Ontario Journal of Paleolimnology (2008), v. 39, p. 491-509.
Swan Lake is a small kettle lake located on the Oak Ridges Moraine; a moraine that is
recognized as an important source of ground water for the nearby and rapidly expanding Greater Toronto Area. A paleolimnological reconstruction using pollen and diatoms from the lake sediments showed significant changes in biological community composition through the last ~400 years. Alterations in the diatom and pollen assemblages were most dramatic ca. A.D. 1850, correlating with the highest sediment flux in the lake between the period ca. A.D. 1850 and A.D. 1870. These changes were directly linked to regional deforestation and agricultural activities associated with European settlement. The pollen record from ca. A.D. 1850 to present day indicated that tree species (e.g. Pinus spp., Tsuga canadensis) were declining, while grass (Poaceae) and invasive species (e.g. Ambrosia) were increasing. Around A.D. 1850, the diatom flora changed from an assemblage dominated by large, benthic species (e.g. Sellaphora pupula, Pinnularia
cf. maior, and Stauroneis phoenicenteron) to an assemblage characterized by smaller, tychoplanktonic (e.g. Fragilaria tenera, Staurosirella pinnata) and epiphytic (e.g. Achnanthidium minutissimum, Rossithidium linearis) taxa. This diatom community change supports the intermediate disturbance hypothesis which predicts a high level of diversity and richness following an intermediate to intense disturbance of short duration. Phosphorus concentrations in Swan Lake were inferred using a diatom-based regional calibration model, and the results indicated marked changes in lake water chemistry through time (from below detection limits before land clearance and settlement to 19.3 mg 1-1 in the current sediments), which were concurrent with episodes of regional deforestation and land-use change. Although the sediment and biological records indicate that the lake ecology has stabilized over the last 30–50 years, paleolimnological records show that the water quality and biology of Swan Lake has changed dramatically and not returned to pre-settlement conditions. Swan Lake presents a detailed record of the impact created by deforestation and urban development with a population of <50 individuals per km2. Detailed paleolimnological studies like Swan Lake, in tandem with global human footprint studies, can create realistic estimates of land-use impacts at the global scale.