Phytoplankton functional structure in a cold and oligotrophic lake through space and time

Cold and oligotrophic environments require specific organism adaptations for survival and growth. Therefore, phytoplankton in cold, clear and nutrient-poor lakes must have particular functional attributes to cope with the harsh conditions that these environments impart. We focused on different functional classifications of species to explore how phytoplankton communities from a cold and oligotrophic lake vary across space and time. Lake Tovel (LTER site IT09-005-A and NETLAKE site, Eastern Alps, Italy) is a deep oligotrophic lake characterized by cold (2013 annual mean lake temperature 6.1 ± 2.3 °C), clear water (longterm Kd values indicate 1% light penetration up to a depth of 20 m and 0.1% up to 35 m) and low phosphorus concentration (