A long-term (1986-2010) phytoplankton dataset from the LTER-Italy site Lake Candia

In this paper we describe a 25-year (1986-2010) dataset of phytoplankton cell density abundance and biovolume in Lake Candia, a eutrophic, natural, small, and shallow lake located in north-western Italy, with data that are made available through the GBIF repository. The lake belongs to the national (LTER-Italy), European (LTER-Europe) and International ( ILTER) long-term ecological research (LTER) networks. Phytoplankton samples were collected approximately monthly at the maximum depth station of the lake (7.7 m) and analysed with the inverted microscope, estimating both the cell density abundance and biovolume of each taxon. The dataset includes 10,120 georeferenced occurrences related to 545 taxa. During this 25-year period, the lake underwent profound modifications mainly related to the lake biomanipulation activities addressed to the management of aquatic macrophyte and to the evolution of the trophic condition. Making this dataset available represents a contribution to the current activities of the LTER networks for defining and reconstructing spatial and temporal dynamics and to identify and compare reliable trends.

Automated summary

This paper describes a 25-year dataset of phytoplankton in Lake Candia, Italy, which includes over 10,000 georeferenced occurrences of 545 taxa. The dataset provides valuable information for defining and comparing trends in the lake's ecological dynamics over time. The availability of this dataset contributes to the activities of LTER networks.