Arcellacean (thecamoebian) evidence of land-use change and eutrophication in Frenchman’s Bay, Pickering, Ontario

Frenchman’s Bay, on the northern shore of Lake Ontario, has been negatively impacted by eutrophication in the last 50 years through urbanization and the use of chemical fertilizers. Eutrophication began with wholesale land clearance and agricultural practises beginning in the mid-nineteenth century and reached a peak with urbanization after World War II. Eutrophication and the effects of land-use changes on the watershed were investigated by a combined analysis of the sediment magnetic properties and arcellacean (thecamoebian) microfauna. Micropaleontological analyses were conducted on two 2-m-long cores (FMB1 and FMB2) every 10 cm (42 samples) and magnetic susceptibility was measured at 2-cm intervals. Both cores showed a distinct correlative transition at 60 cm and 110 cm that was marked by a rapid increase in thecamoebian concentrations (from approx. 10×103 to 30×103 specimens per cc) and a large increase in Cucurbitella tricuspis (from approx. 10–20% to 40–70%). This transition correlated with a marked increase in magnetic susceptibility (150–200×10−8 m3 Kg−1) at the same depth, which was attributed to elevated levels of detrital magnetic minerals derived from land clearance and soil erosion in the watershed. It was indicated by 210 Pb dates indicate that there was a gradual onset of eutrophication in the mid-nineteenth century (AD 1850±56) and a more rapid rise in the mid-1940s to late 1950s. The initial increase in eutrophication was due to land clearing, agricultural development and increased nutrient loadings. The major eutrophication increase in the 1950s was from urbanization and storm sewer discharge loaded with high yield chemical fertilizers from lawns and gardens. This high concentration of nutrients has led to an unprecedented level of eutrophication within the wetland.