Data of "Epiphyton phenology determines the persistence of submerged macrophytes: exemplified in temperate shallow lakes"

We then assess how changes in the epiphyton phenology and the presence of grazing on epiphyton affects submerged macrophyte biomass in a generic temperate shallow model lake under control and warm winter scenarios. The model results from the model provide a proof-of-concept that epiphyton shading can provoke macrophyte loss and shifts between alternative equilibria. Threshold values for critical shifts depend on epiphyton shading phenology.

Earlier onset and longer duration of grazing can maintain macrophytes in nutrient or climate conditions under which they would otherwise collapse. Our results show the pivotal importance of epiphyton phenology in determining lake ecosystem-wide responses stressing the need for better incorporation of epiphyton into both models and monitoring. Here we present the data resulting from transient runs of the adapted PCLake+ model (25 years) which were generated by varying parameters of the Boltzmann shading curve (by shifting the midpoint), by introducing grazing periods with a) different onsets, and b) different duration, and by running two temperature scenarios (control and warmer winters).

The resulting time series were aggregated for variables submerged vegetation and pelagic phytoplankton chlorophyll-a to a) cumulative biomass developed in the macrophyte growth period, and b) years till collapse of macrophytes in the modelled lake. These data were used for plotting the figures published in the paper: "Periphyton phenology determines stability of submerged vegetation dominance in temperate shallow lakes"