Lake ecosystems as proxies of change in a post-pandemic era

Abstract

A wide spectrum of algal-bacterial-viral relationships in aquatic ecosystems provide a complex matrix of interactions with abiotic factors such as temperature, pH and total solids concentrations in water. These relationships are quite reflective of the summative status of changes undergone by the lacustrine environments. However, the environmental risks and vulnerability of aquatic ecosystems in the regions of Global South including India, owing to the increase in sewage and domestic discharges with high loads of viral particles in the post-COVID-19 times have only been sparsely reported. Collective scenarios emerging from the influential factors such as the increase in salinity and total solids need to be explored for scientific significance and understanding. The present article opines that while the changes in the biotic and abiotic factors can enhance or alleviate these risks, identification of the stable and alternate states of the ecosystems make excellent ecosystem level proxies for pandemic-related disturbances at a macro-scale. Further, the need to plan Nature based Solutions to counter these risks under pandemic-like scenarios is discussed.

Keywords: COVID-19; Environmental risks; Lake ecosystems; NbS; Pandemic; Total solids.