North African wetland lakes: characterization of nine sites included in the CASSARINA Project

Exploitation of land and water resources has increased rapidly in North Africa during the 20th century, paralleling regional population growth. As part of the CASSARINA Project (see Flower, 2001), the environmental status of nine wetland lakes in Morocco, Tunisia, and Egypt was evaluated. All are conservationally important habitats and several are Ramsar Sites (internationally recognized bird reserves) and several support significant fisheries. All are shallow (<2 m in depth) but vary greatly in area.Where available, documentary information on relevant 20th century changes is given. Survey transects for aquatic vegetation were established and used to provide baseline ecological information on the aquatic plant communities during 1997–1999. Unusually, one site (Tunisian Megene Chitane) supported acidophilous vegetation (some taxa being nationally rare). Aquatic macrophytes declined catastrophically at two sites during the 1990s. Merja Bokka was drained in 1998 and, at Garaet El Ichkeul, fringing Phragmites and Scirpus spp. were lost, mainly as a result of salinity changes. Elsewhere, fringing macrophytes remain (extensively so in the Nile Delta lakes) common, despite major land reclamation and water quality problems, or are degraded by grazing (Merja Zerga). Marginal vegetation during 1997/98 changed markedly at Megene Chitane due to water level lowering.Documentary records indicated that throughout the 20th century, reclamation and hydrologic modifications, mainly for agricultural purposes, affected all nine sites. The loss of lake area by reclamation is substantial for the Nile Delta lakes (Edku, Burullus and Manzala). For the western sites, some data indicate increasing salinity in the most recent decade but the Delta lakes have become generally fresher during the 20th century, as supply of Nile water for irrigation increased.Despite intense human disturbance, many of the remaining CASSARINA sites still support regions of high aquatic diversity. Spatial scale monitoring of the larger sites for seasonal and inter-annual changes in open water area and in aquatic plant abundances is a key requirement for integrated environmental change assessment in the 21st century.     

Recent environmental change in North African wetland lakes: diatom and other stratigraphic evidence from nine sites in the CASSARINA Project

All nine wetland lakes in the CASSARINA North African suite of sample sites have been disturbed strongly by human activity during the 20th century. Dated lake sediment core were used to provide evidence of the extent of recent environmental change at each site. Sedimentary diatoms at seven sites were useful for inferring salinity change trends during the last century. At two sites preservation problems severely degraded the sedimentary diatom record. Sediment core integrity was otherwise established.Lithostratigraphic measurements indicated some site specific changes in soil erosion and sediment composition but, for the Egyptian Delta lakes, no physical signal synchronous with Aswan High Dam construction was found. Sedimentary diatom assemblages were generally site characteristic and halophilous taxa were common. At two sites planktonic diatoms indicated some recent eutrophication but generally the assemblages were more indicative of salinity changes. Diatom-inferred salinity trends for the seven sites typically indicated that reductions in water salinity occurred sometime during the early or mid 20th century.Rather than climate, hydrological modification of water resources is implicated as the primary driver of salinity changes during most of the 20th century. In the western North African region these modifications were mainly local land drainage and water diversion programmes to alleviate winter flooding and/or promote summer water availability. In the Delta region, the Nile has been intensively exploited since antiquity and intensively so from the late 19th century to release more fresh water for agriculture. Here, diatom records indicate that freshening began well before the Aswan High Dam but salinity fluctuations have tended to diminish during the latter part of the 20th century. A small reversal in the water freshening trend in the 1980/90s was possibly a response to land subsidence/sea-level change or to reduced freshwater supply.Freshwater supply to the sites is generally diminishing as former freshwater surpluses switch to deficit. One site (Merja Bokka, Morocco) became completely dry in 1998 as agriculture encroached and Megene Chitane, the only acid lake in Tunisia, is currently affected by excessive inflow abstraction. At the beginning of the 21st century, eight of the nine CASSARINA sites persist as viable but modified aquatic ecosystems. They nevertheless continue to support valuable aquatic biodiversity, especially in the Delta sites and in Chitane. The modern diatom communities are clearly tolerant of considerable environmental change but the remaining sites are increasingly threatened by major hydrological disturbance. Base-line floristic data for the late 20th century are given but continuous biomonitoring combined with effective management is needed urgently to help conserve North Africa's diminishing natural wetland lake resources.     

Zooplankton (Cladocera, Ostracoda), Chironomidae and other benthic faunal remains in sediment cores from nine North African wetland lakes: the CASSARINA Project

Palaeolimnological studies were carried out on sediment cores from nine North African wetland lakes. The lakes represented a variety of habitats ranging from freshwater to mixohaline conditions and with and without direct connections to the sea. Sediment cores were examined for records of recent environmental change during the 20th century period. Faunal remains analysed in the sediments included those of Cladocera, Ostracoda, Chironomidae, Mollusca and, at the sites with marine connections, Foraminifera. Cyprideis torosa littoralis was the most common ostracod, occurring in sediments from the seven sites linked with the sea and also in brackish water Sidi Bou Rhaba. In acid Megene Chitane ostracods were scarce, being represented by a single species (Cypria ophtalmica). Candona neglecta completely disappeared at two sites (Sidi Bou Rhaba and Bokka) during the 20th century. Of the Cladocera, Chydorus sphaericus was common in the moderately mixohaline sites and but Heterocypris salina occurred only where marine salinities were occasionally achieved (in Zerga, Ichkeul and Korba). Microinvertebrate assemblages in the Nile Delta lake cores and to a less extent in Zerga showed a clear response indicative of more fresher conditions occurring during the latter part of the 20th century. However the freshening trend began prior to construction of the Aswan High Dam (mid 1960s).With the exception of the most saline site (Korba), microinvertebrate communiuties at all the CASSARINA sites have experienced major disturbances during the 20th century. Changes in freshwater availability associated with increased human usage of water resources is perceived as a major factor regulating the abundance and occurrence of aquatic microinvertebrate species at these sites     

Phytoplankton communities of North African wetland lakes: the CASSARINA Project

Seasonal variations in phytoplankton species composition (frequencies) and densities (cell numbers) in nine North African coastal lakes selected in Morocco (Merja Sidi Bou Rhaba, Zerga and Bokka), Tunisia (Chitane, Ichkeul and Korba lakes) and Egypt (Edku, Burullus and Manzala lakes) were investigated during 1998. The main aim was to provide gase-line information about overall phytoplankton diversity and how phytoplanktoncharacteristics differ between these contrasting aquatic systems.Water samples were collected at approximately three monthly intervals and phytoplankton analysis revealed marked seasonal and spatial differences in the quantitative and qualitative composition of the communities at each site. The Egyptian lakes generally had larger crops (Manzala and Burullus had mean crop densities of more than 104 cells ml^–1) but in the western North African sites only Korba and Sidi Bou Rhaba had closely comparable densities. Algae belonging to Bacillariophyceae, Chlorophyceae, Chrysophyceae, Cyanophyceae, Dinophyceae and Euglenophyceae were recorded. Taxa representative of all these algal groups occurred in two lakes (Korba and Manzala) but at the other seven sites only some of the groups were present.The Chlorophyceae was the most dominant group in lakes Burullus, Manzala, Korba and Sidi Bou Rhaba whereas Bacillariophyceae were dominant in lakes Zerga, Bokka and Edku. In Ichkeul and acidic Chitane the Dinophyceae and the Cyanophyceae were the dominant groups, respectively. The maximum percentage of Euglenophyceae occurred in Edku Lake but this group was absent in Sidi Bou Rhaba and Ichkeul. Cyanophyceans were present in significant numbers in all investigated lakes except in Ichkeul. A total of fifty-three genera were recorded, 17 of Chlorophyceae, 18 of Bacillariophyceae, 11 of Cyanophyceae, 3 of Chrysophyceae, 2 of Euglenophyceae and 2 of Dinophyceae. The maximum number of species (34) occurred in Burullus Lake and the minimum (6) in Ichkeul Lake. Only one lake (acidic Chitane) possessed species indicative of oligotrophic conditions. The Nile Delta lakes were the most species diverse sites.The phytoplankton communities of the nine North African lakes were composed entirely of cosmopolitan species but with one new species (Cyclotella choctawatcheeana) was recorded for the region. The data presented provide a contemporary account of the levels of algal diversity present in these sites at the end of the 20th century. The relevance of phytoplankton communities to assessment of lake status and future monitoring studies in the region is emphasised.     

Recent ecosystem dynamics in nine North African lakes in the CASSARINA Project

An integrated multi-disciplinary study of nine North African lakes (CASSARINA) aims to establish ecological baselines and to explore responses to 20th century human impacts on their ecosystems. Water chemistry measurements (1997–1998) demonstrate a wide range from dilute oligotrophic to calcareous freshwaters and from mildly brackish to hypersaline lagoons. The biota are consequently highly diverse. Aquatic ecosystem responses to environmental stress over the last 100–200 years in all nine lakes are summarised by detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) of plant and animal macrofossil, zooplankton, diatom, and pollen data from short sediment cores. DCA proved to be a powerful tool for summarising multi-proxy sediment records and ecosystem dynamics. Compositional changes measured by the DCAs have been very large and rapid, often over a few decades; as great as climate-controlled late-glacial changes over 2000 years and larger than most Holocene (11000 years) changes. These results emphasise the strength of human impact on the lakes and the surprisingly great resilience and dynamism of their ecosystems. The DCA summaries for the most recent decades indicate ecosystem disequilibrium in all the lakes, implying that their future stability is uncertain and that large or damaging changes may soon occur if the stresses are maintained. Thresholds have recently been passed in 3 lakes. During the project, Merja Bokka (Morocco) was drained and cultivated. The unique acid Megene Chitane (Tunisia) is in danger of drying up permanently due to water extraction. Freshwater diversion from Garaet El Ichkeul (Tunisia) has dramatically altered its wildlife habitat, as reed-marshes were replaced by salt-marsh and bare mud within 20 years. In contrast, the ecosystems of the Delta lakes (Egypt) have responded dramatically to the year-round inflow of fresh irrigation water controlled by Nile dams and the rise in the freshwater table due to inadequate drainage in the flat delta. The Project has demonstrated remarkably rapid responses by the lakes to environmental stresses. In particular, it highlights the threats to wetland-lake ecosystems in North Africa if uncontrolled exploitation continues.     

Open water zooplankton communities in North African wetland lakes: the CASSARINA Project

Zooplankton (Copepoda, Cladocera, Ostracoda, Rotifera and Diptera larvae) in nine North African lakes was collected from open water areas over twenty months during 1997/99. The results were used to monitor changes in the pelagic micro-invertebrate fauna of these sites with the purpose of exploring diversity structure and regional species occurrences.The studied sites formed three distinct groups based on hydrology and water quality criteria: (i) acid water with no marine connection (Megene Chitane); (ii) alkaline freshwater/brackish with no marine connection (Merja Sidi Bou Rhaba and Merja Bokka); (iii) freshwater/brackish with marine connection (Merja Zerga, Lac de Korba, Garaet El Ichkeul and three Nile Delta lakes). However, cluster analysis of the zooplankton data alone indicated four groups with Korba being separated because of its prevalence of species tolerant of summer hypersalinity.The total regional zooplanktonic species richness found was 88 taxa and these were characterized by species tolerant of widely fluctuating environmental conditions. However, some recorded species were very rare for North African freshwaters (e.g. Alonella excisa, Leydigia quadrangularis and, Ilyocryptus sordidus) and generally indicate favourable environmental conditions of low salinity and temperature. The sites influenced by marine waters generally exhibited slightly lower numbers of species but which generally demonstrate cosmopolitan distributions. Distinct seasonal patterns in species distributions were more similar to those observed in European lakes rather than to those of lower latitudes sites.Zooplankton play a key role in maintaining aquatic ecosystem quality in the North African study lakes and the community distributions described for the late 20th century help set biodiversity base-line data for future studies. If the remaining wetland lakes in this region are to persist as important resources during the 21st century, they will need to be managed in a way that ensures that aquatic diversity is maintained.     

Influence of Pulsed Inflows and Nutrient Loading on Zooplankton and Phytoplankton Community Structure and Biomass in Microcosm Experiments Using Estuarine Assemblages

Productivity and community structure of phytoplankton and zooplankton are influenced by hydrologic disturbances in many ways. In a recent modeling study it was suggested that pulsed inflows might enhance zooplankton performance, curb accumulation of phytoplankton accumulated biomass, and promote phytoplankton species diversity. We tested these predictions by performing microcosm experiments on natural plankton assemblages from the Nueces Delta, TX, USA. On three occasions (March, June, and September 2001), experiments of semi-continuous and flow-through design were conducted using natural plankton assemblages. We investigated the effect of two different inflow and nutrient loading regimes on zooplankton biomass, and phytoplankton biomass and diversity, i.e., continuous and pulsed inflows of 3 day frequency. Despite differences in initial community structure on these three occasions, as well as the very different communities that arose between experimental designs, our findings showed that pulsed inflows altered plankton dynamics. In all cases, pulsed inflows resulted in greater zooplankton biomass. In most cases, pulsed inflows resulted in lower phytoplankton biomass and higher diversity. We speculate that greater phytoplankton diversity in the pulsed flow treatments favored selectively feeding zooplankton, whose better performance prevented higher accumulation of phytoplankton biomass.     

Plankton community and the relationship with the environment in saline lakes of Onon-Torey plain,Northeastern Mongolia

The plankton community of sixteen saline lakes located on Onon-Torey plain (Northeastern Mongolia) during the filling phase and the raising of the water level was investigated in July 2011. Thirty-five taxa of phytoplankton and thirty-one species of zooplankton were found. For phytoplankton, blue-green algae (Merismopedia elegans, Anabaenopsis elenkinii, Arthrospora fusiformis, Spirulina major, Lyngbya sp., Oscillatoria sp.) and green algae (Monoraphidium minutum, Tetrastrum komarekii, Ankyra ocellata, Oocystis sp.) were dominant. For zooplankton, Filinia longiseta, Brachionus plicatilis, B. variabilis, Hexarthra mira (Rotifera), Daphnia magna, Moina brachiata, M. mongolica (Cladocera), Arctodiaptomus bacillifer, Mixodiaptomus incrassatus, Metadiaptomus asiaticus (Copepoda) dominated. Mineralization, active hydrogen ratio, dissolved oxygen and water temperature were the main factors influencing the diversity, structure and distribution of plankton organisms in the steppe lakes during low water level. The RDA analysis for phytoplankton and zooplankton from different lakes was carried out for selected two groups which included lakes and a subset related species. The first group is of oligohaline and mesohaline lakes in which mostly green algae, rotifers and copepods inhabit. The second group is of mesohaline and polyhaline lakes with mainly blue-green algae, some crustaceans and rotifers inhabiting. High abundance and biomass of Spirulina major, Oscillatoria sp. and Brachionus variabilis were observed in lakes with high mineralization, pH and temperature.     

Size distributions and trophic relationship of the pelagic ecosystem in the Oosterschelde (S.W. Netherlands)

The theory of SHELDONet al. (1972), stating that in marine pelagic communities biomass is distributed equally over logarithmic size classes, is tested for the inland part of the Oosterschelde. It is shown that none of the data on total particulate matter (including phytoplankton and non-phytoplankton particles), phytoplankton separately and zooplankton abundance and size, on a yearly basis, are distributed equally over the size range in which they occur. Using experimentally determined predation efficiency values for zooplankton grazing on phytoplankton, it is shown that the ratio of zooplankton-to phytoplankton biomass found is nevertheless rather consistent with the model of SHELDONet al. (1977).Communication no. 539 of the Delta Institute for Hydrobiological Research.     

Phytoplankton diversity (alpha,beta, and gamma) from the Araguaia River tropical floodplain lakes (central Brazil)

Alpha, beta and gamma are three components of species diversity. Knowing these attributes in floodplain lake phytoplankton communities is vital when selecting conservation areas. Species diversity is commonly used with other taxonomic groups, but rarely with phytoplankton. We compared the number of phytoplankton species (alpha diversity) from 21 Middle Araguaia River floodplain lakes in the 2000 and 2001 rainy and dry seasons. From these samples we estimated complete survey species richness (gamma diversity), quantified differences in species composition between lakes (beta diversity) and assessed the influence of abiotic variables on beta diversity. We recorded a total of 577 taxa. The Sjack1 estimator indicated that 62.31% of taxa were sampled in the 2000 rainy and 67.65% dry seasons, and 68.36% in the 2001 rainy and 73.5% dry seasons. In almost all seasons, alpha diversity negatively correlated with latitude. Beta diversity (β-1) was higher in high water periods, especially in 2000. This may have been caused by isolated heavy rainfall, which would have increased environmental heterogeneity and raised beta diversity. DCA showed differences in phytoplankton composition between rainy and dry seasons in 2000 and 2001, reflecting the influence of flood pulses on phytoplankton composition. The Mantel test indicated spatial distribution patterns where geographically more distant lakes had less-similar phytoplankton communities. Handling editor: J. Padisak     

Influence of nutrients, submerged macrophytes and zooplankton grazing on phytoplankton biomass and diversity along a latitudinal gradient in Europe

In order to evaluate latitudinal differences in the relationship of phytoplankton biomass and diversity with environmental conditions in shallow lakes, we sampled 98 shallow lakes from three European regions: Denmark (DK), Belgium/The Netherlands (BNL) and southern Spain (SP). Phytoplankton biomass increased with total phosphorus (TP) concentrations and decreased with submerged macrophyte cover across the three regions. Generic richness was significantly negatively related to submerged macrophyte cover and related environmental variables. Zooplankton:phytoplankton biomass ratios were positively related to submerged macrophyte cover and negatively to phytoplankton generic richness in DK and BNL, suggesting that the low generic richness in lakes with submerged macrophytes was due to a higher zooplankton grazing pressure in these regions. In SP, phytoplankton generic richness was not influenced by zooplankton grazing pressure but related to conductivity. We observed no relationship between phytoplankton generic richness and TP concentration in any of the three regions. The three regions differed significantly with respect to mean local and regional generic richness, with BNL being more diverse than the other two regions. Our observations suggest that phytoplankton diversity in European shallow lakes is influenced by submerged macrophyte cover indirectly by modulating zooplankton grazing. This influence of submerged macrophytes and zooplankton grazing on phytoplankton diversity decreases from north to south.     

Planktonic indices in the evaluation of the ecological status and the trophic state of the longest lake in Poland

Due to the intensive mixing polymictic lakes should be homogenous. However, morphometric diversity and high water dynamics contribute to the differentiation of many parameters in various areas of the lakes. This study analyzes both phytoplankton and zooplankton to assess differences in water quality along the north–south axis of the longest lake in Poland. New phytoplankton indicators were applied for determining the lake's ecological status: the Q index based on functional groups and the PMPL (Phytoplankton Metric for Polish Lakes) index based on phytoplankton biomass. TSI_ROT index (Rotifer Trophic State Index), which comprises the percentage of species indicating a high trophic state in the indicatory group and the percentage of bacteriovorus in the Rotifera population, was used for zooplankton analysis.TP content was different at different sites – we observed its gradual increase from the south to the north. Spatial variation of phosphorus did not considerably affect plankton diversity. The phytoplankton was dominated by Oscillatoriales, typical of shallow, well-mixed eutrophic lakes. The ecological status of the lake based on the EQR (Ecological Quality Ratio) was poor or moderate. The zooplankton was dominated by rotifers (at almost all sites), which indicates a eutrophic state of the lake. The values of phytoplankton indices at the studied sites did not differ considerably; the differences resulted more from local conditions such as the contaminant inflow and the macrophyte development than water dynamics.We have demonstrated that in the lake dominated by filamentous Cyanobacteria the ecological status should be determined according to the PMPL index or other indices dependent on the dominant Cyanobacteria species. Since the Q index does not include the functional group S1, the results can lead to the false conclusion that water quality improves with an increased amount of phytoplankton. The high abundance of Cyanobacteria in the lake may have contributed to the poor growth of rotifers.     

Cyanobacteria dominance influences resource use efficiency and community turnover in phytoplankton and zooplankton communities

Freshwater biodiversity loss potentially disrupts ecosystem services related to water quality and may negatively impact ecosystem functioning and temporal community turnover. We analysed a data set containing phytoplankton and zooplankton community data from 131 lakes through 9 years in an agricultural region to test predictions that plankton communities with low biodiversity are less efficient in their use of limiting resources and display greater community turnover (measured as community dissimilarity). Phytoplankton resource use efficiency (RUE = biomass per unit resource) was negatively related to phytoplankton evenness (measured as Pielou's evenness), whereas zooplankton RUE was positively related to phytoplankton evenness. Phytoplankton and zooplankton RUE were high and low, respectively, when Cyanobacteria, especially Microcystis sp., dominated. Phytoplankton communities displayed slower community turnover rates when dominated by few genera. Our findings, which counter findings of many terrestrial studies, suggest that Cyanobacteria dominance may play important roles in ecosystem functioning and community turnover in nutrient‐enriched lakes.     

Phytoplankton assemblages and steady state in deep and shallow eutrophic lakes – an approach to differentiate the habitat properties of Oscillatoriales

Ecological conditions and phytoplankton succession in two shallow hypertrophic lakes (Langer See and Melangsee) and a dimictic, eutrophic lake (Scharmützelsee) in a lake chain in Eastern Germany were analyzed from 1999 to 2001 in order to find situations of phytoplankton steady state assemblages and variables controlling the phytoplankton composition according to Reynolds et al. (2002). Long term background data from 1993 to 2001 suggest steady state conditions in shallow lakes, whereas the deep lake exhibited irregular fluctuations between various phytoplankton stages. Since the phytoplankton composition in the shallow lakes was similar in all the 3 years, it was highly predictable. Steady state conditions dominated by different species of Oscillatoriales were detected during the summer period 1999 and 2000 in Langer See and in Melangsee (see Mischke & Nixdorf, this volume). This dominant assemblage found in both lakes (group S ₁ acc. to Reynolds et al., 2002): Planktothrix agardhii (Gom.) Anagn. et Kom., Limnothrix redekei (Van Goor) Meffert, Pseudanabaena (Lauterb.) is typical in turbid mixed layers with highly light deficient conditions, but it is also regularly dominant in the dimictic lake Scharmützelsee as observed in 1999 and 2001 (Pseudanabaena limnetica (Lemm.) Kom. The Nostocales Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii (Wolz.) Seenayya et Subba Raju and Aphanizomenon gracile (Lemmerm.) Lemmerm. were important in the shallow lakes as well as in lake Scharmützelsee. Nevertheless, the occurrence of filamentous cyanobacteria in the dimictic lake was not regular and an unpredictable change in phytoplankton development was observed in 2000. It is discussed, whether this phenomenon of regular succession in shallow hypertrophic lakes is caused by adaptation to a resilient and an extreme environment or by the pool of species that can live or survive in that environment. This was checked through comparison of the depth of the mixed layer, the mean daily irradiance within this layer and the nutrient resources. Although the nutrient resources in both types of lake are near threshold levels, indicating growth inhibition by dissolved nutrients (DIP, DIN, TIC, DSi), the under water light supply seems to be the key factor favoring the dominance of filamentous cyanobacteria belonging to the functional group S ₁.     

鄱阳湖国家级自然保护区浮游生物群落结构及空间分布

为评价春季大旱后鄱阳湖国家级自然保护区浮游生物现状,对保护区所辖 8 个子湖及赣江和修河部分河段的浮游生物进行调查和分析。调查共发现浮游植物 53 属 97 种、浮游动物 23 属 42 种（包括原生动物 13 种、轮虫 23 种、枝角类 3 种和桡足类 3 种）,其中大湖池和朱市湖是浮游生物种类数最多的 2 个子湖。各子湖及赣江和修河间浮游生物现存量差异较大,其变化范围分别为260（8.18106）cells/L（浮游植物）、363073173 ind./L（浮游动物）,赣江以西区域的子湖和修河的浮游生物现存量显著高于赣江及其以东区域的子湖。调查水域优势度值（Y）大于 0.02 的浮游生物包括蓝藻 1 种、绿藻 2 种、硅藻 5 种、原生动物 4 种及轮虫 5 种。浮游生物 Shannon-Wiener 多样性指数（H'）和均匀度指数（J）的最大值均分别为 2.41 和 0.96,而其丰富度指数（Dm）值均小于 3。3 种多样性指数综合评价表明,保护区各子湖与修河和赣江水体受污染程度较轻,除蚌湖和梅西湖外,均处于中污状态。       

Spatial patterns and relationships between phytoplankton, zooplankton and water quality in the Saimaa lake system, Finland

The interactions between phytoplankton and zooplankton were studied in two large lakes in the Saimaa lake system, Finland. Both are subjected to substantial waste water loading, and exhibit a clear trophic gradient between the loaded and unloaded areas. The phytoplankton and zooplankton were compared in terms of composition, abundance and biomass at 34–39 stations located in different parts of the lakes. At least four mechanisms were thought to affect the composition of plankton communities: (1) the amount of nutrients (trophic gradient), (2) grazing of algae by herbivores, (3) the effect of the algal species composition on feeding by zooplankters (large, colonial algae in the more loaded parts of the lakes) and (4) the regeneration and reorganization of nutrients.     

Dominant species, functional assemblages and frequency of equilibrium phases in late summer phytoplankton assemblages in Hungarian small shallow lakes

Late summer phytoplankton associations were studied qualitatively and quantitatively in 80 Hungarian lakes altogether (mostly shallow salt lakes, reservoirs, oxbows, gravel pit lakes). Equilibrium phases sensu Sommer et al. (1993) were found only in 17 lakes. Most of them were under some kind (high salt content or very low level of nutrients) of stress factor. It is concluded that environmental stress forces phytoplankton communities towards equilibrium. No relationship between occurrence of equilibria and trophic state was found. Species number of non-equilibrated lakes was almost three times as high as those in equilibrium. Of the 31 recently described (Reynolds et al., 2002) phytoplankton assemblages most of those were recognized that are likely to occur in shallow lakes. Separation of a functional group W _S from W2 for Synura dominated lakes is suggested. It seemed also necessary to raise a group (Y _Ph) for lakes dominated by Phacotus. Sorting of Dinophyta species into different already described functional groups is desirable.     

Introducing a zooplanktonic index for assessing water quality of natural lakes in the Mediterranean region

In the pelagic food web of lakes, zooplankton offers the linkage between phytoplankton and fish, greatly affecting but also mirroring the functionality and stability of the ecosystem. Despite the increased interest on the development of water quality indices, incorporating zooplankton data on metrics used for the assessment of natural lakes remains a challenge. Here, we used information of natural lakes hosted in Eastern Mediterranean on zooplankton abundance, biomass, body weight and cladocerans' ratio to develop a novel zooplanktonic index (Zoo-IQ). Α 5-grade classification scheme was generated (Bad ≤6, 6 < Poor ≤10, 10 < Moderate ≤14, 14 < Good ≤18, 18 < High) for water quality assessment. The Zoo-IQ was originally parametrized based on data collected from 13 natural lakes, located in Greece and successfully classified hypertrophic lakes with poor quality and deep lakes with good quality, while it identified lakes subjected to restoration actions. Using independent data from five lakes hosted in Greece, Turkey and Croatia, Zoo-IQ successfully assessed their water quality. Specifically, from the 25 sampling cases, used for the development and the evaluation of the index, Zoo-IQ identified 5 as good, 8 as moderate, 11 as poor and 1 as bad. Our results demonstrate the potential of using Zoo-IQ for the assessment of lakes water quality in the Mediterranean. The proposed index could serve as a first step towards the development of similar indices in other climatic zones.     

Influence of Temperature,Photoperiod and Trophic Conditions on the Seasonal Cycles of Phytoplankton and Zooplankton in Two Deep Subarctic Lakes of Northern Canada

The densities of phytoplankton and zooplankton were determined for 12 consecutive months (1978–1979) in two deep oligotrophic lakes in northern Canada. The lakes were situated on the same river system, about 5 km from one another. While they exhibited similar temperature conditions, there were slight differences in the ionic content of the water. Overall, changing temperature was the most important factor influencing the duration of the growth cycles of phytoplankton and zooplankton. Nutrients generally controlled the intensity but not the timing of algal blooms. A similar relationship was recorded for the effects of food supply on the development of the major species of herbivorous zooplankton. Although changing photoperiod likely initiated the growth of several important algal and zooplankton species in the spring and early summer, light had no measurable impact on the development of planktonic communities throughout the remainder of the growing season. The higher ionic content of the water in one lake may have promoted the growth of protozoans during the fall and early winter.     

鄱阳湖不同水文期浮游生物群落结构特征和影响因素及水质评价

为阐明鄱阳湖不同水文期浮游生物群落结构特征及其影响因素,研究于2017年8月(丰水期)和12月(枯水期)在鄱阳湖湖区典型水域设置5个采样点进行浮游生物采样调查。研究期间共鉴定浮游植物8门75属186种,丰水期与枯水期均以硅藻门和绿藻门为主。共鉴定浮游动物4类76种,丰水期与枯水期均以原生动物和轮虫为主。方差分析显示:浮游植物密度与生物量在不同水文期之间的差异均为极显著(P<0.01),浮游动物丰水期密度高于枯水期,但无显著差异(P>0.05),浮游动物生物量(P<0.05)在不同水文期差异显著。冗余分析(RDA)显示:丰水期透明度和浮游生物呈显著负相关关系,电导率和浮游生物呈显著正相关。透明度、电导率与营养盐是影响丰水期浮游生物群落结构的主要环境因素,枯水期水温和溶解氧是驱动鄱阳湖浮游生物群落生态分布的主要环境因素。基于Shannon-Wiener(H′)、Margalef(d)和Pielou(J)等生物多样性指数的水质评价结果表明:鄱阳湖研究区域水质状态处于寡污-中污之间。研究揭示了2个水文期对通江湖泊浮游生物的影响:季节变化不改变湖泊浮游生物的物种组成及优势种,但...