Nutrient recycling and shifts in N:P ratio by different zooplankton structures in a South Andes lake

In South Andes lakes, zooplankton succession is characterizedby a change in the dominance from the calanoid copepod Boeckellagracilipes in winter and spring, to the cladoceran Bosmina longirostrisin midsummer, and the rotifer Polyarthra vulgaris in late summer.We performed three series of field experiments at differenttimes (late spring, summer and late summer) to examine the roleof zooplankton constitution in the released nitrogen:phosphorus(N:P) ratio. We observed that changes in the zooplankton constitutionover the annual cycle may change the nutrient supply ratio.In South Andes lakes, Boeckella gracilipes would decrease theP limitation, lowering the N:P ratio, whereas Bosmina longirostristends to increase the N:P ratio and therefore increase the Plimitation during summer.     

Calanoid copepods feeding on algae and filamentous cyanobacteria: rates of ingestion, defaecation and effects on trichome length

The relative abilities of freshwater calanoid copepods to grazealgae and filamentous cyanobacteria were examined in three speciesof Boeckella (B.triarticulata, B.hamata, B.dilatata) fed Cydotella,Cryptomonas and two species of Nostoc and Anabaena. Althoughrates of ingestion were highest on Cryptomonas, all the Boeckellaspecies consumed cyanobacteria, some species at similar ratesto Cyclolella. Faecal production on the foods was highest onCydotella and, in B.triarticulata, higher on A.flos-aquae andNostoc sp. 2 than on Cryptomonas. At 1 mg l^–1 of thesecyanobacteria, female B.triarticulata voided 70% by volume ofthe material they ingested as compact faecal pellets. By theirgrazing they also decreased dramatically the trichome lengthsof A.flos-aquae, A.oscillarioides and Nostoc sp. 2, therebypossibly altering the potential susceptibility of these filamentouscyanobacteria to grazing by other zooplankton.     

Relative impacts of copepods, cladocerans and nutrients on the microbial food web of a mesotrophic lake

Calanoid copepods, rather than cladocerans, frequently dominatethe zooplankton of lakes in New Zealand. The potential consequencesof this domination for the microbial community of mesotrophicLake Mahinerangi, New Zealand, were determined by field experimentsin which Boeckella and Daphnia were added to in situ enclosuresin the presence and absence of added nutrients. Boeckella hamataat ambient densities (2 and 81^–1) rapidly and severelysuppressed ciliate population growth over 4 days, even whenmicrobial growth was enhanced by added nutrients, but effectsof copepods on other components of the microbial community (bacteria,photosynthetic picoplankton, heterotrophic nano-flagellates,algae) were slight. In contrast, Daphnia carinata at the samedensities (but 3-fold higher biomasses per litre) had a relativelyweak effect on ciliates, suppressing ciliate abundance onlyafter 4 days at 8 Daphnia 1^–1 (330 µg 1^–1);this daphniid density also depressed abundances of large bacterialrods, some photosynthetic picoplankton and the dominant alga,Cyclotella. These results highlight the relative importanceof specific trophic linkages in a microbial food web; they alsosuggest that the dominance of Boeckella in many southern hemispherelakes may account for relatively low ciliate abundances in theselakes.     

Diet selection by copepods in the presence of cyanobacteria

Boeckella, the dominant calanoid in many Southern Hemispherelakes, can survive, grow and reproduce to varying extents onmonocultures of cyanobacteria. In this study, we determinedthe effects of algal and cyanobacterial foods of different nutritionalvalue and concentration on food preferences of adult femaleBoeckella trianiculata and Boeckella hamata. Four species ofcyanobacteria (Anabaena flos-aquae, Nostoc sp. 2, OscillatoriatenuisandMicrocystis aeruginosa) were offered alone and mixedwith equal biomasses of Cryptomonas sp., Choricystis or a cyanobacterium.Food preferences were calculated as ratios of the rates at whichthe copepods removed each food at high and low food concentrations.In high-concentration mixtures with cyanobacteria, Cryptomonaswas consistently preferred by both Boeckella spp. In low-concentrationmixtures, both Boeckella spp. preferred Anabaena and Nostoc,which they removed at high rates(81–142 ml mg^–1h^–1), although Cryptomonas was selected in preferenceto Oscillatoria and Microcystis. When fed mixtures of filamentouscyanobacteria, both species of Boeckella showed invariant discriminationagainst Nostoc, andshifts in preference between Anabaena andOscillatoria that were related to food concentration. Microcystis,the least favouredfood, appeared to have a toxic effect on B.triarticulata. ¹Present address: Nursing and Midwifery Department, Otago Polytechnic,Forth Street, Dunedin, New Zealand     

Co-occurrence patterns among Australian centropagid copepods

Summary Data sets from existing limnological surveys carried out on Australian zooplankton communities are examined, and co-occurrences of species in the centropagid copepod genera Boeckella and Calamoecia are tabulated. One experiment to determine the extent of mating errors among four species of Boeckella is performed. The data are examined with respect to the hypotheses that mating errors of similar sized copepods preclude co-occurrence and that competition for resources by similar size species preclude occurrence. It is concluded that neither hypothesis is valid, instead, that co-occurrence patterns among these Australian centropagids are a function of dispersal and colonization ability, and that zooplankton species composition in Australian lakes and ponds is probably in a state of disequilibrium.     

Relative impacts of Daphnia grazing and direct stimulation by fish on phytoplankton abundance in mesocosm communities

• 1 Planktivorous fish were hypothesised to influence the abundance of algal biomass in lakes by changing zooplankton grazing, affecting zooplankton nutrient recycling and by direct recycling of nutrients to phytoplankton. The relative roles of direct fish effects vs. zooplankton grazing were tested in mesocosm experiments by adding to natural communities large grazing zooplankton (Daphnia carinata) and small planktivorous fish (mosquitofish or juveniles of Australian golden perch).
• 2 The addition of Daphnia to natural communities reduced the numbers of all phytoplankton less than 30 µm in size, but did not affect total biomass of phytoplankton as large Volvox colonies predominated.
• 3 The addition of Daphnia also reduced the abundance of some small (Moina, Bosmina, Keratella) and large (adult Boeckella) zooplankton, suggesting competitive interactions within zooplankton.
• 4 The addition of mosquitofish to communities containing Daphnia further reduced the abundance of some small zooplankton (Moina, Keratella), but increased the numbers of Daphnia and adult Boeckella. In spite of the likely increase in grazing due to Daphnia, the abundance of total phytoplankton and dominant alga Volvox did not decline in the presence of mosquitofish but was maintained at a significantly higher level than in control.
• 5 The addition of juveniles of golden perch to communities containing Daphnia reduced the abundance of small zooplankton (Moina), increased the abundance of large zooplankton (adult Boeckella) but had no significant effect on Daphnia and total phytoplankton abundance.
• 6 The results of the present study suggest that some planktivorous fish can promote the growth of phytoplankton in a direct way, probably by recycling nutrients, and even in the presence of large grazers. However, the manifestation of the direct effect of fish can vary with fish species.

     

A comparison of the trophic transfer of fatty acids in freshwater plankton by cladocerans and calanoid copepods

1. Analyses of zooplankton fatty acid (FA) composition in laboratory experiments and samples collected from lakes in New Zealand spanning a wide gradient of productivity were used to assess the extent to which FAs might infer their diet. We used the cladocerans, Daphnia and Ceriodaphnia, and the calanoid copepod, Boeckella, as test organisms, and monocultures of cryptophytes, chlorophytes and cyanobacteria as food. Based on reproductive success, cryptophytes were the highest food quality, chlorophytes were intermediate and cyanobacteria the poorest. 2. Several FA groups were highly correlated between zooplankton and their diets. They were monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), and ω3 and ω6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) for cladocerans, and saturated fatty acids (SAFAs) and ω3 PUFAs for copepods. Several FAs varied significantly less in the zooplankton than in their monoculture diets, e.g. MUFAs in Daphnia, and ω3 and ω6 PUFAs in Ceriodaphnia, despite clear dietary dependency for these FAs. 3. Zooplankton collected from lakes in New Zealand had more eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) (Daphnia), more highly unsaturated ω3 and ω6 FAs (C₂₀, C₂₂; Daphnia, Ceriodaphnia, Boeckella) and less ω3 C₁₈ PUFAs (Daphnia, Ceriodaphnia, Boeckella) and ω6 C₁₈ PUFAs (Daphnia, Ceriodaphnia) than measured in the same species reared on phytoplankton in the laboratory. 4. Analyses of FA composition of seston and freshwater zooplankton globally showed that, in general, zooplankton had a significantly higher proportion of arachidonic acid and EPA than seston, and copepods also had a higher percentage of docosahexaenoic acid than seston. 5. These results suggest that zooplankton selectively incorporate the most physiologically important FAs. This could be a consequence of preferential assimilation, selective feeding on more nutritious cells or locating and feeding within higher food quality food patches.     

Annual cycle of zooplankton community in the Abra Harbour (Bay of Biscay): abundance, composition and size spectra

The annual cycle of the zooplankton community in a coastal embaymentof the Bay of Biscay was studied from data on zooplankton fractionslarger than 45 and 250 µm Smaller zooplankton and chlorophyllmaxima coincided in summer, while larger zooplankton reachedthe maximum in spring. Copepods dominated in both fractionsmost of the year, being copepod nauplii and postnaupliar stagesof Oithona nana and Paracalanus parvus the main constituentsof the microzooplankton maxima, and older copepodites and adultsof Acartw clausi of the meso-macrozooplankton maxima. Secondarypeaks of abundance due to protozoan blooms of Steno-semellanivalu, in early spring, and Noctiluca santillans, in summer,were also observed in smaller and larger fractions respectively.The collapse of phytoplankton biomass in early autumn was followedby a strong decrease of zooplankton in mid autumn. From thisperiod to winter, chlorophyll and zooplankton abundance showedsmall variations, but noticeable changes in the compositionand size spectra of zooplankton were observed. In winter, valuesof chlorophyll and zooplankton abundance reached minima, A.clausidominated the copepod assemblage and carnivorous zooplankterswere absent or negligible The annual development of the mainpredator populations (Sagitta frideria, Luiopc tetraphylla andanchovies) were found to be synchronized with the variationsin abundance and size spectra of zooplankton in the study area.     

Plankton composition, abundance and dynamics in a severely stressed cooling reservoir

The effects of severe thermal stress imposed by the intermittentoperation of a nuclear reactor on plankton abundance and dynamicswere investigated in Pond C, a cooling reservoir on the SavannahRiver Site in South Carolina, USA. Temperatures in Pond C rangedup to 58°C during reactor operation. The thermal effluenteliminated zooplankton from regions where the temperature exceeded45°C, reduced zooplankton abundance by 1–3 ordersof magnitude and typically halved the number of taxa. Reactoroperation also reduced phytoplankton biovolume, often by >70%.During intermittent reactor operation, the rotifer Filinia longisetadominated the zooplankton and two cladocerans of the genus Moinawere abundant. These species were not abundant during extendedreactor shutdowns. The success of Filinia and Moina was dueprimarily to their tolerance of high temperatures. Sparse phytoplanktonprobably limited some zooplankton taxa, although other taxa,such as Filinia may have utilized bacterial resources. Reactoroperation may have intensified predation on crustacean zooplanktonwhen fish were concentrated in refuge areas with zooplankton.Processes by which zooplankton repopulated the reservoir afterreactor shutdown were inferred from zooplankton distributionpatterns, and population growth and birth rates. Repopulationtypically occurred within a few days due to rapid growth ofpopulations from refuge areas within the reservoir and colonistsbrought in through a tributary canal. Mechanisms of zooplanktonrepopulation in Pond C suggest that refuges or colonizationcorridors should be maintained when the re-establishment ofcommunities following cessation of stresses is desired.     

A zooplankton bioassay chamber for lab and field use

Field and laboratory study of zooplankton has been hamperedby the lack of standardized and reliable culture methods. Thispaper describes a zooplankton bioassay chamber for both laboratoryand in situ use that is easy to construct, inexpensive, andsuitable for even very small zooplankton species such as Bosmina.The chamber, which allows easy access to animals for examinationor counting, may be particularly useful in toxicity bioassays. ¹Financial Support was provided by NSF Grant # DDP 75-12949-A01and DDP 76-80652 to W.J. O'Brien.     

Experimental evaluation of herbivory in the ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi relevant to ctenophore-zooplankton-phytoplankton interactions in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, USA

Herbivory of Mnemiopsis leidyi and its interactions with phytoplanktonand non-gelatinous zooplankton were examined in small-scalemicrocosm experiments. Clearance rates for M. leidyi incubatedwith phytoplankton were generally negative, but ranged up to4.5 1 ctenophore^–1 day^–1 when the large (80 µmø) diatom Ditylum brightwelli was offered as a food source.These highest ingestion rates would provide Mnemiopsis withonly 21 % of its daily carbon requirements for respiration.Mean shrinkage of M. leidyi was 8.2–51% when incubatedwith phytoplankton. Although M. leidyi neither fed activelyon phytoplankton, nor satisfied its nutritional needs on sucha diet, the chain-forming diatom Skeletonema costatum becameentangled in mucus strands and balls produced by M. leidyi inthe absence of zooplankton. Attachment onto mucus occurred atphytoplankton concentrations commonly observed in NarragansettBay and may be important in the formation of "marine snow" duringsummer M. leidyi pulses; phytoplankton sinking rate and the"package size" available to herbivores would also be affected.The experiments support our previous hypothesis based on fieldobservations in Narragansett Bay that M. leidyi indirectly regulatesphytoplankton abundance there during the summer bloom as a consequenceof predation on zooplankton. The extent to which M. leidyi influencedphytoplankton dynamics in the microcosms was dependent on therelative abundance and physiological state of the three trophiclevels. A food web diagram for M. leidyi is presented.     

Zooplankton assemblages and influence of environmental parameters on them in a Mediterranean coastal area

Temporal dynamics of zooplankton communities and assemblages,as well as the influence of environmental factors on them, werestudied in Saronikos Gulf (Aegean Sea, Greece). Different multivariatetechniques (hierarchical clustering, multidimensional scalingand correspondence analysis) were applied on a 2 year data setof zooplankton species composition, based on samples collectedat five stations of the study area. A clear discrimination oftwo communities was revealed, the first one in the semi-enclosedpolluted northern part (Elefsis Bay) andthe second in SaronikosGulf proper. Within the latter community, five assemblages weredistinguished: (i) the coastal winter assemblage characterizedby Ctenocalanus vanus, Oithona similis, Clausocalanus pergensand Fritillaria pellucida; (ii) the psychrophilic assemblageinfluenced by the open sea and characterized by Oithona plumiferaand Clausocalanus jobei; (iii) the spring assemblage characterizedby Evadne nordmanni and Centropages typicus; (iv) the coastalthermophilic assemblage characterized by Penilia avirostis,Evadne ergesrina and Temora stylifera; (v) the thermophilicassemblage influenced by the open sea and characterized by Clausocalanusfurcatus. Both zooplankton and environmental data were treatedby multiple correspondence analysis which revealed the importanceof some environmental factors on zooplankton community composition(eutrophication-pollution, temperature, water mass circulation,hydrology and topography).     

Ctenophore-zooplankton-phytoplankton interactions in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, USA, during 1972-1977

Plankton dynamics at a station in lower Narragansett Bay, RIare compared for six summer and fall seasons, 1972–1977.In four of these years, initiation of the summer pulse of thectenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi was accompanied by a rapid declinein zooplankton abundance and a summer phytoplankton bloom. Terminationof the phytoplankton bloom coincided with depleted ctenophoreabundance and increased zooplankton biomass in two of the years.Yearly variations in the summer abundance of the diatom Skeletonemacostatum were positively related to the magnitude of the ctenophorepulse. The magnitude of ctenophore population was related tothe zooplankton biomass present at the start of the pulse. Theserelationships, the timing and magnitude of the plankton eventssuggest that M. leidyi regulated summer zooplankton and phytoplanktondynamics. Ctenophores may control phytoplankton blooms indirectlythrough their predation on herbivorous zooplankton and directlyby the nutrient excretion accompanying such grazing. This evidencethat a planktonic carnivore two trophic steps removed from thephytoplankton regulates the latter's dynamics in NarragansettBay is analogous to reported regulation of benthic algal (kelp)dynamics by the sea otter, lobster and various crabs throughtheir predation on herbivorous sea urchins. The factors responsiblefor the seasonal decrease in ctenophores remain unresolved;ctenophore predators on Mnemiopsis are absent in NarragansettBay. Infection by the vermiform larval anemone, Edwardsia lineata,grazing by the butterfish, Peprilus triacanthus, and changesin food availability, temperature and salinity likewise do notexplain this disappearance.     

Trophic interactions of the freshwater jellyfish Craspedacusta sowerbii

The predatory impact and the trophic role of the freshwaterjellyfish, Craspedacusta sowerbii, was studied using microcosmand enclosure experiments as well as a 3-year pond survey. Theresults showed a significant decrease of small herbivorous crustaceans,i.e. Bosmina longirostris and juvenile cyclopoid copepods, inthe medusa treatments of the microcosms and the enclosure experiments.Chlorophyll concentrations in the enclosure experiment weresignificantly increased in the medusa treatment, suggestingthat C. sowerbii may cause cascading effects in the food chain.A comparison of daily zooplankton losses during the pond surveycaused by medusae and fish (roach, Rutilus rutilus), and theirfood selectivities suggest food separation of these two predatorsand reveal a strong negative impact of medusae on the copepodpond community. In the case of a jellyfish bloom, our resultsshow that both food chains can co-occur in lakes because ofa weak interaction between these top predators, fish and jellyfish,with simultaneous impacts on the zooplankton structure.     

Zooplankton-phytoplankton interactions in a eutrophic lake

Enclosure experiments were made in a cyanobacteria dominatedlake (Lake Rotongaio) to assess the impact of zooplankton (>150µm) grazing on algal growth rates and determine the effectof diel and vertical changes in zooplankton grazing intensityand nutrient (NH₄-N) regeneration upon abundance of phytoplankton.The filamentous cyanobacterium Anabaena minutissima var. attenuataand diatom Cyclotella meneghiniana showed a negative linearchange in abundance with a gradient in zooplankton grazing intensity.Phytoflagellates were not grazed and showed a positive linearchange in abundance with increasing zooplankton biomass. Theseeffects, as well as shortening of filament length of Anabaena,were caused by raptorial feeding by the alanoid copepod Boeckellapropinqua which dominated the zooplankton. Phytoplankton growthwas not stimulated by addition of nutrients, suggesting nutrientregeneration was not important. Diel and vertical changes infeeding and NH₄-N regeneration rates were measured in Marchand June 1988. Diel differences were more pronounced in Marchwhen the water column was stratified. Specific feeding rateswere more important than vertical changes in zooplankton biomassin determining community grazing rates in March, but in Junewhen the water column was mixed, vertical distribution of zooplanktonbiomass was important. Zooplankton grazing was an importantloss process for phytoplankton in the lower part of the epilimnionin Lake Rotongaio.     

Selective predation by herring and mysids, and zooplankton community structure in a Baltic Sea coastal area

In lakes, fish and invertebrate predation are recognized asstrong structuring forces on zooplankton communities. The objectof this investigation was to study whether predation has a similarpotential in a coastal area of the brackish Baltic Sea and ifit could explain observed differences in zooplankton communitystructure between a reference area and an eutrophied area. Speciescomposition and daily vertical migration of zooplankton andzooplanktivores, and the diets of the latter, were studied inJuly and August at two 30 m deep stations differing in primaryproductivity. The biomass of zooplankton >35 µm wasdominated by copepods, but cladocerans and rotifers also occurredin significant numbers. The dominating zooplanktivores wereherring (Clupea harengus) and the mysid shrimp Mysis mixta.They fed almost exclusively on zooplankton, mainly copepods,and their estimated food consumption equalled or exceeded thesummer copepodite production. The structure of the zooplanktoncommunity cannot be explained by effects of predation or byfeeding conditions alone. Increases in rotifer and cladoceranabundances with increased primary production suggests effectsof food supply. However, a generally rapid decline in the annualsummer peak of cladocerans may be caused by predation. The totalabundance of copepods did not increase with improved feedingconditions, but there was a shift in species dominance. Thecopepod Ewytemora affinis hirundoides, which was intensivelypreyed upon, increased with increased phytoplankton production,while Acartia bifilosa and/or A.longiremis, which was less eaten,decreased. Predation may explain a pronounced daily verticalmigration of the most predated copepods. They occurred in deeperwater during the day, when the visually feeding herring wereactive, and moved closer to the surface at night when M.mixtaleft the bottom, to forage in the water column.     

Trophic structure in the pelagial of 25 shallow New Zealand lakes: changes along nutrient and fish gradients

To gain better insight into the importance of predator and resourcecontrol in New Zealand lakes we surveyed the late summer trophicstructure of 25 shallow South Island lakes with contrastingnutrient levels (6–603 µg TP l^–1) and fishdensities. Total catch of fish per net (CPUE) in multi-meshgillnets placed in the open water and the littoral zones waspositively related with the nutrient level. Trout CPUE was negativelycorrelated with total phosphorus (TP) and total nitrogen (TN).Zooplankton seemed largely influenced by fish, as high fishCPUE coincided with low zooplankton and Daphnia biomass, lowaverage weight of cladocerans, low contribution of Daphnia tototal cladoceran biomass, low ratio of calanoids to total copepodbiomass and low ratio of zooplankton biomass to phytoplanktonbiomass. However, chlorophyll a was only slightly negativelyrelated to Daphnia biomass and not to zooplankton biomass ina multiple regression that included TN and TP. Ciliate abundancewas positively related to chlorophyll a and negatively to Daphniabiomass, but not to total zooplankton biomass, while no relationshipswere found between heterotrophic nanoflagellates and zooplankton.The relationships between fish abundance and nutrients and fishabundance and zooplankton:phytoplankton ratio and between chlorophylla and TP largely followed the pattern obtained for 42 northtemperate Danish lakes. We conclude that fish, including trout,have a major effect on the zooplankton community structure andbiomass in the pelagial of the shallow oligotrophic to slightlyeutrophic New Zealand lakes, but that the cascading effectson phytoplankton and protist are apparently modest.     

Zooplankton community structure and copepod egg production in coastal waters of the central Great Barrier Reef lagoon

We describe zooplankton community structure and copepod eggproduction in the vicinity of the coastal boundary zone of theGreat Barrier Reef lagoon, Australia. The abundance and eggproduction rate of constituents of the zooplankton assemblagecharacteristic of the coastal zone rapidly increase subsequentto events such as flooding and upwelling. Our sampling spannedtwo summer monsoonal seasons, the first of which (1990-91) wasvery wet. The second monsoonal season (1991-92) was very dryand was characterized by intrusive upwelling events from theCoral Sea. Chlorophyll a concentrations did not rise in thewet year, probably because of light limitation, but did riseas a result of upwelling. Terrestrial run-off in the wet yearhad a greater apparent effect on zooplankton abundance patternsthan did upwelling in the dry year, except where coastal trappingallowed sufficient time for increases in zooplankton abundanceto occur. Egg production rates by the copepods Acrocalanus gibberand Acrocalanus gracilis showed haphazard spatial differences.Nitrogen-specific egg production ranged between 0.03 and 0.21day^–1 for A.gibber, and between 0.13 and 0.41 day^–1for A.gracilis. The egg production rate by A.gibber was foodlimited for most of the year and showed a poor correlation withtemperature. ³Present address: Department of Biological Sciences, FloridaTech, 150 W University Boulevard, Melbourne, FL 32901, USA     

The effect of zooplankton grazing on estuarine blooms of the toxic dinoflagellate Gonyaulax tamarensis

A series of short-term ^{in situ} experiments was conducted intwo Cape Cod embayments to estimate mortality rates of the toxicdinoflagellate, Gonyaulax tamarensis, resulting from grazingby zooplankton. Rates of grazing by the whole zooplankton communityand by specific zooplankton populations were measured at variouspoints in the G. tamarensis bloom cycle. The planktonic larvaeof the spionid polychaete Polydora ligni and the tintinnid ciliateFavella sp. were important grazers in the systems studied. Gonyaulax-specificclearance rates effected by Polydora ranged from 0.02 to 0.5ml individual^–1 h^–1; for Favella the range was aboutan order to magnitude lower. Peak population densities wereclose to 900 and 400 individuals 1^–1 for P. ligni andFavella, respectively. Whether measured directly or predictedas the product of individual clearance rates and numerical abundance,rates of grazing were often higher than estimated algal divisionrates in years when blooms failed to develop. A simulation modelcorroborated the results of the field study, demonstrating thatgrazing can be a significant source of mortality during blooms,and can suppress bloom development when grazers are abundant.     

Phytoplankton and zooplankton development in a lowland, temperate river

The longitudinal and seasonal patterns of plankton developmentwere examined over 2 years in a lowland, temperate river: theRideau River (Ontario, Canada). Following an initial decreasein phytoplankton and zooplankton biomass as water flowed fromthe headwaters into the Rideau River proper, there was an increasein chlorophyll a (chl a) and zooplankton biomass with downstreamtravel. At approximately river km 60, both phytoplankton andzooplankton reached their maximum biomass of 27 µg l^–1(chl a) and 470 µg l^–1 (dry mass), respectively.Downstream of river km 60, the biomass of both planktonic communitiesdeclined significantly despite increasing nutrient concentrationsand favorable light conditions. These downstream declines maybe due to the feeding activity of the exotic zebra mussel (Dreissenapolymorpha) which was at high density in downstream reaches(>1000 individuals m^–2). There was no evidence forlongitudinal phasing of phytoplankton and zooplankton, as increasesand decreases in chl a and zooplankton biomass appeared to coincide.Overall, chl a was best predicted by total phosphorus (R²=0.43),whereas zooplankton biomass was best predicted by chl a (R²=0.20).There was no evidence for significant grazing effects of zooplanktonon phytoplankton biomass.