Phytoplankton and Zooplankton Associations in a Set of Alpine High Altitude Lakes: Geographic Distribution and Ecology

Species composition and interactions, biomass dominance, geographic distribution and driving variables were investigated for two key elements of the pelagic food web of Alpine lakes, the phytoplankton and the zooplankton, based on a single sampling campaign during summer 2000. Altogether, 70 lakes were surveyed, 49 of which located in three different lake districts of the west and eastern Italian Alps and 21 in the central Austrian Alps (within the uppermost Danube catchment). In addition to the analysis of environmental variables affecting distribution and species structure of the two planktonic compartments, a brief review of the main research lines and hypotheses adopted in the past for the study of phytoplankton and zooplankton in high Alpine lakes is given. The lakes, investigated partly within the European project EMERGE (EVK1-CT-1999-00032) and partly within a regional project in the eastern Alps, comprise a wide range of morphological, chemical and trophic conditions. The phytoplankton communities were found to be diverse and mostly dominated by flagellates (chrysophytes, cryptophytes and dinoflagellates), and only to a lesser extent by non-motile green algae, desmids and centric diatoms. The zooplankton communities were mainly dominated by Alpine cladocerans and copepod species, while rotifers were abundant within one group of Italian lakes (sampled in early summer). The multivariate statistical analyses (CCA) showed that catchment features (i.e. percentage of vegetation cover and geochemical composition) and nitrate concentration are essential drivers for the phytoplankton, whereas for zooplankton also trophic status of the lakes and phytoplankton structure are important. The combined variance analysis of the lake clusters outlined by the multivariate analyses on phytoplankton and zooplankton data, respectively, allowed the identification of four principal lake types (three located on siliceous and one on carbonaceous bedrock), each one characterised by a certain combination of habitat features, which in their turn influence trophic state, and phytoplankton and zooplankton species composition and functionality.     

Environmental factors influencing zooplankton species composition of lakes in north-central Ontario,Canada

To assess the relative importance of lake chemistry, morphometry and zoogeography on limnetic zooplankton, we collected zooplankton, water, and morphometric data from 132 headwater Canadian Shield lakes in 6 regions across north-central Ontario. A subset of these lakes (n = 52) were fished with gill nets. We clustered lakes based on their zooplankton species composition (presence/absence). Discriminant analysis was employed to determine how well lake characteristics could predict zooplankton community types. Correct classification of zooplankton communities for three models ranged from 72 to 91%. Lake size, lake location, and buffering capacity were ranked as the most important factors separating lake groups. Fish abundance (CPUE) was not significant in distinguishing between zooplankton communities. Though the range of lake sizes was limited (1–110 ha), larger lakes tended to support more species. Lake location (zoogeography) also influenced species composition patterns. Although Algoma lakes tended to be larger (\-x = 18.0 ha, other lakes \-x = 2.5 ha), they supported relatively depauperate zooplankton communities. Buffering capacity was ranked third in the discriminant analysis models, but pH and alkalinity were not significantly different between lake groups.     

Seasonal changes in the biochemistry of lake seston

1. The quantity of seston was measured and the elemental carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus (C, N, P) and biochemical composition (carbohydrate, protein, lipid) of the < 53 μm size fraction in three temperate lakes during one year was analysed. The lakes differed in nutrient concentration and were characterized as oligotrophic, mesotrophic and eutrophic. Linear regression analyses defined associations between seston composition and either lake trophic status, depth or season. 2. The concentration of particulate organic seston was greatest during spring and autumn and lowest during the clear water period in early summer. Seasonal patterns in seston elemental and biochemical percentage composition (quality) were observed to be independent of differences in seston quantity. 3. Concentrations of seston C, N and P were high in most cases in the spring and autumn and low in summer. Concentrations of P were particularly high during late summer and early autumn in the metalimnion, perhaps because of recovery of P from anaerobic sediments and hypolimnetic waters. Because seston C and N did not increase as markedly as P, C : P and N : P ratios both declined in the autumn. Primary production was thought to be co-limited by N and P in all three of these lakes; however, the data suggested that N might be more important as a major limiting nutrient in the eutrophic lake as the metalimnion increased in depth in late summer and autumn. 4. Concentrations of protein, carbohydrate, polar lipid and triglyceride generally increased with lake type as expected (greatest in the eutrophic lake), but showed no relationship with water depth. As the year progressed, no significant changes were measured in protein and carbohydrate concentrations; however, the concentration of polar lipid decreased and triglyceride increased significantly with time of year. 5. The biochemical composition of seston varied during the year and among lakes; for example, in Lake Waynewood the proportion of protein composing the seston (percentage protein by weight) varied from < 10% to > 40%. No statistically significant patterns in the percentage protein or carbohydrate were found. However, the proportion of seston comprised of triglyceride decreased with lake type and increased during the year; whereas the proportion of seston as polar lipid increased with lake type and decreased during the year. Triglyceride comprised most of the lipid. Both protein : lipid and protein : carbohydrate ratios tended to be greatest in summer and lowest in the spring and autumn. 6. Relationships between samples and biochemical composition analysed by Canonical Correspondence Analysis (Canoco) indicated similar patterns in seasonal changes in seston biochemistry for the three lakes, with samples separated primarily by vectors for lake type (oligotrophic to eutrophic) and the percentage polar lipid (proportion of total lipid) and secondarily by vectors for date and water depth (epilimnion or metalimnion). 7. These seasonal biochemical changes in the seston food base were compared with biochemical changes known to occur in algae grown under N-or P-limited conditions in the laboratory, and the resultant quality of this algal food for suspension-feeding consumers (zooplankton). It was concluded that zooplankton were likely to be physiologically challenged by these distinct seasonal shifts in the quality of lake seston.     

Zooplankton biomass dynamics in oligotrophic versus eutrophic conditions: a test of the PEG model

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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.     

The relative significance of environmental and anthropogenic factors affecting zooplankton community structure in Southeast Wisconsin Till Plain lakes

Zooplankton community composition can be related to natural environmental factors such as lake morphology, lake landscape position, and water chemistry as well as anthropogenic factors such as agricultural and urban land-use. We hypothesized that within-lake factors, such as water chemistry, lake morphology, and human land-use would each be related to zooplankton community structure, but that watershed land-use would be the strongest correlate in southeast Wisconsin lakes. Zooplankton samples, collected every 3 months over a year, from 29 lakes were used to determine how lake and watershed morphology, water quality, and land-use were related to zooplankton community structure in the heavily developed Southeast Wisconsin Till Plain Ecoregion. Forward selection and a variation partitioning procedure were used to determine relative and shared contributions of each suite of variables in predicting zooplankton community structure. Redundancy analysis was used to characterize dominant gradients in pelagic zooplankton communities and related environmental factors and land-use. The major correlates of community structure included summer phosphorus, lake depth and surface area and urban and natural land. Variation partitioning illustrated that phosphorus alone accounts for the greatest part (12%) of community structure. Urban land-uses (residential, commercial and paved land) and lake morphology partially explain zooplankton community variation through combined effects with phosphorus. Small cladocerans and Skistodiaptomus pallidus were associated with higher phosphorus, shallow depth and higher urban land-use, while Daphnia pulicaria dominates in deep lakes with lower phosphorus and less urban land-use. This study contributes to the understanding of factors affecting zooplankton community structure in a largely human developed region and illustrates the importance of eutrophication in structuring zooplankton community composition.     

Impact of fish predation on cladoceran body weight distribution and zooplankton grazing in lakes during winter

1. It is well accepted that fish, if abundant, can have a major impact on the zooplankton community structure during summer, which, particularly in eutrophic lakes, may cascade to phytoplankton and ultimately influence water clarity. Fish predation affects mean size of cladocerans and the zooplankton grazing pressure on phytoplankton. Little is, however, known about the role of fish during winter. 2. We analysed data from 34 lakes studied for 8–9 years divided into three seasons: summer, autumn/spring and winter, and four lake classes: all lakes, shallow lakes without submerged plants, shallow lakes with submerged plants and deep lakes. We recorded how body weight of Daphnia and then cladocerans varied among the three seasons. For all lake types there was a significant positive correlation in the mean body weight of Daphnia and all cladocerans between the different seasons, and only in lakes with macrophytes did the slope differ significantly from one (winter versus summer for Daphnia). 3. These results suggest that the fish predation pressure during autumn/spring and winter is as high as during summer, and maybe even higher during winter in macrophyte‐rich lakes. It could be argued that the winter zooplankton community structure resembles that of the summer community because of low specimen turnover during winter mediated by low fecundity, which, in turn, reflects food shortage, low temperatures and low winter hatching from resting eggs. However, we found frequent major changes in mean body weight of Daphnia and cladocerans in three fish‐biomanipulated lakes during the winter season. 4. The seasonal pattern of zooplankton : phytoplankton biomass ratio showed no correlation between summer and winter for shallow lakes with abundant vegetation or for deep lakes. For the shallow lakes, the ratio was substantially higher during summer than in winter and autumn/spring, suggesting a higher zooplankton grazing potential during summer, while the ratio was often higher in winter in deep lakes. Direct and indirect effects of macrophytes, and internal P loading and mixing, all varying over the season, might weaken the fish signal on this ratio. 5. Overall, our data indicate that release of fish predation may have strong cascading effects on zooplankton grazing on phytoplankton and water clarity in temperate, coastal situated eutrophic lakes, not only during summer but also during winter.     

Within-lake variability in carbon and nitrogen stable isotope signatures

1. We assessed spatial and temporal variation in carbon and nitrogen isotopic signatures in different compartments of a single lake ecosystem. Stable isotope analyses were made on samples of particulate organic matter (POM), zooplankton, periphyton, macrophytes, macroinvertebrates and fish collected from several locations throughout the ice‐free period. 2. No spatial variation in δ¹³C or δ¹⁵N values was found for pelagic samples of POM and zooplankton. However, pelagic δ¹⁵N signatures increased steadily through the summer resulting in an almost 6‰ average increase in POM and zooplankton. A concurrent decrease in epilimnetic nitrate concentrations suggested that the increase in δ¹⁵N of POM and zooplankton could have resulted from a progressive ¹⁵N‐enrichment of the available inorganic nitrogen pool as the size of this pool was reduced. 3. Significant spatial variation in isotopic ratios was observed within littoral and profundal communities. Some spatial differences were likely related to lake‐specific characteristics, such as a major inlet and a small harbour area and some were interconnected with temporal events. 4. Marked differences between spring and autumn δ¹⁵N and δ¹³C values of fish at one site probably reflected a spring spawning immigration from a larger downstream lake and also indicated limited dispersal of these immigrants. 5. Our results indicate that restricted sampling of ecosystem components from lakes may provide misleading single values for the isotope end members needed for quantitative uses of stable isotopes in mixing models and for estimating trophic position. Hence we strongly advise that studies of individual lakes, or multiple lake comparisons, that utilise stable isotope analyses should pay more attention to potential within lake spatial and temporal variability of isotope ratios.     

Composition,size, and biomass of zooplankton in large productive Florida lakes

Crustacean zooplankton data were compiled from long-term observational studies at seven large shallow Florida lakes, to determine whether there are general characteristics in regard to species composition, body size, and biomass. In particular, we examined whether patterns in body size and species richness fit empirical models developed by Stanley Dodson. The lakes included range in size from 125 to 1730 km² and encompass mesotrophic to hyper-eutrophic conditions. We found that zooplankton biomass was strongly dominated by one species of calanoid copepod—Arctodiaptomus dorsalis. Large daphnids were absent, and Cladocera assemblages were dominated by small taxa such as Ceriodaphnia, Chydorus, and Eubosmina. The total number of species of pelagic cladocerans (8–12) was consistent with Dodson’s predictions based on lake area. The average size of crustacean zooplankton in Florida lakes is small in comparison with temperate communities. A. dorsalis is the smallest calanoid copepod in North America, and the mean length of Cladocera (0.6 mm) is consistent with Dodson’s results that size decreases from temperate to tropical zones. Total biomass of crustacean zooplankton was very low, ratios of zooplankton to phytoplankton biomass (0.01–0.1) are among the lowest reported in the literature, and the zooplankton displayed short-lasting early spring peaks in biomass. Cladocera were almost entirely absent in spring and summer. Factors known to occur in Florida lakes, which appear to explain these characteristics of biomass, include intense fish predation and high summer water temperature.     

The recovery of acid‐damaged zooplankton communities in Canadian Lakes: the relative importance of abiotic,biotic and spatial variables

1. Acidification has damaged biota in thousands of lakes and streams throughout eastern North America. Fortunately, reduced emissions of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides beginning in the 1960s have allowed pH levels in many affected systems to increase. Determining the extent of biological and pH recovery in these systems is necessary to assess the success of emissions reductions programmes. 2. Although there have been promising signs of biological recovery in many systems, recovery has occurred more slowly than expected for some taxa. Past studies with crustacean zooplankton indicate that a mixture of local abiotic variables, biotic variables and dispersal processes may influence the structure of recovering communities. However, most studies have been unable to determine the relative importance of these three groups of variables. 3. We assessed chemical and biological recovery of acid‐damaged lakes in Killarney Park, Ontario. In addition, we assessed the relative importance of local abiotic variables, biotic variables and dispersal processes for structuring recovering communities. We collected zooplankton community data, abiotic and biotic data from 45 Killarney Park lakes. To assess the recovery of zooplankton communities, we compared zooplankton data collected in 2005 to a survey conducted for the same lakes in 1972–73 using several univariate measures of community structure, as well as multivariate methods based on relative species abundances. To determine the factors influencing the structure of recovering zooplankton communities, we used hierarchical partitioning for univariate measures and spatial modelling and variation partitioning techniques for multivariate analyses. 4. Our survey revealed significant pH increases for the majority of sampled lakes but univariate measures of community structure, such as species richness and diversity, indicated that only minor changes have occurred in many acid‐damaged lakes. Hierarchical partitioning identified several variables that may influence our univariate measures of recovery, including pH, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) levels, fish presence/absence, lake surface area and lake elevation. 5. Multivariate methods revealed a shift in communities through time towards a structure more typical of neutral lakes, providing some evidence for recovery. Variation partitioning suggested that the structure of recovering copepod communities was influenced most by dispersal processes and abiotic variables, while biotic (Chaoborus densities, fish presence/absence) and abiotic variables were more important for cladoceran zooplankton. 6. Our results indicate that the recovery of zooplankton communities in Killarney Park is not yet complete, despite decades of emission reductions. The importance of variables related to acidification, such as pH and DOC, indicates that further chemical recovery may be necessary. The differing importance of abiotic, biotic and dispersal processes for structuring copepod versus cladoceran zooplankton might indicate that different management approaches and expectations for recovery are needed for these groups.     

苏州工业园区湖泊后生浮游动物群落结构及影响因子

苏州工业园区地处长江流域下游,随着城市化进程的不断推进,园区水生态系统结构与功能的稳定面临严峻考验。浮游动物作为水生态系统的重要组成部分,探究其群落结构的形成机制对生物多样性保护及生态系统健康发展具有重要意义。为深入了解苏州工业园区五个主要湖泊后生浮游动物群落结构的动态变化及影响因子,于2018年7月至2019年6月进行4次调查。研究共检出后生浮游动物112种（轮虫65种、枝角类29种、桡足类18种）,其中优势种12种（轮虫10种、枝角类和桡足类各1种）。Jaccard相似性分析表明,湖泊间后生浮游动物物种组成整体处于中等相似水平。后生浮游动物密度呈现出显著的季节和湖泊差异,而生物量、Shannon-Wiener多样性指数、Pielou均匀度指数以及Margalef丰富度指数仅存在显著的季节差异。聚类分析结果表明,夏季和秋季后生浮游动物群落结构最为相似。RDA分析表明,水温、溶解氧和pH是影响园区湖泊后生浮游动物群落结构的主要环境因子。Pearson相关性分析表明,湖泊面积与后生浮游动物群落结构无显著相关关系,样点近岸距离与生物量具有显著的正相关关系。基于水质评价标准和物种多样性指数可知,园区湖泊水质整体处于轻-中度污染水平。研究表明苏州工业园区五大湖泊后生浮游动物群落结构表现出同质化趋势;季节变化、环境因子以及样点近岸距离是调控群落结构形成的主要因素。     

The current state of zooplankton in the lake system of Bol’shezemel’skaya tundra

The current state of zooplankton in the large lake system of Bol??shezemel??skaya tundra was determined in comparison with data from the 1960s. It was found that the annual dynamics of plankton communities took place, but their composition and structure were saved. However, some current features of tundra-lake zooplankton can be indicative of the directed development of ecosystems and the start of their eutrophication. These processes take place against the background of the attenuation of the anthropogenic impact on water bodies and certain trends in climate change. The studied lakes were oligo- and mesotrophic.     

Movement of plankton through lake-stream systems

1. River plankton are often assumed to come from upstream lakes, but the factors controlling the movement of plankton between lakes and rivers into outflow streams are unclear. We tested the possibility that the physical structure of the littoral zone near the lake outlet (depth, presence of macrophytes) and diurnal differences in plankton composition at the lake surface influence the movement of plankton from the lake into the stream and determine their persistence downstream. 2. Zooplankton and phytoplankton biomass, community composition and mean body size were compared between two deep lakes without macrophytes at the lake edge and two shallow lakes with macrophytes at the lake edge. Samples were collected day and night on three dates, in the lake centre, in the littoral zone adjacent to the lake outlet, at the outlet and at two sites downstream in Algonquin Park, Ontario, Canada. 3. The morphology of lake edges clearly affects the movement of lake zooplankton into outlet streams. Outlets draining deeper littoral zones had higher zooplankton biomass than shallow littoral outlets (P < 0.0001), but these differences disappeared within 50 m downstream of the lake. There was no difference in mean zooplankton body size among lake outlets or between littoral and outlet samples. However, shallow littoral zones were dominated by cyclopoid copepods and deeper littoral zones were dominated by Bosmina longirostris. In contrast, phytoplankton biomass entering the outlet was similar to that found within the lake and did not vary with lake outlet morphology. These effects were consistent across several sampling weeks and were not affected by surface zooplankton biomass changes associated with diurnal vertical migration in the lake centre. 4. A comparison with published river zooplankton data suggests that zooplankton are rapidly eliminated from shallow outlet streams (≤1 m deep) but persist in most deeper outlet rivers (≥2 m deep). Because the depth of an outlet river determines downstream zooplankton community development, the contribution of lakes to river plankton communities may be influenced by the location of each lake within the drainage basin. These findings suggest that lake and outflow physical structure influences connection strength between spatially successive habitats.     

Direct and indirect effects of predation on the genetic structure of a Daphnia population

The effects of fish predation on zooplankton communities arewell documented, but relatively little is known about how predationstructures the genetic composition of individual populations.This study illustrates how a perturbation in the timing andstrength of predation by rainbow trout directly and indirectlyaltered the genetic composition of a Daphnia pulicaria populationin a Minnesota (USA) lake. Trout were stocked in autumn in thefirst 2 years of the study and in spring in the second 2 years.In autumn stocking years, predation was highest over winterand in spring but relatively low during summer stratification.In contrast, in spring stocking years, predation was low overwinter and high during summer stratification. In all years,the Daphnia population became genetically differentiated withrespect to depth, as summer stratification became more pronounced.In addition, allozyme analyses of trout stomach contents revealedselective predation on Daphnia in the metalimnion. In springstocking years, when trout were abundant during the summer,this directly caused a shift in the dominant clone type froma metalimnetic to a hypolimnetic specialist. The fisheries manipulationindirectly affected the genetic composition of the Daphnia populationby altering the importance of recruitment from diapausing embryosin the sediment (the egg bank). In autumn stocking years, whenthe over-wintering population was small, genotype frequenciesin early summer indicated the recent emergence of sexually derivedindividuals from the egg bank. Conversely, in spring stockingyears when over-wintering populations of Daphnia were large,no emergence events were detected.     

Restoration of Zooplankton Communities in Industrially Damaged Lakes: Influences of Residual Metal Contamination and the Recovery of Fish Communities

The Sudbury, Ontario, Canada area offers a unique opportunity to develop our understanding of biotic and abiotic lake recovery processes in industrially damaged natural systems. In recent decades, lakes in the Sudbury area have shown improvements in water quality due to decreases in sulfur (S) and metal emissions from area smelters, and reduced acid deposition from more distant sources. However, biological recovery is lagging and mechanisms controlling the lag are not yet clear. Our study examines the roles of two factors, residual metal contamination and altered fish predation, on zooplankton community recovery. Data collected over three decades on six study lakes were analyzed using redundancy analysis (RDA) and partial RDA's to assess historical and present relationships of water chemistry and fish abundance with zooplankton community recovery. Continuing metal toxicity appears to be the primary cause of the absence of some zooplankton species, particularly Daphnia spp. from metal‐contaminated lakes. Conversely, once water quality is suitable and abundant planktivores reestablish, fish planktivory becomes a factor affecting Daphnia spp. establishment. The introduction of piscivores into these lakes may be necessary to facilitate the return of many Daphnia species. Further reductions in metal toxicity will also assist with the complete recovery of zooplankton communities. Studying natural systems over several decades allows us to better understand the intricate steps involved with recovery of industrially damaged lakes, and this knowledge will greatly benefit future restoration efforts in other industrially damaged systems .     

Impact of hydrology on aquatic communities of floodplain lakes along the Daugava River (Latvia)

During July 2004, various limnological characteristics of 24 floodplain lakes and reservoirs have been explored along the Middle Daugava for the first time in order to reveal possible impact of the long-term mean annual flooding frequency on their phytoplankton, zooplankton, macrozoobenthos and macrophyta communities. Obtained data series were analysed by Spearman’s rank correlation method, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) method and Renkonen’s similarity test. UPMGA method was used for single linkage clustering of the lakes based on the abundance of phyto- and zooplankton taxa. Low similarity between the obtained cluster trees and hydrological grouping was stated indicating minor impact of the flooding hydrology on summer plankton communities of these lakes. Significant correlation between the flooding frequency and several physicochemical and biological parameters was found. Six main factors, which explain observed variations, were extracted by PCA. Significant negative impact of hydrological connectivity on zooplankton species diversity as well as positive impact on Oligochaeta density was stated, whereas other biotic parameters were affected by local factors, such as lake morphology, internal loading of nutrients from sediments, throphic interactions as well as local source of dissolved organic matter.     

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.     

Ecophysiological responses to warming events by two sympatric zooplankton species

Under current climate change scenarios, numerous lakes are predictedto experience increases in maximum temperatures and in the timing,frequency and duration of heat waves. To investigate the effectsof the magnitude and timing of thermal stress on zooplanktoncommunities we compared the thermal responses and seasonal phenologiesof two sympatric species, Epischura lacustris and Daphnia catawba.Thermal responses were measured in the laboratory as differencesin demography of field animals at temperatures characteristicof temperate lakes in spring, summer and autumn (15–30°C).Epischura lacustris had a significantly lower temperature tolerancethan D. catawba, which appears to explain differences in theirseasonal phenologies. Divergence in thermal tolerances and seasonalphenologies of these sympatric species strongly suggests thatthe response of the zooplankton community in this lake to warmingevents will differ greatly with the timing and severity of thethermal stress. Similar effects are to be expected in otherlakes containing these species and other zooplankton communities.     

The recovery of crustacean zooplankton from acidification depends on lake type

Acidification has harmed freshwater ecosystems in Northern Europe since the early 1900s. Stricter regulations aimed at decreasing acidic emissions have improved surface-water chemistry since the late 1980s but the recovery of biotic communities has not been consistent. Generally, the recovery of flora and fauna has been documented only for a few lakes or regions and large-scale assessments of long-term dynamics of biotic communities due to improved water quality are still lacking. This study investigates a large biomonitoring dataset of pelagic and littoral crustacean zooplankton (Cladocera and Copepoda) from 142 acid-sensitive lakes in Norway spanning 24 years (1997–2020). The aims were to assess the changes in zooplankton communities through time, compare patterns of changes across lake types (defined based on calcium and humic content), and identify correlations between abiotic and biological variables. Our results indicate chemical and biological recovery after acidification, as shown by a general increase in pH, acid neutralizing capacity, changes in community composition and increases in the total number of species, number of acid-sensitive species and functional richness through time. However, the zooplankton responses differ across lake types. This indicates that the concentration of calcium (or alkalinity) and total organic carbon (or humic substances) are important factors for the recovery. Therefore, assessment methods and management tools should be adapted to the diverse lake types. Long-term monitoring of freshwater ecosystems is needed to fully comprehend the recovery dynamics of biotic communities from acidification.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Bythotrephes</Emphasis> invasion elevates trophic position of zooplankton and fish: implications for contaminant biomagnification

We estimated the effects of Bythotrephes longimanus invasion on the trophic position (TP) of zooplankton communities and lake herring, Coregonus artedi. Temporal changes in lacustrine zooplankton communities following Bythotrephes invasion were contrasted with non-invaded reference lakes, and along with published information on zooplankton and herring diets, formed the basis of estimated changes in TP. The TP of zooplankton communities and lake herring increased significantly following the invasion of Bythotrephes, whereas TP in reference lakes decreased (zooplankton) or did not change significantly (lake herring) over a similar time frame. Elevated TP following Bythotrephes invasion was most prominent in lakes that also supported the glacial relict, Mysis diluvania, suggesting a possible synergistic interaction between these two species on zooplankton community composition. Our analysis indicated that elevated TPs of zooplankton communities and lake herring are not simply due to the presence of Bythotrephes, but rather reflect changes in the zooplankton community induced by Bythotrephes; namely, a major reduction in the proportion of herbivorous cladoceran biomass and a concomitant increase in the proportion of omnivorous and/or predatory copepod biomass in invaded lakes. We demonstrated that increases in TP of the magnitude reported here can lead to substantial increases in fish contaminant concentrations. In light of these results, we discuss potential mechanisms that may be responsible for the disconnect between empirical and theoretical evidence that mid-trophic level species invasions (e.g., Bythotrephes) elevate contaminant burdens of consumer species, and provide testable hypotheses to evaluate these mechanisms.