Functional shifts in lake zooplankton communities with hypereutrophication

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北京市妫水河浮游动物群落结构与水质评价

由于浮游动物对水体环境变化敏感,可表征水体污染程度,因此在2017年对妫水河浮游动物群落结构进行调查研究,分析了浮游动物群落结构时空变化特征及其与环境因子的关系,并利用生物学评价方法对水质进行评价。结果表明:妫水河浮游动物有4门22属88种,其中原生动物种类最多,为42种,主要以轮虫和原生动物为主,浮游动物平均细胞密度和生物量分别为5041.58个/L和2.88 mg/L。浮游动物群落结构与环境因子的CCA分析显示,水温、pH、DO和氨氮是影响妫水河浮游动物群落结构变化的重要因素,其中裂痕龟纹轮虫、冠饰异尾轮虫和螺形龟甲轮虫等对水体中氮磷的相关性极为显著,具有富营养化指示作用,可作为监测水质的指示生物。妫水河浮游动物多样性指数H、均匀度指数J和丰富度指数D全年平均值分别为0.43、0.31和0.41,整体评价结果显示,妫水河水体处于中到富营养型水平,尤其是下段城区段污染严重,表明妫水河水体生态功能遭到破坏,水质还需进一步改善和治理。本研究结果可为妫水河水质评价、水环境监测及水污染治理提供基础数据资料和理论依据。     

Strength of phytoplankton–nutrient relationship: evidence from 13 biomanipulated ponds

Phytoplankton biomass–nutrient relationship is widely used by lake managers to assess the eutrophication impact and to set the nutrient targets. Submerged vegetation and large zooplankton grazing have long been identified as factors weakening the relationship by decoupling phytoplankton from nutrients. Proving this decoupling unambiguously is difficult because, in natural systems, many factors act together, blurring each other’s effect. In this article, we present the results of continuous monitoring of 13 ponds where the effects of submerged vegetation and zooplankton grazing were enhanced by biomanipulation (fish removal). The monitoring allowed these effects to be assessed and compared with the pre-biomanipulation situations when phytoplankton biomass was mainly nutrient driven. The comparison showed a strong weakening effect of submerged vegetation and large zooplankton grazing on the chlorophyll a–total phosphorus relationship suggesting that a considerable degree of ecological quality of ponds affected by eutrophication can be restored even when nutrient-loading reduction is not feasible.     

Responses to fish predation and nutrients by plankton at different levels of taxonomic resolution

1. To improve mechanistic understanding of plankton responses to eutrophication, a mesocosm experiment was performed in the shallow littoral zone of a south Swedish lake, in which nutrient and fish gradients were crossed in a fully factorial design. 2. Food chain theory accurately predicted total biomass development of both phyto‐ and zooplankton. However, separating zooplankton and algae into finer taxonomic groups revealed a variety of responses to both nutrient and fish gradients. 3. That both nutrients and fish are important for phytoplankton dynamics was seen more clearly when viewing each algal group separately, than drawing conclusions only from broad system variables such as chlorophyll a concentration or total phytoplankton biovolume. 4. In some taxa, physiological constraints (e.g. sensitivity to high pH and low concentrations of free CO₂) and differences in competitive ability may be more important for the biomass development than fish predation, grazing by herbivorous zooplankton, and nutrient availability. 5. We conclude that food chain theory accurately predicted responses in system variables, such as total zooplankton or algal biomass, which are shaped by the dynamics of certain strong interactors (‘keystone species’), such as large cladocerans, cyanobacteria and edible algae (<50 μm), whereas responses at finer taxonomic levels cannot be predicted from current theory.     

Changes in the fish and zooplankton communities of Ringsjön,a Swedish lake undergoing man-made eutrophication

During the 20th century Lake Ringsjön has developed from a mesotrophic to a eutrophic lake, and the phytoplankton community has changed from a rather diverse community to a monoculture of blue-green algae. The eutrophication process has accelerated during the last decade. The most important external nutrient loading of today comes from agriculture.Although phosphorus has been shown to be the primary nutrient leading to excessive algal growth in fresh water, several biotic factors — such as interactions between nutrients, phytoplankton, zooplankton and planktivorous fish — may play a decisive role in the occurrence and maintenance of large algal blooms.The aim of this investigation was to study the changes in the fish community of Lake Ringsjön, especially the most dominant planktivores, and the state of the zooplankton community during the seventies. The fish fauna is dominated by cyprinids, especially roach, and there are relatively few predatory fish. During the seventies the mean size of roach decreased, and measurements of the zooplankton community indicated that the predation pressure on zooplankton had increased. The mean sizes of cladocerans such as Daphnia and Bosmina, which were selected for by the planktivorous fish, decreased; the size of the calanoid Diaptomus, which was not preyed upon by the dominating fish species, did not change. The growth of zooplankton-feeding stages of several fish species was retarded, which meant that the growth of young perch decreased, while older roach were mainly affected. In the prevailing situation, planktivorous roach can maintain a numerous population of small individuals, whereas the predatory perch is at a disadvantage, and predation on zooplankton is intense.     

Eutrophication strengthens the response of zooplankton to temperature changes in a high‐altitude lake

To assess whether and how zooplankton communities respond to variations in temperature and how these assemblages change with eutrophication, we performed a large‐scale, monthly survey from August 2011 to July 2012 to determine the seasonal and spatial variations in these communities in a high‐altitude lake. A detrended correspondence analysis and a path analysis demonstrated that temperature and chlorophyll a were important factors influencing zooplankton. The path diagram showed that Daphnia was negatively affected directly by chlorophyll a and indirectly by temperature, whereas Bosmina was directly and positively affected by temperature. Daphnia spp. decreased in both absolute and relative biomass during warm seasons, whereas Bosmina spp. showed the opposite trend. Moreover, the lowest Daphnia spp. biomass was observed in the southern region, which was the most eutrophic. Our results indicate that increasing temperatures will continue to shift the dominant genus from Daphnia to Bosmina, and this change will be exacerbated by eutrophication. In addition, the zooplankton of Lake Erhai have shifted to smaller species over time as temperature and eutrophication have increased, which implies that zooplankton succession to small cladocerans may be markedly accelerated under further climate change and the increased eutrophication that has been observed in recent decades.     

Nutrient enrichment and zooplankton effects on the phytoplankton community in microcosms from El Andino reservoir (Venezuela)

To quantify the effects of nutrient enrichment (N and P) and zooplankton grazing on the phytoplankton community structure of El Andino reservoir (Venezuela), in situ microcosms were installed for 6–7 days. Microcosms consisted of polyethylene bags (42 cm × 71 cm, non-cylindrical shaped) filled with 10 l of filtered epilimnetic water. Experiments were carried out on a monthly basis from January to December 1993. The lack/addition of nutrients was cross-classified with the absence/presence of zooplankton, resulting in an experimental design of four treatment levels: (1) no nutrient addition, zooplankton absent (C); (2) nutrient addition (150 NH₄Cl mol ml^–1 and 10 KH₂PO₄ mol ml^–1; 1 ml per l of sample), zooplankton absent (N); (3) no nutrient addition, zooplankton present (collected from the reservoir water column using a 6-m vertical tow with a 80-m plankton net) (Z); and (4) nutrient addition (as in [2]), zooplankton present (as in [3]) (NZ). Treatments were triplicated, and samples were collected at the start and end of each experiment. Significant differences between treatments were determined using a two-way ANOVA at p<0.05. Nutrient enrichment caused an increase in phytoplankton biomass, with the increase of all algal groups, except Pyrrhophyta. In spite of this, relative proportions of Cyanobacteria decreased in most cases. Chlorophyta and Bacillariophyta increased, probably due to their greater competitive abilities for phosphorus. After enrichment, Scenedesmus was the dominant species from January to June, while from July to December, Dactylococcopsis and Lyngbya dominated in the enriched microcosms. Zooplankton affected the phytoplankton community in microcoms through grazing and nutrient (mainly P) regeneration. Cladocerans (Ceriodaphnia cornuta, Moina micrura and Diaphanosoma sp.) mainly grazed on diatoms, although particulate material was present in almost all the gut contents analyzed. Particulate material probably consisted of micro-algae, detritus, bacteria, triturated algae and mineral particles. Ostracoda mainly fed on Peridinium and particulate material, whereas Thermocyclops sp. and rotifers (Brachionus spp. and Keratella spp.) mainly ingested particulate material. On the other hand, zooplankton excretion caused a slight increase in phytoplankton biomass and P concentrations in microcosms with the animals present. The effects of nutrient and zooplankton did not interact in most cases. Experimental results suggest that, at the initial stages of a eutrophication process, phytoplankton could increase their abundance and biomass, but might not change its community structure. Since there was a strong correlation between phosphorus and chlorophyll-a (bottom-up control), it is suggested that eutrophication could be avoided by controlling P input to the reservoir.     

Differences in food webs and trophic states of Brazilian tropical humid and semi-arid shallow lakes: implications of climate change

Global warming may intensify eutrophication of shallow lakes by affecting nutrient loading, evaporation rates, and water level and thus produce major changes in food webs. We investigated to what degree food webs in tropical humid lakes differed from those in more eutrophic semi-arid lakes of the same latitude. Our results indicate that the catchment area-to-lake area ratio, nutrients, chlorophyll a, suspended solids, abundances of phytoplankton, zooplankton, and omnivorous fish as well as total fish catch per unit effort were all higher in the semi-arid lakes, whereas inlet water-to-evaporation ratio (proxy for water balance), water transparency, percentage macrophytes cover, and the piscivores:omnivores ratio were higher in the humid lakes. Our results suggest that reduced inlet water-to-evaporation ratio will increase lake eutrophication, which, in turn, as in temperate regions, will alter trophic structure of the freshwater community.

     

钦州湾秋季和春季浮游动物分布特征及影响因素

为了解钦州湾浮游动物群落的时空分布特征及与主要环境因子的关系,于2014年10月和2015年3月进行了秋季和春季两航次的调查。结果表明:该海湾的浮游动物群落有明显的季节变化。秋季共鉴定出12类87种,其中优势种有太平洋纺锤水蚤(Acartia pacifica)、肥胖三角溞(Evadne tergestina)、亨生莹虾(Lucifer hanseni)、百陶箭虫(Sagitta bedoti)和长尾类幼虫(Macrura larvae);春季共鉴定出11类48种,优势种为中华哲水蚤(Calanus sinicus)和太平洋纺锤水蚤;秋季浮游动物的平均丰度、生物量和多样性指数(528.92个/m~3、110.60 mg/m~3和2.22)均高于春季(48.30个/m~3、61.10 mg/m~3和1.70)。空间分布上,钦州湾外湾浮游动物丰度、生物量和多样性指数的平均值皆高于内湾。多维尺度分析表明,秋季内湾群落相似性较高,春季外湾浮游动物群落相似性较高。相关性分析表明盐度与营养盐是影响钦州湾浮游动物分布的主要环境因子。与2011—2012年数据相比,钦州湾浮游动物群落结构已趋于单一化和小型化,以致生物量明显下降。这一现象主要与钦州湾海水富营养化以及大面积高密度牡蛎养殖有密切的关系。     

Nutrient dependent effects of consumer identity and diversity on freshwater ecosystem function

1. Over the past decade, ecologists have tried to determine how changes in species composition and diversity affect ecosystem structure and function. Until recently, the majority of these studies have been conducted in terrestrial ecosystems and have not taken into account environmental variability. The purpose of this research was to determine how species identity and diversity in the freshwater zooplankton affected biomass of algae and zooplankton at two levels of nutrient enrichment.
2. Several species of cladocerans were grown alone and together in microcosms at both ambient and raised phosphorus concentrations to determine if the effects of consumer identity and diversity were nutrient dependent.
3. Total zooplankton biomass was greater, while algal biomass was lower, in mixed culture than in monoculture. The effects of zooplankton diversity on algal biomass, however, were only observed at raised phosphorus concentrations, suggesting that diversity effects were nutrient dependent. Specifically, diversity effects appeared to be related with biological mechanisms such as complementarity in resource use and/or facilitation.
4. More diverse communities of zooplankton appear to be better able to control algae than single species of zooplankton at high nutrient concentrations; therefore, zooplankton diversity may provide a buffer against eutrophication in freshwater ecosystems.     

富营养化对小型湖泊浮游甲壳动物群落结构及多样性的影响

2017年3月到2018年2月研究了临涣湖浮游甲壳动物群落结构的季节变化。临涣湖共记录浮游甲壳动物13种,其中枝角类8属8种,桡足类5属5种。短尾秀体溞(Diaphanosoma brachyurum)、广布中剑水蚤(Mesocyclops leuckarti)和象鼻溞(Bosmina sp.)等小型富营养种类是温暖季节的优势种,而近邻剑水蚤(Cyclops vicinus)是冬季的优势种。盔形溞(Daphnia galeata)等大型种类仅在少数月份中被观察到。临涣湖浮游甲壳动物的年平均密度和生物量分别为28.3个/L和0.33 mg/L。营养状态指数(TSI_M)的年平均值为62.6。浮游甲壳动物的Shannon指数、Pielou指数和Simpson指数的年平均值分别为0.86、0.74和0.49,且3种多样性指数均具有显著的季节差异。营养盐水平、营养状态指数和物种多样性指数均表明,临涣湖水体处于富营养化状态。冗余分析结果表明,水温、总磷浓度和叶绿素a浓度是影响临涣湖浮游甲壳动物群落结构变化的上行效应因子。鲢、鳙鱼的捕食压力是临涣湖浮游甲壳动物群落结构小型化的下行效应因子。     

Major changes in trophic dynamics in large, deep sub-alpine Lake Maggiore from 1940s to 2002: a high resolution comparative palaeo-neolimnological study

1. We describe the changes in trophic dynamics in Lake Maggiore from c. 1943 to 2002 using subfossil cladoceran data from a high resolution sediment record, long‐term contemporary data series and historical information. During this period the lake went through a eutrophication phase until 1980 followed by oligotrophication. 2. During the eutrophication period a major increase occurred in the abundance of Chydorus sphaericus, the proportion of planktonic cladocerans and total abundance of cladocerans in the sediment. Since 1980 the abundance declined again and subfossil Eubosmina mucro length and contemporary Daphnia body length increased, most probably as a result of higher abundance of invertebrate predators. 3. Changes in the fish stock composition caused by the introduction of exotic fish during the pre‐eutrophication period and a complete ban on fishing because of Dichloro‐diphenil‐ethanes (DDTs) pollution of the lake (during oligotrophication) could also be detected in the community assemblage and size structure of the sediment zooplankton. 4. We found good correspondence between trophic changes inferred from cladoceran subfossils (community composition, size and predation pressure) and contemporary data, suggesting that sediment samples can be used to infer past development in trophic dynamics, including predation by fish and pelagic invertebrates in lakes with scarce neolimnological data. 5. Furthermore, by combining palaeolimnological cladoceran data rarely obtained from contemporary samples (e.g. benthic and plant‐associated cladocerans, mucro length of bosminids) with contemporary data of organisms poorly represented in the sediment record (e.g. remains of Bythotrephes and fishes) a more complete understanding of changes in trophic dynamics was obtained. 6. The detection in the sediments of meteorological events whose effects on zooplankton had been recorded in the long‐term studies also provided evidence that eutrophication tends to override climate signals. 7. We conclude that a combined palaeo‐neolimnological approach can be a powerful tool for elucidating past changes in the trophic dynamics of lakes and the interaction with climate induced changes, not least when high resolution sediment records are available.     

Fluctuation of the zooplankton community in Lake Biwa during the 20th century: a paleolimnological analysis

Detailed zooplankton records from a 26-cm sediment core with a time resolution of approximately 3–10 years were obtained from Lake Biwa, Japan, to examine the historical variations in the zooplankton community during the 20th century. In the sediments, selected zooplankton remains have fluctuated over the years. Daphnia – large zooplankton herbivores – did not occur from 1900 to 1920, and formed a very minor component of the zooplankton community in the following 30 years, while Bosmina – small zooplankton herbivores – were common during this period. In the mid-1960s, however, when eutrophication was noticeable in this lake, Daphnia numbers increased dramatically and became the dominant zooplankton thereafter. In contrast, Difflugia brevicolla and D. biwae, two amoeboid protozoans that live in connection with the lake bottom environment, occurred abundantly until the late 1950s, but gradually decreased after the mid-1960s. In particular, D. biwae, a species peculiar to this lake, was not found in sediment dated after 1980, suggesting its extinction. These results indicate that the zooplankton community structure changed greatly in the 1960s, and suggest that the eutrophication occurring at this time altered the relative strength of top-down and bottom-up forces on the zooplankton community in Lake Biwa.     

舟山海域夏、秋季浮游动物的分布特征及其与环境因子的关系

为更好地了解舟山海域浮游动物的群落结构、生物量和丰度的时空分布特征及其与主要环境因子的关系,分别于2014年7月和10月进行了夏季、秋季两次生态综合调查,并用多维尺度分析法、典范对应分析法对浮游动物群落结构进行了研究。结果表明:夏季舟山海域调查的浮游动物有13类,64种,优势种为背针胸刺水蚤(Centropages dorsispinatus)、圆唇角水蚤(Labidocera rotunda)、中华哲水蚤(Calanus sinicus)、精致真刺水蚤(Euchaeta concinna)、百陶带箭虫(Zonosagitta bedoti)和真刺唇角水蚤(Labidocera euchaeta);秋季鉴定到浮游动物12类,45种,优势种为背针胸刺水蚤(Centropages dorsispinatus)、百陶带箭虫(Zonosagitta bedoti)、双生水母(Diphyes chamissonis)、瓜水母(Beroёcucumis)和中华哲水蚤。夏季浮游动物平均丰度及平均生物量(144.0 ind/m3和176.3 mg/m~3)都分别高于秋季(21.4个/m3和86.3 mg/m3);Shannon-Wiener多样性指数夏季(3.03)高于秋季(2.82),Pielou均匀度指数则是秋季(0.83)高于夏季(0.64);夏季不同区域浮游动物群落之间具有明显的差异,而秋季大部分站位群落之间差异不显著;温度、盐度、叶绿素a浓度和营养盐含量是影响舟山海域浮游动物分布的主要环境因子;与历史资料相比,舟山海域浮游动物丰度及生物量呈下降趋势,其优势种保持较稳定。     

Evidence of a planktonic food web response to changes in nutrient input dynamics in the Mar Menor coastal lagoon,Spain

Nutrient input dynamics in the Mar Menor coastal lagoon has recently changed as a consequence of changes in agricultural practises. An interannual comparison of the environmental variables and the planktonic biomass size-spectra was performed between 1988 and 1997. While nitrate concentration was low in 1988, the values in 1997 increased considerably. Since 1995, two alloctonous jellyfish species (Rhyzostoma pulmo and Cotylorhiza tuberculata) occurred in large numbers in summer time and reached peak abundance in summer of 1997. The size-spectra analysis comparison revealed that, in spite of changes in nutrient input that stimulated the growth of larger phytoplankton cells, there were no significant differences in the spectra slope which followed a similar seasonal trend in both years. However, the plankton biovolume considered under the size range compared (between 2 and 1000 m diameter) was, paradoxically, always lower in 1997. Given that there were higher nutrient levels in 1997, this finding suggest a strong top-down control mechanism of size structure. Gut contents of jellyfishes showed their preference for large diatoms, tintinnids, veliger larvae and copepods, corroborating that size structure in these assemblages can be subject to top-down control. The implication of these results is that the feeding activities of large gelatinous zooplankton (jellyfishes) may play an important role controlling the consequences of eutrophication within the Mar Menor coastal lagoon.     

Zooplankton and environmental factors of a recovering eutrophic lake (Lysimachia Lake, Western Greece)

The present study investigates the zooplankton community dynamics and the abiotic environment in the eutrophic Lake Lysimachia (western Greece). The lake is considered to be recovering from eutrophication after the termination of an urban sewage inflow in 2000, and its waters are replenished constantly from the nearby oligotrophic Lake Trichonis. The results show that, although a decrease in nutrient concentrations was observed compared to the past, the lake still has eutrophic characteristics. This was reflected in the zooplankton community which is typical of those found in eutrophic lakes where rotifers prevail. Similarities among this lake and other nearby lakes were found considering the zooplankton community composition and seasonal variation. However, Lake Lysimachia is inhabited also by a number of different and even unique species (e.g., Moina micrura), suggesting that this ecosystem may be an important biodiversity refuge. Most of the zooplankton species were correlated with water temperature and, to a lesser extent, eutrophication key-water quality variables. Although there are few available data on the zooplankton of the lake, the abundance and composition of the community presenting characteristics indicative of intermediate trophic conditions and suggesting that the lake is probably under a kind of “biological” recovery.     

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.     

Resilience to changes in lake trophic state: Nutrient allocation into Daphnia resting eggs

During past decades, many lakes underwent drastic human‐caused changes in trophic state with strong implications for population dynamics and food web processes. We investigated the influence of trophic state on nutrient allocation into Daphnia resting eggs. The production of resting eggs is an important survival strategy, allowing Daphnia to cope with unfavorable environmental conditions. Allocation of essential nutrients into resting eggs may crucially influence embryonic development and offspring survival and thus is of great ecological and evolutionary interest. The capacity of Daphnia to adjust the allocation of nutrients into resting eggs may depend on the dietary nutrient supply, which may vary with trophic state‐related changes in the phytoplankton community composition. Resting eggs were isolated from sediment cores taken from Lake Constance, a large prealpine lake with a distinct eutrophication and reoligotrophication history, and analyzed for elemental (carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus) and biochemical (sterols and fatty acids) nutrients. Carbon allocation into Daphnia resting eggs continuously decreased over time, irrespective of changes in trophic state. The allocation of nitrogen into Daphnia resting eggs followed the changes in trophic state, that is, nitrogen concentrations in resting eggs increased with eutrophication and decreased again with reoligotrophication. The allocation of phosphorus, sterols and long‐chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as eicosapentaenoic acid, into Daphnia resting eggs did not change significantly over time. Changes in trophic state strikingly influenced all trophic levels in Lake Constance. However, nutrient allocation into Daphnia resting eggs was mostly resilient to changes in lake trophic state.     

Seasonal dynamics of zooplankton in a shallow eutrophic,man-made hyposaline lake in Delhi (India): role of environmental factors

Old Fort Lake, a small (1.6 ha), shallow, and recreational water body in Delhi (India) was studied through monthly surveys in two consecutive years (January, 2000–December, 2001). Precipitation is the major source of water for this closed basin lake. In addition, ground water is used for replenishing the lake regularly. This alkaline, hyposaline hard water lake contains very high ionic concentration, especially of nitrates. Based on overall ionic composition, this lake can be categorized as chloride–sulfate alkaline waters with the anion sequence dominated by SO₄ ²⁻ > Cl⁻ > HCO₃ ⁻, and the cations by Mg⁺⁺ > Ca⁺⁺. The overall seasonal variability in physicochemical profile was largely regulated by the annual cycle of evaporation and precipitation, whereas the ground water largely influences its water quality. The lake exhibited phytoplankton-dominated turbid state due to dominance of the blue green alga, Microcystis aeruginosa. The persistent cyanobacterial blooms and the elevated nutrient levels are indicative of the cultural eutrophication of the lake. This study focuses on the relative importance of eutrophic vis-à-vis hyposaline conditions in determining the structure and seasonal dynamics of zooplankton species assemblages. A total of 52 zooplankton species were recorded and rotifers dominated the community structure qualitatively as well as quantitatively. The genus Brachionus comprised a significant component of zooplankton community with B. plicatilis as the most dominant species. The other common taxa were B. quadridentatus, B. angularis, Lecane grandis, L. thalera, L. punctata, Mesocyclops sp., and Alona rectangula. Multivariate data analysis techniques, Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) along with Monte Carlo Permutation Tests were used to determine the minimum number of environmental factors that could explain statistically significant (P < 0.05) proportions of variation in the species data. The significant variables selected by CCA were NH₃–N followed by percent saturation of DO, COD, SS, BOD, NO₂–N, rainfall, silicates, and PO₄–P. The results indicate that the seasonal succession patterns of the zooplankton species were largely controlled by physicochemical factors related directly or indirectly to the process of eutrophication, whereas hyposaline conditions in the lake determined the characteristic species composition. Guest Editors: J. John & B. Timms Salt Lake Research: Biodiversity and Conservation—Selected papers from the 9th Conference of the International Society for Salt Lake Research     

Effects of silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) and nutrients on the plankton community of a deep,tropical reservoir: an enclosure experiment

1. An in situ enclosure experiment was conducted in a deep reservoir of southern China to examine (i) the effects of a low biomass (4 g wet weight m^?3) of silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) and nutrients on the plankton community and (ii) the response of Daphnia to eutrophication. 2. In the absence of fish, Daphnia galeata dominated the zooplankton community, whereas calanoids were dominant in the fish treatments, followed by D. galeata. Silver carp stocking significantly reduced total zooplankton biomass, and that of D. galeata and Leptodorarichardi, but markedly increased the biomass of smaller cladocerans, copepod nauplii and rotifers. In contrast, nutrient enrichment had no significant effect on the plankton community except for cyclopoids. 3. Chlorophyta, Cryptophyta and Bacillariophyta were dominant phytoplankton groups during the experiment. Chlorophyta with high growth rates (mainly Chlorella vulgaris in the fish enclosures and Ankyra sp. in the fishless enclosures) eventually dominated the phytoplankton community. Total phytoplankton biomass and the biomass of edible phytoplankton [greatest axial linear dimension (GALD) < 30 μm], Chlorophyta, Cryptophyta, Bacillariophyta and Cyanobacteria showed positive responses to fish stocking, while inedible phytoplankton (GALD ≥ 30 μm) was significantly reduced in the fish enclosures. However, there was no significant effect on the plankton community from the interaction of fish and nutrients. 4. Overall, the impact of fish on the plankton community was much greater than that of nutrients. High total phosphorus concentrations in the control treatment and relatively low temperatures may reduce the importance of nutrient enrichment. These results suggest it is not appropriate to use a low biomass of silver carp to control phytoplankton biomass in warmer, eutrophic fresh waters containing large herbivorous cladocerans.