Episodic switching between Tropodiaptomus spectabilis and Metadiaptomus meridianus in L. Midmar (29° 30 S, 30° 12 E), and transitory seasonal alternation of these taxa in L. Albert Falls (29° 26 S, 30° 26 E) recorded in comparative studies of these inter-leading reservoirs between 1989 and 1999, along with historical records for Midmar extending back to 1978, are updated and re-evaluated in light of subsequent and additional findings. In the longer term, an `exclusive' occupancy by one or another species has been maintained in these and other inter-leading impoundments on the quasi-subtropical Mgeni River. Sympatry was invariably transitional. It lasted several months in the upper Midmar system, and where protracted over several years as in the downstream Albert Falls system, was effectively negated by seasonal separation of the taxa. Possible influences of parasitism, changes in water turbidity or pH, dependent or independent of inter-basin water transfers, and such water transfers themselves, are explored and rejected as proximate causes of species replacement. Because evidence for the existence of resting eggs was contradictory (respectively present and absent in preserved and live samples), emergence from diapause is considered an unlikely source of re-colonisation. The guild complement of invertebrate planktivores is comparable in both lakes, seemingly removing predation as a determinant factor. The comparability of food thresholds for various measures of demographic performance suggests remarkable similarity in the competitive potential of these species, which additionally show considerable niche overlap in terms of adult diet, and comparable vulnerability to ellobiopsid parasitism. Ecological separation is thus limited to differentiation of thermal optima, functional feeding biology of juvenile stages – especially nauplii, and sediment tolerance. Evidence now available supports previous arguments that species separations remain attributable largely to marginal species differences in thermal optima, mirrored in the pattern of seasonal separation during an episode of sympatry (1990 to early 1994) in the down-stream Albert Falls system. While no causal explanation can be substantiated from evidence gleaned during this decade of study, the species replacements observed in Midmar appear to reflect alternative stable states, induced by presently unknown factor(s), plausibly temperature, or improbably, human translocation. By contrast, alternative stable states are not manifest in Albert Falls, wherein the longer term, T. spectabilis seemingly represents the only stable state, a feature apparently shared by other warmer reservoirs down the Mgeni cascade. The unpredictability of chaotic dynamics precludes its analysis in this situation, while conversely, the system provides a unique model for meta-population analysis, related to uni-directionality of natural dispersal. However, the cost-effectiveness of continued monitoring for unforeseeable events poses a serious practical dilemma. 相似文献
The temperature-dependence of development was studied in two ecologically divergent freshwater calanoids, Metadiaptomus meridianus (Douwe) and Tropodiaptomus spectabilis (Kiefer). Egg durations were determined between 10 and 35 °C, and food satiated post-embryonic development times between 12 and 32 °C. All responses were basically inverse monotonic functions of temperature, adequately described by Blehrádek's equation.
M. meridianus generally developed faster than T. spectabilis. Its egg development was faster at all temperatures, and while its naupliar durations were shorter only up to ± 15 °C, its overall post-embryonic development was more rapid up to ± 24 °C in females and ± 28 °C in males. Relatively speaking, however, T. spectabilis is clearly more warm-adapted than M. meridianus. The respective distributions (warm subtropical lowlands vs cooler uplands) of these copepods in the southern African subcontinent, as well as reversible switches between these species observed in two Natal impoundments are consistent with their contrasting thermal responses, although additional considerations apply in respect of the species alternations.
T. spectabilis was replaced by M. meridianus in L. Midmar in spring 1981 and 1989, and in L. Albert Falls in spring 1990. Reciprocal replacements occurred in Midmar in autumn 1984, and in Albert Falls in late summer 1991. Both spring switches in Midmar coincided with cool spring temperatures, although the consequent shifts in growth rate advantage predicted from the measured temperature-duration responses only partly explain the switches in this warm-temperate reservoir. Parasitism of T. spectabilis by an ellobiopsid was observed during both switching events in Midmar, and perhaps augmented the change, although its effects on the host are indeterminate. Both species showed exactly parallel temporal changes in fecundity during the recent switches in both reservoirs, indicating closely similar trophic niches in the adults at least, and mitigating the possibility of trophic influences as determinants of the replacement. A dramatic but inexplicable increase (around 50% at 20 °C) in the development time of T. spectabilis was noted between 1988 and 1990, and perhaps contributed too.The protracted historical dominance of T. spectabilis in thermally suboptimal conditions in Midmar is ascribed to a general competitive superiority presumed from its K-selected attributes, in contrast to the r-selection evident in M. meridianus. This alternation between species with contrasting life styles is of fundamental ecological interest. Studies on Albert Falls, commenced in 1989, suggest an even greater competitive superiority of T. spectabilis, in keeping with the warmer conditions in this larger sister reservoir below Midmar. 相似文献
Phytoplankton often develop various defense mechanisms in response to zooplankton grazing, such as spines and colonies. While it is now known that increased spine length and cells in a colony of members of the genus Scenedesmus, when zooplankton grazing is intense, helps in reducing zooplankton filtering rates, the effect of these defense mechanisms at the population level has been observed in few studies. Here we present data on the growth rates of four zooplankton species, Brachionus calyciflorus, B. patulus, Ceriodaphnia dubia and Daphnia pulex at two food levels using two species of colony-forming Scenedesmus spp.: S. acutus (cell length = 18.2 ± 0.4 µm; width = 4.2 ± 0.1 µm; average colony length = 90 µm; width: 21 µm) and S. quadricauda (cell length: 21 ± 0.5 width 7.5 ± 0.3 µm; average colony length: 84 µm; width: 30 µm). Whereas S. acutus had no spines, S. quadricauda had spines of 6–10 µm. Population growth experiments of the test rotifers and cladocerans were conducted in 100 ml containers with 50 ml of the medium with test algae. Algae concentrations used were: 13 and 52 mg dw l–1 of each of the two algal species offered in colonial forms. We used an initial inoculation zooplankter density of 1 ind. ml–1 for either of the rotifer species and 0.2 ind. ml–1 for either of the cladoceran species. In all, we had 64 test containers (4 test species of zooplankton × 2 test species of algae × 2 algal densities × 4 replicates). We found a significant effect of algal size on the growth rates of all the four tested species of zooplankton. The population growth rates of zooplankton ranged from ?0.58 to 0.66 and were significantly higher on diet of S. acutus than of S. quadricauda. Thus, our study confirms that the larger colony size and the formation of spines in S. quadricauda were effective defenses against grazing by both rotifers and smaller sized cladoceran Ceriodaphnia dubia but that larger-bodied Daphnia pulex could exploit both the algal populations equally. 相似文献
Comparative studies on the limnology, species diversity and standing stock biomass of phytoplankton and zooplankton in five freshwater lakes, Naivasha and Oloidien, Ruiru, Masinga and Nairobi reservoirs, were undertaken. Phytoplankton chlorophyll a, dissolved oxygen and temperature were also measured. Thermocyclops oblongatus (Copepoda) was dominant in all the lakes. Ceriodaphnia cornuta and Diaphanosoma excisum (Cladocera) dominated in lakes Naivasha and Oloiden, whereas in Ruiru, Masinga and Nairobi reservoirs, Brachionus angularis and Hexarthra mira (Rotifera) were the dominant zooplankters. Phytoplankton biomass as chlorophyll a was lowest in Ruiru dam 5.64 ± 4.0 µg l-1 and highest in the eutrophic Nairobi dam 71.5 ± 12.02 µg l-1. The endorheic lakes Naivasha and Oloidien showed medium values of 24.5 ± 4.0 µg l-1. 相似文献
The zooplankton of 18 reservoirs of South China was investigated in 2000. 61 Rotifera species, 23 Cladoceras and 14 Copepodas were identified. The most frequent Rotifera genera were Keratella, Brachionus, Trichocerca, Diurella, Ascomorpha, Polyarthra, Ploesoma, Asplanchna, Pompholyx and Conochilus. Bosmina longirostris, Bosminopsis deitersi, Diaphanosoma birgei, D. brachyurum and Moina micrura were typical of Cladocera in the reservoirs. Phyllodiaptomus tunguidus, Neodiaptomus schmackeri and Mesocyclops leuckarti were the most frequent Copepoda and M. leuckarti dominated Copepoda in most reservoirs. High zooplankton species richness with low abundance was characteristic of the throughflowing reservoir, whereas low species richness with low abundance was found in the reservoir with the longest retention time. Relative high abundance and medium species diversity were the distinction of intermediate retention time reservoirs. 相似文献
The mid-summer phytoplankton communities of more than 100 Adirondack lakes ranging in pH from 4.0 to 7.2 were characterized in relation to 25 physical-chemical parameters. Phytoplankton species richness declined significantly with increasing acidity. Acidic lakes (pH < 5.0) averaged fewer than 20 species while more circumneutral waters (pH > 6.5) averaged more than 33 species. Phytoplankton abundance was not significantly correlated with any of the measured physical-chemical parameters, but standing crop parameters, i.e., chlorophyll a and phytoplankton biovolume, did correlate significantly with several parameters. Midsummer standing crop correlated best with total phosphorus concentration but acidity status affected the standing crop-phosphorus relationship. Circumneutral waters of low phosphorus content, i.e. < 10 µg·1–1 TP, averaged 3.62 µg·1–1 chlorophyll a whereas acidic lakes of the same phosphorus content averaged only 1.96 µg·1–1 chlorophyll a. The midsummer chlorophyll content of lakes of high phosphorus content, i.e. > 10 µg·1–1 TP, was not significantly affected by acidity status.Adirondack phytoplankton community composition changes with increasing acidity. The numbers of species in midsummer collections within all major taxonomic groups of algae are reduced with increasing acidity. The midsummer phytoplankton communities of acidic Adirondack lakes can generally be characterized into four broad types; 1) the depauperate clear water acid lake assemblage dominated by dinoflagellates, 2) the more diverse oligotrophic acid lake community dominated by cryptomonads, green algae, and chrysophytes, 3) the productive acid lake assemblage dominated by green algae, and 4) the chrysophyte dominated community. The major phytoplankton community types of acid lakes are associated with different levels of nutrients, aluminum concentrations, and humic influences. 相似文献
An enclosure experiment was conducted to assess the effects of a zooplankton elimination on the structure of a phytoplankton community. Phytoplankton biomass and production were higher in grazer-free enclosures, while the productivity per unit biovolume was lower. Exclusion of zooplankton favoured the majority of algal species, especially chrysophyceans (Dinobryon spp.) and the diatom Rhizosolenia, while mucilagineous green-algae were disfavoured. Middle sized algae (ESD 15–50 µm) and those with the largest Surface Area/Volume ratio were proportionally most favoured by the elimination of grazers.These differences in phytoplankton community structure are discussed in relation to effects of direct selective grazing and nutrient recycling by zooplankton. Some differences, as the immediate positive response of Dinobryon and Rhizosolenia, are probably caused by grazing release, while others, e.g. the response of mucilagineous species, might be caused by changed competitive relationships between the algae. 相似文献
To understand the mechanism of how Phragmites australis makes valuable floating mat biotopes under oligotrophic conditions, we investigated the environmental (water chemistry) and vegetational characteristics (growth, plant species richness, and floristic composition) of a floating mat consisting of three main mat-forming species with a zonal distribution (P. australis on the land side of the floating mat, Zizania latifolia on the middle area, and Typha angustifolia on the water side). Although they showed relatively low growth in the floating mat, compared to those in land-based wetlands, P. australis grew better than other mat-forming species in terms of shoot height and biomass production. Specifically, P. australis made more below-ground parts (593?±?38 g/m2) than other mat-forming species (Z. latifolia, 100?±?10 g/m2; T. angustifolia, 167?±?8 g/m2) and more companion species were found in P. australis-dominated plots (8.5?±?1.0 species/m2) than other plots (Z. latifolia-dominated plots, 2.7?±?0.6 species/m2; T. angustifolia-dominated plots, 1.0?±?0.0 species/m2). The larger amount of below-ground P. australis parts could contribute to thicker and denser mat structures, possibly providing more favorable habitats for neighboring plant species, thus facilitating more companion species within the P. australis-dominated area of the mat.
We tested the effects of UV-B stressed algae on grazing rates of zooplankton. Four algal species (Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, Cryptomonas sp., Scenedesmus obliquus and Microcystis aeruginosa) were used as food and fed to three zooplankton species (Daphnia galeata, Bosmina longirostris and Brachionus calyciflorus), representing different taxonomic groups. The phytoplankton species were cultured under PAR conditions, and under PAR supplemented with UV-B radiation at two intensities (0.3 W m–2 and 0.7 W m–2, 6 hours per day). Ingestion and incorporation experiments were performed at two food levels (0.1 and 1.0 mg C l–1) using radiotracer techniques. The effect of food concentration on ingestion and incorporation rate was significant for all three zooplankton species, but the effect of UV-B radiation was more complex. The reactions of the zooplankton species to UV-B stressed algae were different. UV-B stressed algae did not affect Daphnia grazing rates. For Bosmina the rates increased when feeding on UV-B stressed Microcystis and decreased when feeding on UV-B stressed Chlamydomonas, compared with non-stressed algae. Brachionus grazing rates were increased when feeding on UV-B stressed Cryptomonas and UV-B stressed Scenedesmus, and decreased when feeding on UV-B stressed Microcystis, compared with non-stressed algae. These results suggest that on a short time scale UV-B radiation may result in increased grazing rates of zooplankton, but also in decreased grazing rates. Long term effects of UV-B radiation on phytoplankton and zooplankton communities are therefore difficult to predict. 相似文献
Phytoplankton often develop various defense mechanisms in response to zooplankton grazing, such as spines and colonies. While it is now known that increased spine length and cells in a colony of members of the genus Scenedesmus, when zooplankton grazing is intense, helps in reducing zooplankton filtering rates, the effect of these defense mechanisms at the population level has been observed in few studies. Here we present data on the growth rates of four zooplankton species, Brachionus calyciflorus, B. patulus, Ceriodaphnia dubia and Daphnia pulex at two food levels using two species of colony-forming Scenedesmus spp.: S. acutus (cell length = 18.2 ± 0.4 µm; width = 4.2 ± 0.1 µm; average colony length = 90 µm; width: 21 µm) and S. quadricauda (cell length: 21 ± 0.5 width 7.5 ± 0.3 µm; average colony length: 84 µm; width: 30 µm). Whereas S. acutus had no spines, S. quadricauda had spines of 6–10 µm. Population growth experiments of the test rotifers and cladocerans were conducted in 100 ml containers with 50 ml of the medium with test algae. Algae concentrations used were: 13 and 52 mg dw l–1 of each of the two algal species offered in colonial forms. We used an initial inoculation zooplankter density of 1 ind. ml–1 for either of the rotifer species and 0.2 ind. ml–1 for either of the cladoceran species. In all, we had 64 test containers (4 test species of zooplankton × 2 test species of algae × 2 algal densities × 4 replicates). We found a significant effect of algal size on the growth rates of all the four tested species of zooplankton. The population growth rates of zooplankton ranged from –0.58 to 0.66 and were significantly higher on diet of S. acutus than of S. quadricauda. Thus, our study confirms that the larger colony size and the formation of spines in S. quadricauda were effective defenses against grazing by both rotifers and smaller sized cladoceran Ceriodaphnia dubia but that larger-bodied Daphnia pulex could exploit both the algal populations equally. 相似文献
AbstractA preliminary account on some mountain lakes of the Southern Apennines. Phytoplankton investigation on three ponds of the Monte Sirino (Basilicata).—Phytoplankton standing crop and species composition have been studied in three ponds of the Southern Apennines. The observations carried out throughout ten months in 1975, showed a great number of species present in the Remmo pond, mainly diatoms, desmids, green algae, and blue-green algae. In the Sirino pond only diatoms and Chrysophyceae were present. In comparison, in the Zapano pond, the phytoplankton was scarcely represented but the occurrence of some species of green algae may suggest a eutrophic water condition. On the basis of the peculiarities both of species composition and biomass, the major water bodies may be considered oligotrophic. 相似文献
1. A large body of recent theory has recently developed focused on the relationship between the species diversity of competitor assemblages and the temporal stability of total competitor biomass. Many of these models predict that stability can increase with increasing diversity. 2. To explore natural relationships between zooplankton taxonomic diversity and temporal stability of total zooplankton biomass, 18 fishless, permanent ponds located in southern Michigan were surveyed over a 5 month period during a single growing season. 3. Results showed that temporal variability in total zooplankton biomass (measured as the coefficient of variation or CV) decreased with increasing mean zooplankton taxonomic richness. Thus, temporal stability increased with increasing taxonomic richness, consistent with theoretical predictions. 4. Decreases in the CV appeared to be because of portfolio effects (statistical averaging of species’ biomass fluctuations) rather than negative covariances among zooplankton taxa. 5. The CV of zooplankton biomass was also related to several environmental variables, suggesting that taxonomic richness may not be the only mediator of biomass stability. The CV decreased with increasing relative abundance of grazer‐resistant algae (algae >35 μm in size) and the CV increased with increasing pond productivity. 相似文献
Comparative surveys of bird species richness and abundance showed that a total of 69 bird species was recorded on 1 km transects (n = 996) through shrubland, with a total estimated density of birds of 32.7 ± 32.8 (S.D.) birds/km2, of which resident birds made up 24.4 ± 21.0 birds/km2, nomads made up 1.9 ± 11.7 birds/km2 and local nomads made up 6.3 ± 20.1 birds/km2. There was no correlation in general between total bird numbers or total bird biomass and rain, but numbers and biomass of nomads showed the strongest correlations with rainfall two months previously. A total of 86 species was recorded on 276 surveys along a 1 km stretch of drainage line woodland. Species richness varied from an average of about nine species to 24 species each month, and only showed a marked change during the 'dry' period of 1990 to early 1991. Density of birds in this woodland was 59.2 ± 20.8 birds/km. Biomass of birds was relatively constant throughout the study period, with marked increases in certain months when large species were present. 相似文献
In the last five years, two colossal environmental disasters involving iron-enriched mine tailings have occurred in Brazil, affecting many aquatic ecosystems over the short, medium and long-terms. This study investigated whether these iron-enriched mine tailings affect the main biotic strategy to restore zooplankton populations affected by severe stress, i.e., hatching of dormant stages. A 30 day hatching experiment was conducted, using a resting egg bank from a natural lake, exposed to 3 concentrations of mine tailings: control (0 g), T25 (25 g) and T50 (50 g). A total of 22, 15 and 16 species hatched in the control, T25 and T50, respectively. Conochilus sp., Filinia terminalis, Hexartha mira, Bosmina longirostris and Ceriodaphnia silvestrii hatched only in the control, which suggests that these species are sensitive to any concentration of mine tailings. A gradual decrease in richness and hatchling abundance was recorded, from the control (8.0?±?1.0 SE species and 1597?±?73.9 hatchlings) to T25 (4.6?±?1.2 species and 1279?±?136.5 hatchlings) and then to T50 (2.3?±?1.2 species and 603.3?±?61.9 hatchlings). Our results suggest that exposure of zooplankton resting eggs to iron-enriched mine tailings may negatively impact these egg banks in natural ecosystems, with potential impacts on the restoration of zooplankton communities after even short-term exposures.
The vaquita (Phocoena sinus) is the world's most endangered cetacean and has experienced a 60% reduction in the size of its population in the past decade. Knowledge of its basic ecology is essential for developing successful management plans to protect and conserve this species. In this study, we identified vaquita foraging areas by creating an isoscape of the Upper Gulf of California (UGC) based on sediment and zooplankton carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotope values. Our results confirm that this species is confined to the western region of the UGC, which is characterized by relatively high δ15N values (sediments: 10.2‰ ± 2.0‰, zooplankton: 15.8‰ ± 1.3‰), higher sea surface temperatures (~16°C–25°C), higher concentrations of silt in sediments, and the highest turbidity. In contrast, the eastern region of the UGC had relatively low sediment (7.7‰ ± 2.4‰) and zooplankton (14.6‰ ± 1.0‰) δ15N values, and the highest concentrations of sand in sediments. Our approach is an effective use of marine isoscapes over a small spatial scale (<200 km) to identify the environmental characteristics that define the critical habitat for an extremely endangered marine mammal. 相似文献
Phytoplankton samples were collected from three mesotrophic lakes: Piaseczno, Rogóźno and Krasne during winter seasons (from
January to March). The samples were analyzed for species analysis and abundance of planktonic algae in relation to different
depths of water column (0–7 m). Selected water physical-chemical parameters were also measured. Abundance of phytoplankton
depended strongly on the thickness of snow and ice cover or mixing conditions. The maximal phytoplankton total number reached
about 5 × 106 ind. L−1 beneath the clear ice in the Krasne Lake, minimal numbers were recorded under the thick snow and ice layers in the Piaseczno
Lake (2 × 103 ind. L−1). The winter phytoplankton communities were dominated by flagellates principally cryptomonads (Cryptomonas spp. Rhodomonas minuta), euglenophytes (Trachelomonas volvocina, T. volvocinopsis), dinoflagellates (Peridinium bipes, Gymnodinium helveticum) and chrysophytes (Mallomonas elongata, M. akrokomos, Dinobryon sociale) or non-motile small species of blue-green algae (e.g. Rhabdoderma lineare, Limnothrix redekei), diatoms (Stephanodiscus spp., Asterionella formosa), and green algae (e.g. Scenedesmus spp., Monoraphidium spp.). Phytoplankton abundance and structure showed differentiation during the winter season and along the water column as
well. 相似文献