Crustacean zooplankton communities in lakes recovering from acidification

2002 ◽  
Vol 59 (4) ◽  
pp. 726-735 ◽  
Author(s):  
W Keller ◽  
N D Yan ◽  
K M Somers ◽  
J H Heneberry
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Zooplankton Community ◽  
Crustacean Zooplankton ◽  
Chemical Recovery ◽  
Species Dispersal ◽  
Aquatic Communities ◽  
Biological Recovery ◽  
Community Recovery ◽  
Zooplankton Communities ◽  
Reference Lakes

Large reductions in sulphur emissions at the Sudbury, Ont., Canada, smelters in recent decades have resulted in decreased lake acidity, and biological improvements have followed. Lakes in the Sudbury area offer a very unique opportunity to develop our understanding of the processes regulating biological restructuring in aquatic ecosystems recovering from acidification. Here, we examine changes in crustacean zooplankton communities that have accompanied the chemical recovery of Whitepine and Sans Chambre lakes, near Sudbury, over the last two decades. In both these formerly acidic lakes, pH has increased to ~6.0, and some zooplankton community recovery has occurred. However, zooplankton communities have not completely recovered based on multivariate comparisons with the community composition of reference lakes. Although a number of acid-sensitive species have appeared, many did not persist, or did not achieve abundances typical of the reference lakes. This indicates that zooplankton community recovery will most likely depend on biotic and abiotic interactions within these lakes and not on factors affecting species dispersal. Both chemical and biological factors have large influences on biological recovery processes. Assessing biological recovery is very important since the restoration of healthy aquatic communities is a major objective of large-scale sulphur emission control programs.

Changes in the crustacean communities of Lakes Michigan, Huron, and Erie following the invasion of the predatory cladoceran Bythotrephes longimanus

2004 ◽  
Vol 61 (11) ◽  
pp. 2111-2125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard P Barbiero ◽  
Marc L Tuchman
Keyword(s):  
Zooplankton Community ◽  
Crustacean Zooplankton ◽  
Bythotrephes Longimanus ◽  
Zooplankton Community Structure ◽  
Cladoceran Species ◽  
Invertebrate Predators ◽  
Predatory Cladoceran ◽  
Leptodora Kindti ◽  
Escape Responses ◽  
Zooplankton Communities

The crustacean zooplankton communities in Lakes Michigan and Huron and the central and eastern basins of Lake Erie have shown substantial, persistent changes since the invasion of the predatory cladoceran Bythotrephes in the mid-1980s. A number of cladoceran species have declined dramatically since the invasion, including Eubosmina coregoni, Holopedium gibberum, Daphnia retrocurva, Daphnia pulicaria, and Leptodora kindti, and overall species richness has decreased as a result. Copepods have been relatively unaffected, with the notable exception of Meso cyclops edax, which has virtually disappeared from the lakes. These species shifts have for the most part been consistent and equally pronounced across all three lakes. Responses of crustacean species to the Bythotrephes invasion do not appear to be solely a consequence of size, and it is likely that other factors, e.g., morphology, vertical distribution, or escape responses, are important determinants of vulnerability to predation. Our results indicate that invertebrate predators in general, and invasive ones in particular, can have pronounced, lasting effects on zooplankton community structure.

pH 6 as the threshold to use in critical load modeling for zooplankton community change with acidification in lakes of south-central Ontario: accounting for morphometry and geography

2003 ◽  
Vol 60 (2) ◽  
pp. 151-158 ◽  
Author(s):  
C A Holt ◽  
N D Yan ◽  
K M Somers
Keyword(s):  
Zooplankton Community ◽  
Single Species ◽  
Community Change ◽  
Step Function ◽  
Crustacean Zooplankton ◽  
Load Modeling ◽  
South Central ◽  
Species Abundances ◽  
Community Data ◽  
Zooplankton Communities

Identifying thresholds of biotic community change along stressor gradients may be useful to both ecologists and lake managers; however, there are several weaknesses in the thresholds that have been identified for zooplankton communities along acidity gradients. The thresholds are often based on a single species even though pH sensitivities vary among species. They often measure changes in species occurrences, though abundances may be a more responsive indicator of damage. Their identification may be confounded by spatial and morphometric factors if they are derived from lake surveys. Finally, the thresholds have usually been subjectively identified. Our goal was to establish a threshold in zooplankton community change along an acidity gradient that did not have these four common weaknesses. We used two crustacean zooplankton community metrics: species richness and scores of a correspondence analysis based on species abundances. Spatial and morphometric patterns were detected in the zooplankton community data and then extracted. The relationship between zooplankton and acidity was then modeled using a step function that objectively identified a threshold of community change at pH 6 for lakes in south-central Ontario.

Long-term directional trajectories among lake crustacean zooplankton communities and water chemistry

2018 ◽  
Vol 75 (11) ◽  
pp. 1926-1939 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karl A. Lamothe ◽  
Donald A. Jackson ◽  
Keith M. Somers
Keyword(s):  
Water Chemistry ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Zooplankton Community ◽  
Critical Issue ◽  
Relative Magnitude ◽  
Crustacean Zooplankton ◽  
Acidified Lakes ◽  
Experimental Acidification ◽  
Zooplankton Communities ◽  
Lake Systems

Understanding community responses to disturbance is a long-standing challenge in ecology and will remain a critical issue as human activity continues to alter environmental conditions. This is particularly concerning for freshwater communities, which are often subject to the effects of multiple disturbances on the landscape. With crustacean zooplankton community composition data and associated water chemistry from 19 Ontario lakes, we quantify the relative magnitude and directionality of change over three decades using distances in multivariate ordinations. The data span a gradient of impact from minimally disturbed reference lakes to lakes with known impacts from experimental acidification trials, atmospheric acidification, and regional land-use changes. Most communities exhibited changes from historical conditions, including previously described reference systems. Zooplankton communities in experimentally acidified lakes showed gradual, directional patterns with a return to historical conditions postmanipulation, but have since deviated again from historical conditions. Most zooplankton communities in atmospherically acidified lakes showed gradual, directional trajectories over time. Overall, our results demonstrate that zooplankton communities are changing among both minimally disturbed lake systems and lakes known to be impacted by human activities.

8. The Effect of Bythotrephes Longimanus on the Size Structure of Zooplankton Communities in the Muskoka Region, Ontario

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johanna Pokorny
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Size Structure ◽  
Scale Effects ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Zooplankton Community ◽  
Zooplankton Abundance ◽  
Bythotrephes Longimanus ◽  
Zooplankton Species ◽  
Community Size ◽  
Zooplankton Communities

Invasive species are considered the greatest threat to aquatic ecosystem biodiversity. Bythotrephes longimanus, an exotic zooplankton species introduced to North America in the 1980s, is threatening the structure of indigenous aquatic ecosystems as it continues to invade inland Ontario lakes. As a predacious zooplankton species, B. longimanus has been shown to decrease zooplankton abundance, species richness and shift zooplankton community size structure in invaded lakes. However, much of the previous research concerning the predatory effects of B. longimanus has been on surveys of a small number of lakes or has been in controlled mesocosm or lab-based experiments. This study examines the effects of B. longimanus on the zooplankton community using size-structure characterizations (grouping individuals from the community based on size) as community measures for 311 lakes in the Muskoka Region, a highly invaded watershed in Southern Ontario. More specifically, the study explores the size-spectra of invaded versus uninvaded lakes, with reference to an array of environmental lake characteristics (water chemistry, lake morphometry,etc.), and the relevance of B. longimanus activity on the regional scale. By using such a large-scale survey we will be able to appreciate regional-scale effects, as well as encompass the multiple and more indirect trophic interactions that B. longimanus is likely having with the entire aquatic community. (Funding: NSERC & CAISN.)

scholarly journals Zooplankton communities in Precambrian Shield lakes (Québec, Canada): responses to spatial and temporal gradients in water chemistry and climate

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzanne Couture ◽  
Christiane Hudon ◽  
Pierre Gagnon ◽  
Zofia Taranu ◽  
Bernadette Pinel-Alloul ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Zooplankton Community ◽  
Lake Water Quality ◽  
Spatial Gradients ◽  
Air Temperatures ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Concentration Changes ◽  
Zooplankton Communities ◽  
Shield Lakes

Zooplankton are relevant indicators of changes in lake water quality, used for monitoring the response of aquatic ecosystems to the combined effects of declining acidic deposition and rising air temperatures. First, the current landscape was defined from the recent (2017) spatial patterns of zooplankton communities in 73 Québec lakes distributed over an 800-km SW-NE gradient, spanning a wide range of water quality, climate and morphometric characteristics. At large-scale, we identified among-lake clustering of three types of zooplankton assemblages and variation in species composition at fine scale among lake pairs. Distance among zooplankton clusters calculated using lake pairs were best correlated (r > 0.400, p < 0.001) with air temperature, pH and calcium, reflecting spatial gradients in climate and lake acid-base status. Second, to examine long-term response in the zooplankton community, we compared acidification indicators and abundance of taxa for a subset of 19 lakes sampled in 1982 and 2017. Despite an average 3-fold drop in sulfate concentration, changes in calcium and pH were relatively small, and consequently, no major changes in zooplankton assemblages were detected since 1982.

Recovery of acid damaged zooplankton communities: measurement, extent, and limiting factors

2009 ◽  
Vol 17 (NA) ◽  
pp. 81-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
Derek K. Gray ◽  
Shelley E. Arnott
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
North America ◽  
Dispersal Limitation ◽  
Complete Recovery ◽  
Limiting Factors ◽  
Chemical Recovery ◽  
Eastern North America ◽  
Biological Recovery ◽  
Community Resistance ◽  
Zooplankton Communities

Anthropogenic acidification has affected biota in thousands of lakes in eastern North America and Europe. To measure the degree and extent of biological recovery following pH recovery in acidified lakes, many studies have assessed changes occurring in acid-damaged zooplankton communities. In this review we synthesize studies of zooplankton recovery from regions severely affected by acidification. In doing so, we provide a critical overview of: (1) the design of studies used to detect recovery; (2) the status of communities in acidified regions; and (3) our current understanding of the factors that limit recovery. The design of most studies assessing zooplankton recovery fall into three categories based on their selection of data to be used for recovery benchmarks: (1) historical; (2) reference-lakes; and (3) temporal. Within these study designs, the most commonly used metrics include species richness, indicator species, and relative species abundances. Many studies have used species richness as the sole indicator of recovery; however, we argue that additional metrics should be considered in analyses to make conclusions more robust. Studies conducted in eastern North America and Northern Europe have demonstrated significant, though often incomplete, recovery of zooplankton communities in lakes that reach a pH > 6.0. Data collected in central Europe indicate little recovery in the heavily affected Bohemian Forest lakes, but complete recovery of species richness in the moderately acidified Tatra Mountain lakes. Factors limiting biological recovery, including slow chemical recovery, dispersal limitation, and community resistance, vary in importance among and within regions, suggesting that region- and lake-specific management approaches may be required.

scholarly journals Impact of Bythotrephes invasion on zooplankton communities in acid-damaged and recovered lakes on the Boreal Shield

2005 ◽  
Vol 62 (11) ◽  
pp. 2450-2462 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela L Strecker ◽  
Shelley E Arnott
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Zooplankton Community ◽  
Freshwater Ecosystems ◽  
Specific Response ◽  
Bythotrephes Longimanus ◽  
Aquatic Communities ◽  
Zooplankton Community Structure ◽  
Community Types ◽  
Zooplankton Communities ◽  
The Impact

Invasive species introductions into freshwater ecosystems have had a multitude of effects on aquatic communities. Few studies, however, have directly compared the impact of an invader on communities with contrasting structure. Historically high levels and subsequent reductions of acid deposition have produced landscapes of lakes of varying acidity and zooplankton community structure. We conducted a 30-day enclosure experiment in Killarney Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, to test the effects of Bythotrephes longimanus, an invasive invertebrate predator, on two contrasting zooplankton communities at different stages of recovery from acidification: recovered and acid damaged. Bythotrephes significantly decreased zooplankton biomass and abundance in both communities but had a greater negative effect on the abundance of zooplankton in the recovered community. Bythotrephes reduced species diversity of the recovered zooplankton community but not of the acid-damaged community. Species richness of both community types was unaffected by Bythotrephes predation. The effect of Bythotrephes on small cladocerans, a preferred prey type, differed between the community types and appeared to be related to density-dependent predation by Bythotrephes. Both community- and species-level results suggest that recovered and acid-damaged zooplankton assemblages may be negatively affected by an invasion of Bythotrephes but that the specific response is dependent on the original community structure.

Crustacean Zooplankton Communities as Indicators of Limnological Conditions An Approach Using Principal Component Analysis

1977 ◽  
Vol 34 (7) ◽  
pp. 962-975 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Gary Sprules
Keyword(s):  
Principal Component Analysis ◽  
Zooplankton Community ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Water Clarity ◽  
Component Analysis ◽  
Crustacean Zooplankton ◽  
Community Patterns ◽  
Zooplankton Community Structure ◽  
The Matrix ◽  
Zooplankton Communities

Principal component analysis is used to develop a technique for predicting the limnological characteristics of a lake from knowledge of its midsummer limnetic crustacean zooplankton community. Patterns of variation in zooplankton community structure are summarized in the principal components extracted, via the species covariance matrix, from the matrix of transformed proportionate numerical abundances of species in a sample of lakes. The relation between these patterns and the limnological characteristics of the lakes is determined from the first-order rank correlations of the limnological variables with the components. In relatively undisturbed lakes of northwestern Ontario, results indicate that lakes characterized by Cyclops bicuspidatus thomasi, Diaptomus minutus, and others are large and clear, whereas those characterized by Tropocyclops prasinus mexicanus, D. oregonensis, and others are smaller and of lower water clarity. These patterns are contrasted with those extracted from the same data using more subjective techniques. In the acid-stressed Killarney region, Ontario, lakes dominated by D. minutus are predicted to be acidic, small, and clear, whereas those dominated by Diaphanosoma leuchtenbergianum, Bosmina longirostris, Mesocyclops edax, and others will be less clear, larger, and with higher pH. In Haliburton lakes, Ontario, those with Diaptomus oregonensis, M. edax, and Ceriodaphnia lacustris are predicted to be small and productive, whereas those with D. minutus, D. sicilis, B. longirostris, and Daphnia dubia will be larger and less productive. The usefulness of the technique and some modifications are discussed. Key words: zooplankton communities, principal component analysis, ELA lakes, Haliburton lakes, Killarney lakes

Zooplankton community responses to a novel forest insecticide, tebufenozide (RH-5992), in littoral lake enclosures

1998 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 639-648 ◽  
Author(s):  
David P Kreutzweiser ◽  
John M Gunn ◽  
Dean G Thompson ◽  
Heather G Pollard ◽  
Marvin J Faber
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Zooplankton Community ◽  
Crustacean Zooplankton ◽  
Significant Treatment ◽  
Northern Ontario ◽  
Environmental Concentration ◽  
Oxygen Conductivity ◽  
Exponential Decline ◽  
Zooplankton Communities

The effects of tebufenozide (RH-5992), a potential forest insecticide, on zooplankton communities were determined in 16 littoral enclosures in a small forest lake of northern Ontario. Community structure in enclosures treated with 9, 36, or 157 µg tebufenozide/L ( 0.2, 0.7, and 3 times the expected environmental concentration) was compared with natural zooplankton communities in control enclosures. No significant treatment effects on zooplankton communities were detected, even at 3 times the expected environmental concentration. While some changes in community structure of crustacean zooplankton in enclosures occurred through the season, these did not appear to be related to the tebufenozide treatments. Tebufenozide residues in water dissipated following exponential decline kinetics with time to 50% dissipation (DT50) ranging from 32 to 35 days irrespective of initial concentration. There were no differences in pH, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, and phytoplankton abundance among treatment levels (repeated-measures ANOVA, p > 0.07).

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