Impact of zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) on phosphorus cycling and chlorophyll in lakes

1995 ◽  
Vol 52 (12) ◽  
pp. 2553-2573 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Mellina ◽  
Joseph B. Rasmussen ◽  
Edward L. Mills
Keyword(s):  
Water Column ◽  
Chlorophyll A ◽  
Zebra Mussel ◽  
Dreissena Polymorpha ◽  
Size Structure ◽  
Algal Cell ◽  
Algal Community ◽  
Community Size ◽  
Western Basin ◽  
Excretion Rates

We determined the effects of zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) on water column phosphorus (P) and chlorophyll a levels and algal community size structure as well as rates of P excretion in laboratory experiments. Zebra mussel at a threshold density of 0.25/L were able to decouple the nutrient–chlorophyll relationship, to induce erratic patterns in P and chlorophyll a trends, and to decrease mean algal cell sizes. Using shell length we explained 75 and 71% of the variability in P excretion rates in trials held at 17 and 22 °C. Using mass balance modeling, we examined the effects of zebra mussel growth and mortality on mean annual steady-state P levels as functions of hydraulic flushing and P loadings for the western basin of Lake Erie, for Lake St. Clair, and for Oneida Lake. Zebra mussel affected water column P levels only when the annual P accumulated into mussel biomass represented >20% of the lake's annual P loading. The mussel populations in all three lakes did not substantially affect water column P levels but decoupling of the nutrient–chlorophyll relationship was observed in lakes Erie and St. Clair. No evidence was found for increased decoupling of this relationship with increasing zebra mussel density in European lakes.

Removal of algae by the zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) population in western Lake Erie: a bioenergetics approach

1995 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 381-390 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles P. Madenjian
Keyword(s):  
Primary Production ◽  
Water Column ◽  
Zebra Mussel ◽  
Dreissena Polymorpha ◽  
Lake Erie ◽  
Mussel Population ◽  
Western Basin ◽  
Bioenergetics Model ◽  
Western Lake ◽  
Western Lake Erie

A bioenergetics model for growth of a zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) individual was verified with observations on zebra mussel growth in western Lake Erie. The bioenergetics model was then applied to the zebra mussel population in the western basin of Lake Erie to estimate the removal of phytoplankton by mussels. According to the modeling results, the zebra mussel population consumed 5.0 million tonnes of phytoplankton, while 1.4 million tonnes of phytoplankton was deposited in pseudofeces from the mussels. Thus, a total of 6.4 ± 2.4 million tonnes of phytoplankton was removed from the water column by zebra mussel in western Lake Erie during 1990. Primary production was estimated to be 24.8 million tonnes; therefore, zebra mussel removed the equivalent of 26 ± 10% of the primary production for western Lake Erie.

Effect of phytoplankton community size structure on remote-sensing reflectance and chlorophyll a products

2020 ◽  
Vol 211 ◽  
pp. 103400 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monika Soja-Woźniak ◽  
Leonardo Laiolo ◽  
Mark E. Baird ◽  
Richard Matear ◽  
Lesley Clementson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Chlorophyll A ◽  
Phytoplankton Community ◽  
Size Structure ◽  
Community Size ◽  
Remote Sensing Reflectance

Dispersal and Recruitment of Zebra Mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) in a Nearshore Area in West-central Lake Erie: The Significance of Postmetamorphic Drifting

1993 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
André Martel
Keyword(s):  
Water Column ◽  
Zebra Mussel ◽  
Dreissena Polymorpha ◽  
Lake Erie ◽  
Water Area ◽  
In Situ Growth ◽  
Growth Experiment ◽  
Quantitative Evidence ◽  
Shallow Water Area

Quantitative evidence that early postmetamorphic stages of zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) can disperse in the water column and colonize substrates has been obtained using off-bottom scouring pad collectors and plankton sampling in a nearshore, shallow-water area (2–7 m) near Wheatley, Lake Erie, during August 1991. Collectors were deployed for 24–72 h, thus minimizing growth of recruits during deployments. Size criteria determined through an in situ growth experiment were used to discriminate between individuals arriving at a collector as (1) settling larvae or (2) postmetamorphic stages. During certain periods, 20–80% of individuals settling on collectors were postmetamorphic stages. Plankton samples taken near collectors also confirmed the presence of postmetamorphic stages in the water column. Most drifting juveniles ranged from about 300 μm shell length to 800 μm (some up to 1–2 mm). Although settlement by postmetamorphic stages occurred during various periods, they drifted and settled on collectors in much higher numbers during periods of strong wave action generated during storms. Colonization of natural and man-made substrates by postmetamorphic stages may be significant in exposed or turbulent areas and may impact on population dynamics. Whether postmetamorphic drifting is adaptive and which mechanisms are involved are unknown.

Effects of the exotic zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) on metal cycling in Lake Erie

1997 ◽  
Vol 54 (7) ◽  
pp. 1630-1638 ◽  
Author(s):  
P L Klerks ◽  
P C Fraleigh ◽  
J E Lawniczak
Keyword(s):  
Water Column ◽  
Coming Out ◽  
Zebra Mussel ◽  
Dreissena Polymorpha ◽  
Lake Erie ◽  
Zebra Mussels ◽  
Western Lake ◽  
Metal Levels ◽  
Lake Bottom ◽  
The Impact

This research demonstrated the impact of high densities of the zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) on the cycling of copper, nickel, and zinc in a lake environment. Experiments with mussels on sedimentation traps in western Lake Erie and with mussels in flow-through tanks receiving Lake Erie water showed that zebra mussels remove metals from the water column, incorporate metals in their tissues, and deposit metals on the lake bottom. Removal of metals from the water column was estimated at 10-17% · day-1 of the amounts present. This material was largely deposited on the lake bottom; zebra mussels more than doubled the rate at which metals were being added to the lake bottom. Metal biodeposition rates were extremely high (e.g., 50 mg Zn · m-2 · day-1) in high-turbidity areas with elevated metal levels. Two factors contributed to metal biodeposition by zebra mussels. First, their production of feces and pseudofeces increased the rate at which suspended matter was being added to the sediment (accounting for 92% of the increased metal biodeposition). Second, the material coming out of suspension had higher metal concentrations when zebra mussels were present (constituting 8% of the increased biodeposition).

Eutrophication study of Lake Daylesford, Victoria

1980 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 573 ◽  
Author(s):  
JL Bales ◽  
GK Curtin ◽  
IC Campbell ◽  
BT Hart
Keyword(s):  
Water Column ◽  
Chlorophyll A ◽  
Total Phosphorus ◽  
Algal Blooms ◽  
Algal Species ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
Algal Community ◽  
Phosphorus Loading ◽  
Phytoplankton Production ◽  
Early Autumn

The occurrence of algal blooms in Lake Daylesford (area 11.6 ha; maximum depth 9 m) each summer in recent years was investigated. Surface water temperature of the lake varied from 7 to 25�C. The lake which is fed by Wombat Creek, a small permanent stream, was cheimomictic with stratification occurring between summer and early autumn. In most years classical 'turnover' would be unlikely; rather, epilimnetic water would be flushed from the lake by inflowing creek waters approximately 12 times per year. Surface waters were always well oxygenated but the hypolimnion was anoxic between December 1976 and March 1977. Transparency was greatest in winter and early spring and least in summer and early autumn, this reduction being caused by autochthonously produced algal matter and allochthonously derived suspended material. Incommon withmany other Australian lakes, Lake Daylesford had ashallow euphoticzone 1-2 m deep that would limit phytoplankton production. In March and June 1977, over 99% of the incident visible light was absorbed in the top 1 m of the water column. The lake was classified as eutrophic on the basis of chlorophyll a levels. productivity, total phosphorus loadings and algal species. Chlorophyll a levels ranged from < 1 �g 1-1 in June 1977 to 79 �g 1-1 in February 1977; the productivity maximum was 210 mg C m-3 day-1 (560 mg O2, m-3 day-1) in March 1977 and the estimated total phosphorus loading was 2.8 g P m-2 year-1. The algal community was dominated by three genera: the blue-green alga Anabaena, the euglenoid Trachelomonas and the diatom Asterionella. Evidence suggests that reduction of the phosphorus loading to the lake will do much to eliminate the annual algal blooms. Provision of sewerage facilities for the township of Daylesford may achieve the required reduction. The lake sediments contain elevated levels of phosphorus, mainly a result of past discharges of waste material from a potato-processing factory; the contribution of this sediment phosphorus to the water column is unknown but should be investigated.

scholarly journals Environmental control of diatom community size structure varies across aquatic ecosystems

2009 ◽  
Vol 276 (1662) ◽  
pp. 1627-1634 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zoe V Finkel ◽  
Colin Jacob Vaillancourt ◽  
Andrew J Irwin ◽  
Euan D Reavie ◽  
John P Smol
Keyword(s):  
Water Column ◽  
Environmental Control ◽  
Size Structure ◽  
Light Limitation ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Community Size ◽  
Food Web Structure ◽  
Stratified Lakes ◽  
Water Column Stratification ◽  
Median Size

Changes in the size structure of photoautotrophs influence food web structure and the biogeochemical cycling of carbon. Decreases in the median size of diatoms within communities, in concert with climate warming and water column stratification, have been observed over the Cenozoic in the ocean and over the last 50 years in Lake Tahoe. Decreases in the proportion of larger plankton are frequently observed in response to reduced concentrations of limiting nutrients in marine systems and large stratified lakes. By contrast, we show a decrease in the median size of planktonic diatoms in response to higher nutrient concentrations in a set of intermediate-sized alkaline lakes. Climate-induced increases in the frequency, duration and strength of water column stratification may select smaller planktonic species in the ocean and larger lakes owing to a reduction in nutrient availability and sinking rates, while light limitation, stimulated by nutrient eutrophication and high chlorophyll concentrations, may select smaller species within a community owing to their high light absorption efficiencies and lower sinking rates. The relative importance of different physiological and ecological rates and processes on the size structure of communities varies in different aquatic systems owing to varying combinations of abiotic and biotic constraints.

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