Abstract
The dynamics of crustacean zooplankton in the littoral and pelagic zones of four forest lakes having variable water qualities (colour range 130–340 mg Pt l−1, Secchi depth 70–160 cm) were studied. The biomass of zooplankton was higher in the littoral zone than in the pelagic zone only in the lake having the highest transparency. In the three other lakes, biomass was significantly higher in the pelagic zone than in the littoral zone. In the two lakes with highest transparency, the littoral biomass of cladocerans significantly followed the development of macrophyte vegetation, and cladoceran biomass reached the maximum value at the time of highest macrophyte coverage. In lakes with lowest transparency, littoral zooplankton biomass developed independently of macrophyte density and decreased when macrophyte beds were densest. The seasonal development of the littoral copepod biomass did not follow the development of macrophytes in any of the lakes. The mean size of cladocerans in the pelagic zone decreased with increasing Secchi depth of the lake, whereas in the littoral zone no such phenomenon was detected. Seasonally, when water transparency increased temporarily in two of the lakes, the mean size of cladocerans in the pelagic zone decreased steeply. For copepods, no relationship between water transparency and body size was observed. The results suggested that in humic lakes the importance of the littoral zone as a refuge decreases with decreasing transparency of the water and that low water transparency protects cladocerans from fish predation. All the observed between-lake differences could not be explained by fish predation, but were probably attributed to the presence of chaoborid larvae with variable densities. Feeding efficiency of chaoborids is not affected by visibility and thus they can obscure the relationship between water quality, fish density, and the structure of crustacean zooplankton assemblages.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alajärvi, E. & J. Horppila, 2004. Diel variations in the vertical distribution of crustacean zooplankton and food selection by planktivorous fish in a shallow turbid lake. International Review of Hydrobiology 89: 238–249.
Appelberg, M., H.-M. Berger, T. Hesthagen, E. Kleiven, M. Kurkilahti, J. Raitaniemi & M. Rask, 1995. Development and intercalibration of methods in Nordic freshwater fish monitoring. Water, Air and Soil Pollution 85: 401–406.
Bergman, E., 1987. Temperature-dependent differences in foraging abilities of two percids, Perca fluviatilis and Gymnocephalus corneus. Environmental Biology of Fishes 19: 45–53.
Berzinš, B. & J. Bertilsson, 1990. Occurrence of limnic micro-crustaceans in relation to pH and humic content in Swedish water bodies. Hydrobiologia 199: 65–71.
Boeing, W. J., D. M. Leech, C. E. Williamson, S. Cooke & L. Torres, 2004. Damaging UV radiation and invertebrate predation: conflicting selective pressures for zooplankton vertical distribution in the water column of low DOC lakes. Oecologia 138: 603–612.
Burks, R. L., E. Jeppesen & D. M. Lodge, 2001. Littoral zone structures as Daphnia refugia against fish predators. Limnology and Oceanography 46: 230–237.
Canfield, D. E., Jr. & L. M. Hodgson, 1983. Prediction of Secchi disc depths in Florida Lakes: impact of algal biomass and organic color. Hydrobiologia 99: 51–60.
Cazzanelli, M., T. P. Warming & K. S. Christofferssen, 2008. Emergent and floating-leaved macrophytes as refuge for zooplankton in a eutrophic temperate lake without submerged vegetation. Hydrobiologia 605: 113–122.
Dodson, S., 1990. Predicting diel vertical migration of zooplankton. Limnology and Oceanography 35: 1195–1200.
Elser, M. M., C. N. von Ende, P. Soranno & S. R. Carpenter, 1987. Chaoborus populations: response to food web manipulations and potential effects on zooplankton communities. Canadian Journal of Zoology 65: 2846–2852.
Gliwicz, Z. M., 1985. Predation or food limitation: an ultimate reason for extinction of planktonic cladoceran species. Ergebnisse der Limnologie 21: 419–430.
Giguere, L. A., 1980. Metabolic expenditures in Chaoborus larvae. Limnology and Oceanography 25: 922–928.
Havens, K. E., 1989. Seasonal succession in the plankton of a naturally acidic, highly humic lake in Northeastern Ohio, USA. Journal of Plankton Research 11: 1321–1327.
Havens, K. E., 1991. Summer zooplankton dynamics in the limnetic and littoral zones of a humic acid lake. Hydrobiologia 215: 21–29.
Hongve, D., 1975. On the ecology and distribution of Chaoborus (Chaoboridae, Diptera) from the upper Romerike District, south-east Norway. Norwegian Journal of Entomology 22: 49–57.
Horppila, J., J. Ruuhijärvi, M. Rask, C. Karppinen, K. Nyberg & M. Olin, 2000. Seasonal changes in the diets and relative abundance of perch and roach—a comparison between littoral and pelagic zones of a large lake. Journal of Fish Biology 56: 51–72.
Horppila, J., A. Liljendahl-Nurminen & T. Malinen, 2004. Effect of clay turbidity and light on the predator-prey interaction between smelts and chaoborids. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 61: 1862–1870.
Horppila, J., P. Eloranta, A. Liljendahl-Nurminen, J. Niemistö & Z. Pekcan-Hekim, 2008. Refuge availability and sequence of predators determine the seasonal succession of crustacean zooplankton in a clay-turbid lake. Aquatic Ecology (in press).
Jeppesen, E., T. L. Lauridsen, T. Kairesalo & M. Perrow, 1997. Impact of submerged macrophytes on fish-zooplankton interactions in lakes. In Jeppesen, E., Ma. Søndergaard, Mo. Søndergaard & K. Christoffersen (eds), The structuring role of submerged macrophytes in lakes. Ecological studies 131. Springer, New York: 91–114.
Jones, R. I. & L. Arvola, 1984. Light penetration and some related characteristics in small forest lakes in Southern Finland. Verhandlungen der Internationalen Vereinigung für Theoretische und Angewandte Limnologie 22: 811–816.
Kirk, J. T. O., 1994. Light and photosynthesis in aquatic ecosystems. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Kortelainen, P., 1993. Content of total organic carbon in Finnish lakes and its relationship to catchment characteristics. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 50: 1477–1483.
Lagergren, R., K. Leberfinger & J. A. E. Stenson, 2008. Seasonal and ontogenic variation in diel vertical migration of Chaoborus flavicans and its effects on depth-selection behaviour of other zooplankton. Limnology and Oceanography 53: 1083–1092.
Lampert, W., 1993. Ultimate causes of diel vertical migration of zooplankton: new evidence for the predator-avoidance hypothesis. Ergebnisse der Limnologie 39: 79–88.
Lehtovaara, A. & J. Sarvala, 1984. Seasonal dynamics of total biomass and species composition of zooplankton in the littoral of an oligotrophic lake. Verhandlungen der Internationalen Vereinigung für Theoretische und Angewandte Limnologie 22: 805–810.
Liljendahl-Nurminen, A., J. Horppila, P. Eloranta, T. Malinen & L. Uusitalo, 2002. The seasonal dynamics and distribution of Chaoborus flavicans in adjacent lake basins of different morphometry and degree of eutrophication. Freshwater Biology 47: 1283–1295.
Liljendahl-Nurminen, A., J. Horppila, T. Malinen, P. Eloranta, M. Vinni, E. Alajärvi & S. Valtonen, 2003. The supremacy of invertebrate predators over fish—factors behind the unconventional seasonal dynamics of cladocerans in Lake Hiidenvesi. Archiv für Hydrobiologie 158: 75–96.
Liljendahl-Nurminen, A., J. Horppila, L. Uusitalo & J. Niemistö, 2008. Spatial variability in the abundance of pelagic invertebrate predators in relation to depth and turbidity. Aquatic Ecology 42: 25–33.
Lüning-Krizan, J., 1997. Selective feeding of third- and fourth instar larvae of Chaoborus flavicans in the field. Archiv für Hydrobiologie 140: 347–365.
Luokkanen, E., 1995. Vesikirppuyhteisön lajisto, biomassa ja tuotanto, Vesijärven Enonselällä. Helsingin yliopiston Lahden tutkimus-ja koulutuskeskuksen raportteja ja selvityksiä. 25: 1–53. (in Finnish with English summary).
Masson, S. & B. Pinel-Alloul, 1998. Spatial regulation of zooplankton biomass size fractions in a bog lake: abiotic and (or) biotic regulation. Canadian Journal of Zoology 76: 805–823.
Nurminen, L. & J. Horppila, 2002. A diurnal study on the distribution of filter feeding zooplankton: Effect of emergent macrophytes, pH and lake trophy. Aquatic Sciences 64: 198–206.
Nurminen, L., J. Horppila & P. Tallberg, 2001. Seasonal development of the cladoceran assemblage in a turbid lake: role of emergent macrophytes. Archiv für Hydrobiologie 151: 127–140.
Nurminen, L., J. Horppila & Z. Pekcan-Hekim, 2007. Effect of light and predator abundance on the habitat choice of plant-attached zooplankton. Freshwater Biology 52: 539–548.
O’Brien, W. J., 1987. Planktivory by freshwater fish: thrust and parry in the pelagia. In Kerfoot, W. C. & A. Sih (eds), Predation. Direct and Indirect Impacts on Aquatic Communities. University Press of New England, Hanover and London: 3–16.
Olin, M., M. Kurkilahti, P. Peitola & J. Ruuhijärvi, 2004. The effects of fish accumulation on the catchability of multimesh gillnet. Fisheries Research 68: 135–147.
Pekcan-Hekim, Z., 2007. Effects of turbidity on feeding and distribution of fish. Ph. D. Thesis, University of Helsinki, Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences.
Pekcan-Hekim, Z., A. Liljendahl-Nurminen & J. Horppila, 2006. Chaoborus flavicans in the food web—competitor or resource for fish. Polish Journal of Ecology 54: 701–707.
Persson, L., 1987. Effects of habitat and season on competitive interactions between roach (Rutilus rutilus) and perch (Perca fluviatilis). Oecologia 73: 170–177.
Persson, L., S. Diehl, L. Johansson, G. Andersson & S. Hamrin, 1992. Trophic interactions in temperate lake ecosystems: a test of food chain theory. American Naturalist 140: 59–84.
Pianowska, J. & P. Dawidowicz, 1987. The lack of vertical migration in Daphnia: the effect of homogenously distributed food. Hydrobiologia 148: 175–181.
Sarvala, J. & S. Halsinaho, 1990. Crustacean zooplankton in Finnish forest lakes in relation to acidity and other environmental factors. In Kauppi, P., P. Anttila & K. Kenttämies (eds), Acidification in Finland. Sprringer-Verlag, Berlin-Heidelberg: 1009–1027.
Sarvala, J., P. Kankaala, P. Zingel & L. Arvola, 1999. Zooplankton. In Keskitalo, J. & P. Eloranta (eds), Limnology of Humic Waters. Backhuys Publishers, Leiden: 173–191.
Schriver, P., J. Bøgenstrand, E. Jeppesen & M. Søndergaard, 1995. Impact of submerged macrophytes on fish-zooplankton phytoplankton interactions: large-scale enclosure experiments in a shallow eutrophic lake. Freshwater Biology 33: 255–270.
Snickars, M., A. Sandström & J. Mattila, 2004. Antipredator behaviour of 0+ year Perca fluviatilis: effect of vegetation density and turbidity. Journal of Fish Biology 65: 1604–1613.
Soranno, P. A., S. R. Carpenter & X. He, 1993. Zooplankton biomass and body size. In Carpenter, S. R. & J. F. Kitchell (eds), The Trophic Cascade in Lakes. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge: 172–188.
Stansfield, J. H., M. R. Perrow, L. D. Tench, A. J. D. Jowitt & A. A. L. Taylor, 1997. Submerged macrophytes as refuges for grazing Cladocera against fish predation: observations on seasonal changes in relation to macrophyte cover and predation pressure. Hydrobiologia 342/343: 229–240.
Taylor, B. E., 1980. Size-selective predation on zooplankton. In Kerfoot, W. C. (ed.), Evolution and Ecology of Zooplankton Communities. University Press of New England, New Hampshire and London: 377–387.
Tessier, A. J. & J. Welser, 1991. Cladoceran assemblages, seasonal succession and the importance of a hypolimnetic refuge. Freshwater Biology 25: 85–93.
Timms, R. M. & B. Moss, 1984. Prevention of growth of potentially dense phytoplankton populations by zooplankton grazing, in the presence of zooplanktivorous fish in a shallow wetland ecosystem. Limnology and Oceanography 29: 472–486.
Uusitalo, L., J. Horppila, P. Eloranta, A. Liljendahl-Nurminen, T. Malinen, M. Salonen & M. Vinni, 2003. Leptodora kindtii and flexible foraging behaviour of fish—factors behind the delayed biomass peak of cladocerans in Lake Hiidenvesi. International Review of Hydrobiology 88: 34–48.
Vinyard, G. L. & W. J. O’Brien, 1976. Effects of light and turbidity on the reaction distance of Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus). Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada 33: 2845–2849.
Whiteside, M. C., 1988. 0+ fish as major factors affecting abundance patterns of littoral zooplankton. Verhandlungen der Internationalen Vereinigung für Theoretische und Angewandte Limnologie 23: 1710–1714.
Winfield, I. J., 1986. The influence of simulated aquatic macrophytes on the zooplankton consumption rate of juvenile roach, Rutilus rutilus, rudd, Scardinius erythrophtalmus, and perch, Perca fluviatilis. Journal of Fish Biology 29(Suppl. A): 37–48.
Wissel, B. & C. W. Ramcharan, 2003. Plasticity of vertical distribution of crustacean zooplankton in lakes with varying levels of water color. Journal of Plankton Research 25: 1047–1057.
Wissel, B., W. J. Boeing & C. W. Ramcharan, 2003. Effects of water color on predation regimes and zooplankton assemblages in freshwater lakes. Limnology and Oceanography 48: 1965–1976.
Wright, D. I. & W. J. O’Brien, 1982. Differential location of Chaoborus Larvae and Daphnia by fish: the importance of motion and visible size. American Midland Naturalist 108: 68–73.
Acknowledgements
The study was financially supported by the Bror Serlachius Foundation, which is greatly appreciated. Finnish Game and Fisheries Research Institute provided equipment, and Suvi Immonen and Joni Tiainen helped with the field work. Hannu Lehtonen and Anne Liljendahl-Nurminen gave valuable comments on the manuscript.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Handling editor: S. I. Dodson
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Estlander, S., Nurminen, L., Olin, M. et al. Seasonal fluctuations in macrophyte cover and water transparency of four brown-water lakes: implications for crustacean zooplankton in littoral and pelagic habitats. Hydrobiologia 620, 109–120 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-008-9621-8
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-008-9621-8