Temporal variability in algal biomass and primary productivity in Florida lakes relative to latitudinal gradients, organic color and trophic state

Zooplankton, including ciliated protozoans, were collected from 39 Florida lakes of widely ranging trophic state. Annual mean biomass values for different zooplankton groups were regressed against Carlson's Trophic State Index based on annual mean chlorophyll a concentration. Whereas total zooplankton biomass yielded a significant regression with increasing trophic state, microzooplankton (ciliates, rotifers, and nauplii) accounted for more of the relationship than macrozooplankton (cladocera, calanoids, and cyclopoids). Within the microzooplankton, the regression improved with decreasing body size. Macrozooplankton biomass exhibited a weak statistical relationship with lake trophic state, but the different component groups were variable in their response. The dominance within the zooplankton community shifts from macrozooplankton to microzooplankton with increasing trophic state, and the microzooplankton can constitute between 50 and 90% of the total zooplankton biomass in eutrophic lakes. Changes in zooplanktivore community structure with increasing trophic state show that whereas total fish biomass increases, dominance shifts from visually oriented predators, such as bass and bluegill, to pump filter-feeding planktivores, such as gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum). While Florida zooplankton communities are similar in size structure to tropical communities, no statistically significant differences were found between empirical equations of crustacean zooplankton biomass and trophic state determined from temperate and Florida data bases.

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Modeling the spatial and temporal variability in climate and primary productivity across the Luquillo Mountains, Puerto Rico

Forest Ecology and Management ◽

10.1016/s0378-1127(02)00489-9 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 179 (1-3) ◽

pp. 69-94 ◽

Cited By ~ 51

Author(s):

Hongqing Wang ◽

Charles A.S. Hall ◽

Frederick N. Scatena ◽

Ned Fetcher ◽

Wei Wu

Keyword(s):

Puerto Rico ◽

Primary Productivity ◽

Temporal Variability ◽

Spatial And Temporal Variability ◽

Luquillo Mountains

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Factors influencing Fish Assemblages and Species Richness in Subtropical Florida Lakes and a Comparison with Temperate Lakes

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences ◽

10.1139/f90-238 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 47 (11) ◽

pp. 2137-2146 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

A. E. Keller ◽

T. L. Crisman

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Littoral Zone ◽

Trophic State ◽

Fish Assemblages ◽

Temperate Lakes ◽

Florida Lakes ◽

Factors Influencing ◽

Dissolved Aluminum ◽

The Impact ◽

Lake Size

From detailed analyses of 36 lakes, we determined that while species assemblages and richness change with lake size, trophic state, and pH, the responses were not as dramatic in Florida as in temperate lakes. At a given pH, there were more species in Florida lakes than in comparable lakes of the temperate zone. The impact of lake size on species richness was also less obvious in Florida lakes. The greater importance of centrarchids, increased contribution of the littoral zone to primary production, and lower dissolved aluminum levels may contribute to greater species richness in Florida lakes than in temperate lakes of comparable pH or size.

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