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.

scholarly journals Variation in the response of crustacean zooplankton species richness and composition to the invasive predator Bythotrephes longimanus

2006 ◽  
Vol 63 (9) ◽  
pp. 2126-2136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela L Strecker ◽  
Shelley E Arnott ◽  
Norman D Yan ◽  
Robert Girard
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Zooplankton Community ◽  
Distribution Patterns ◽  
Crustacean Zooplankton ◽  
Bythotrephes Longimanus ◽  
Zooplankton Species ◽  
Cladoceran Species ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Composite Samples ◽  
Better Than

The predacious invertebrate Bythotrephes longimanus has now invaded >90 freshwater lakes in North America. There is some evidence that B. longimanus has a negative effect on summer zooplankton species richness; however, no study has examined the effect of B. longimanus throughout the ice-free season in more than one lake. We visited 10 invaded and 4 reference lakes every 2 weeks from May to September, collecting B. longimanus, crustacean zooplankton, and water chemistry samples. Composite samples were pooled across the study season for each lake. Bythotrephes longimanus significantly reduced cladoceran species richness, diversity, and abundance, and the total zooplankton community also exhibited decreased richness, diversity, and abundance. Seasonal sampling was better than synoptic surveys at detecting changes in abundance, but richness estimates were similar. As B. longimanus continues to spread across lake landscapes, we expect it will have profound impacts on local and regional richness and species distribution patterns.

The differing crustacean zooplankton communities of Canadian Shield lakes with and without the nonindigenous zooplanktivore Bythotrephes longimanus

2003 ◽  
Vol 60 (11) ◽  
pp. 1307-1313 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie A Boudreau ◽  
Norman D Yan
Keyword(s):  
Zooplankton Biomass ◽  
Canadian Shield ◽  
Crustacean Zooplankton ◽  
Bythotrephes Longimanus ◽  
Cladoceran Species ◽  
Zooplankton Communities ◽  
Shield Lakes ◽  
Total Zooplankton Biomass ◽  
Harp Lake

The nonindigenous predatory cladoceran Bythotrephes longimanus is spreading rapidly among Canadian Shield lakes, but only one case study of its impacts exists. In Harp Lake, the abundances of several cladoceran and one cyclopoid species fell after the invasion, and far fewer species benefited. To determine if Harp Lake provides typical results, we compared the summer crustacean zooplankton communities of 17 invaded and 13 noninvaded (reference) lakes in Ontario. The communities of the two lake groups differed. Average species richness was 30% higher in the reference (15.3 species) vs. the invaded lakes (11.8 species). Total zooplankton biomass was significantly lower in the invaded lakes, mainly because of lower abundances of all common epilimnetic cladoceran species. As these results were quite similar to those of Harp Lake, it is apparent that current summer zooplankton communities of Canadian Shield lakes with Bythotrephes differ substantially from noninvaded lakes.

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

Crustacean zooplankton community structure in temporary and permanent grassland ponds

Hydrobiologia ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 632 (1) ◽  
pp. 225-233 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Matthew Drenner ◽  
Stanley I. Dodson ◽  
Ray W. Drenner ◽  
John E. Pinder III
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Zooplankton Community ◽  
Crustacean Zooplankton ◽  
Zooplankton Community Structure ◽  
Permanent Grassland

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.

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