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The relative importance of protozoans, rotifers, and crustaceans in a freshwater zooplankton community 1
Author(s) -
Pace Michael L.,
Orcutt John D.
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
limnology and oceanography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.7
H-Index - 197
eISSN - 1939-5590
pISSN - 0024-3590
DOI - 10.4319/lo.1981.26.5.0822
Subject(s) - zooplankton , plankton , biology , biomass (ecology) , crustacean , abundance (ecology) , ecology , productivity , protozoa , microbial loop , oceanography , phytoplankton , fishery , nutrient , botany , macroeconomics , geology , economics
A complete analysis of the macro‐ and microzooplankton of a monomictic lake indicates that Protozoa dominate the community numerically. During winter mixis, ciliates are found at densities of 1–8 × 10 3 ·liter −1 and constitute up to 32% of the zooplankton community biomass. With summer stratification crustaceans decline, while both the relative and absolute abundance of protozoans and rotifers increase. Densities of protozoans are highest (1–2 × 10 5 ·liter −1 ) in the metalimnion where scuticociliates bloom in zones of intense bacterial activity. During the period of these blooms (July–October), Protozoa account for 15–62% of the zooplankton biomass. This suggests that Protozoa make a significant contribution to rates of grazing, nutrient regeneration, and secondary productivity and should not be overlooked in zooplankton community studies.