Simulation of vertical position of buoyancy regulating Microcystis aeruginosa in a shallow eutrophic lake

Vertical distributions of the cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa are examined in a shallow lake in relation to mixing and thermal stratification over three days. A model of buoyancy regulation by Microcystis aeruginosa, applicable for turbulent environments, is coupled with a one-dimensional hydrodynamic model. The coupled model is applied to Thomsons Lake in Western Australia to examine the relationship between buoyancy regulation and the daily stratification/destratification cycle. The vertical distribution of Microcystis aeruginosa in Thomsons Lake depends on the carbohydrate ballast dynamics and the colony size. When thermal stratification occurs, all the simulations show a similar general pattern of diurnal vertical migration of the Microcystis aeruginosa colonies. The colonies accumulate at the surface during the night and in the morning the colonies lose buoyancy, which leads to a reduction by ~ \sim 50% in colony concentration in the top 0.2--0.3 m of the water column. Afternoon winds redistribute the population over the entire water column. When the lake is fully mixed, the vertical migration pattern of the Microcystis aeruginosa colonies may be affected, depending on the colony size and the intensity of the mixing.     

Seasonal succession of cyanobacterial protease inhibitors and Daphnia magna genotypes in a eutrophic Swedish lake

Lakes are well known for having a pattern of seasonal succession of phytoplankton and zooplankton. The succession of different taxa of phytoplankton results in a succession of zooplankton taxa, and within the genus Daphnia, into a succession of different genotypes (clones). One cause for this succession of Daphnia clones might be the production of digestive protease inhibitors by cyanobacteria, which usually bloom in summer. Here we report seasonal changes in the frequency and the abundance of Daphnia magna haplotypes in a eutrophic lake, which developed a chymotrypsin-inhibitor-producing cyanobacterial bloom in May. These seasonal changes were not related to changes of biotic and abiotic lake parameters. However, a very high content of chymotrypsin inhibitors was observed in May (but not in other months). This was assumed to have exerted a strong punctual selection pressure on the Daphnia population and on the direct targets of the protease inhibitors, i.e. the digestive chymotrypsins of Daphnia. Actually, D. magna from before and during the cyanobacterial bloom showed a different protease pattern on activity stained SDS-PAGE in comparison to clones from the month after the bloom. However, no difference in tolerance, measured as IC₅₀ values, to inhibition by natural lake seston from May was found between the clones from before and after the bloom. Thus, the hypothesis that a seasonal adaptation of D. magna subpopulations from either April/May or June might have occurred could not be proven. This suggests that the Daphnia population investigated here is locally adapted to cyanobacterial protease inhibitors.     

Determining the photosynthetic productivity of a stratified phytoplankton population

During the summer, a stratified population of the red-coloured cyanobacterium Planktothrix rubescens dominates the phytoplankton of Lake Zürich. The organism hovers in the metalimnion by regulating its buoyancy, provided by gas vesicles. The daily integral of primary production by the organism has been calculated from its P/I curve and measurements of the vertical distributions of Planktothrix sp., irradiance and temperature in the lake, using numerical integration with Excel spreadsheets. The basic methods are described and the particular problems of analysing production by stratified populations are discussed. Daily integrals of primary production based on measured growth/irradiance (7/I) curves of P. rubescens produce a closer correspondence to the changes in the natural population than do integrals based on P/I curves.     

A diurnal study on the distribution of filter feeding zooplankton: Effect of emergent macrophytes,pH and lake trophy

The objective of the present study was to investigate the importance of emergent macrophytes as refugia in lakes of different trophic status. Furthermore, the effect of water quality on diel changes in the distribution of littoral cladocerans was of interest, with special attention paid on diurnal fluctuations of filter feeder communities, induced by pH changes under a heavy phytoplankton bloom. The study was conducted by investigating littoral cladoceran populations in different zones (inside, at the edge and outside the macrophyte stands) in two basins with divergent water quality. No tendency towards diurnal migration related to emergent macrophytes was observed in the clear-water, mesotrophic Isontalonselkä basin. The dominating cladoceran, Daphnia spp., formed highest densities during daytime in the outer zone. Meanwhile, strong nocturnal cladoceran density peaks in all zones, simultaneous with lowered pH, were witnessed in the very turbid, hypertrophic Kirkkojärvi basin. Reverse horizontal migration was observed in large-bodied filter feeders, Limnosida frontosa and Sida crystallina, conceivably due to predation avoidance from young-of-the-year fish aggregating within the vegetation during the day.     

Effects of fish manipulation on the plankton community in small hypertrophic lakes from the Pampa Plain (Argentina)

Trophic cascade hypotheses predict that fish will affect the structure and biomass of pelagic plankton communities. In order to investigate trophic cascade effects from fish down to phytoplankton, whole-lake studies were performed in five hypertrophic (mean total phosphorus (TP) concentrations higher than 1000 mg m⁻³) shallow lakes located in the Pampa Plain. The main climatic characteristic of this region is the alternation between periods of drought and flood, with corresponding changes of lake depth and conductivity of lake water. All lakes were studied from April to December 2000. Samples were taken of their physical and chemical characteristics and biotic communities, focusing on the zooplankton community. Fish were manipulated in four lakes (Capurro, Longinotti, Vedia 1, Vedia 2), while the fifth (Lake Vedia 3) was left undisturbed as a reference system. High abundance of planktivorous minnows (Jenynsia multidentata and Cheirodon interruptus) dominated the fish community in the reference lake. In the manipulated lakes, fish stocks were largely reduced in late autumn (May). During winter, Capurro, Longinotti and Vedia 1 were stocked with a visual planktivore, the pampean silverside (Odontesthes bonariensis, Atherinidae). Fish stocking was 24, 33 and 19 kg ha⁻¹, respectively. In contrast, no fish were stocked in Lake Vedia 2. Following fish removal, large Daphnia appeared in these lakes and grazed intensively on the phytoplankton. In contrast, no Daphnia were found in the reference lake (Vedia 3). The stocking of O. bonariensis in lakes Capurro, Longinotti and Vedia 1 led to a decrease in the percentage of large cladocerans and a rise in the phytoplankton biomass:TP ratio. Moreover, the lakes mentioned were stocked with different quantities of silversides over different periods of time. These differences were reflected temporarily in the plankton dynamics, affecting mainly larger sized zooplankton. Nevertheless, the presence of Daphnia was short lived in the lake where fish had been removed and no O. bonariensis were stocked. Competition for resources and recruitment of remaining fish probably caused a collapse in the zooplankton biomass. Our results support the idea that fish predation on zooplankton and its effect on phytoplankton is very intense in small pampean lakes. Fish removal was short lived, however. This could be because in small pampean lakes fish recolonization is favored, and minnows are highly prolific. Moreover, if manipulation of the trophic structure of lakes is undertaken in the pampean region, high nutrient loading from the watershed, climate and hydrology should also be taken into account.     

Die Entwicklung und Männchenbildung derDaphnia-Population im Bodensee-Obersee 1956–1980

Besides the old-settledDaphnia hyalina a ‘galeata’-type ofDaphnia immigrated into Lake Constance (Upper Lake) in the beginning of the fifties. Since this time a great number of phenotypes with a high degree of morphological variations was registrated. Since about 1970 a smallDaphnia type became more and more numerous, especially in the eastern part of the lake. An exact determination is not yet possible. In 1972 an extreme maximum ofDaphnia males was found. The share of males increased from 3 to 4% of the population to 30% in autumn 1972. In the following years the percentage decreased again to the formerly observed 3–4%. The relationship to the phytoplankton biomass is discussed.     

Comparative analysis of lake plankton structure vs. function

: Four modeling approaches were used to describe variations in the plankton of a large lake. The objective was to determine whether information about ecological transfer efficiency could be predicted from metrics related to particle size, taxonomic composition, and food web structure. No relationships were found between the structural metrics and ratios of zooplankton to algal carbon uptake (one index of transfer efficiency). Ratios of zooplankton to algal biomass (another often-used index) increased significantly with food web complexity, zooplankton size, and percent dominance by Daphnia. Biomass ratios decreased with increasing algal cell size. The results provide insight into how structural properties of plankton may relate to community function.     

Will Astacus leptodactylus displace Astacus astacus and Austropotamobius torrentium in Lake Ägeri, Switzerland?

Lake Ägeri hosts three crayfish species: Austropotamobius torrentium, Astacus astacus and Astacus leptodactylus. To study the interspecific competition and a possible scenario of displacement, we monitored the distribution and relative densities of the different species during the years 1996-1999 by SCUBA diving. We examined the association of the species with different types of substrate and investigated the frequency of limb loss and the life history characteristics of the three species.¶A. leptodactylus was found at more sites than A. astacus and A. torrentium. It was also present in much higher densities than the other two species. A. torrentium preferred areas with hard substrate, whereas A. astacus was more often found at sites with soft substrate and reed vegetation. A. leptodactylus was observed on soft and hard substrate. The frequency of limb loss was highest in A. astacus and more frequent at sites with a high density of A. leptodactylus. Limb loss in A. leptodactylus and A. torrentium was more frequent at sites with high self-densities. Females of the two Astacus species carried more eggs than A. torrentium females. The eggs of A. astacus were larger than the eggs of the other two species. Juveniles of A. leptodactylus grew significantly faster in their first year than juveniles of A. astacus and A. torrentium. During the four years of the study A. leptodactylus expanded its range along the southeastern shore of Lake Ägeri. At the northwestern border of its distribution the portion of A. leptodactylus had slightly increased by the end of the study period. In two areas of the lake the population of A. astacus and A. leptodactylus declined between 1997 and 1999.     

Characteristics of Cloud Drop Spectra at Different Levels and with Respect to Cloud Thickness

--Measurements on drop size spectra were made in cumulus clouds over Pune (inland) region on many days during the summer monsoon seasons. In this paper, the measurements in non-raining cumulus clouds made in the years 1984, 1985 and 1986 at different levels and for different cloud thickness have been studied. In general, the drop size spectra broadened with height and the concentration of drops with diameter > 50 wm (N_L), mean volume diameter (MVD), liquid water content (LWC) and dispersion increased with height while the concentration of drops with diameter < 20 wm (N_S) and the total concentration of drops (N_T) decreased with height. The average drop size distributions were unimodal at the lower levels while they were bimodal at the higher levels. High water contents were confined to drops in the size range 5-25 wm at both higher and lower levels. The average drop size spectra were broader and N_L, LWC, MVD and dispersion greater while N_T and N_S smaller for thicker clouds (range of vertical extent 1.1-2.1 km) as compared to those for thinner clouds (range of vertical extent 0.3-1.1 km). Water contents for the drops > 28 wm were higher while those for the drops > 28 wm lower in thicker clouds than in thinner clouds. The average drop size distributions were bimodal in the former case, while they were unimodal in the other case.     

Size- and depth-dependent variation in habitat and diet of the common carp (Cyprinus carpio)

The habitat and diet variation of the common carp (Cyprinus carpio) were studied in Lake Banyoles (Catalonia, Spain). Carp was the second most abundant species offshore and used more the littoral in spring and deep bottoms in winter. The diet of carp was based on detritus, amphipods (Echinogammarus sp.), phantom midge larvae (Chaoborus flavicans), diatom mucilages, and plant debris. Amphipods and phantom midge larvae were much more important in diet than previous studies found, because of their greater availability in this lake. Among the carp inhabiting deep waters, there was size-dependent variation in diet, with smaller carp selecting more meiobenthos (cladocerans, ostracods, and small chironomids) and larger carp preying on profundal macrobenthos (phantom midge larvae and large chironomids). Roach (Rutilus rutilus) and carp dominated in abundance the non-littoral zone of the lake and showed resource partitioning, with roach being a more efficient zooplanktivore and carp being more able to prey on hard material (plant seeds, mollusks, and ostracods).     

Sex dependent sexual reproduction strategies in a cyclic parthenogen—A case study from intermittent urban pond

The fitness of animals inhabiting highly unpredictable intermittent ponds depends on the effectiveness of the production of their resting stages. Daphnia living in such an environment produce sexual eggs as well as the males needed to fertilize them. We hypothesize that the strategy of permanent male presence should coexist with the synchronization of the production of males with that of sexual eggs. To test this hypothesis, we collected plankton samples from a model urban pond, two times a week, throughout the growing season. We analyzed in detail a number of environmental factors and the population dynamics of two Daphnia populations. The percentage of ephippial females and males periodically reached c.a. 50 % of the population. Depending on the moment of the growing season, this proportion was primarily influenced by population crowding, the richness of invertebrate predators in the habitat, extreme high temperatures and the occurrence of the autumnal photoperiod. Our results confirm the hypothesis that Daphnia produce simultaneously long-living males and males synchronized with receptive females. Additionally, we have shown that the number of resting eggs deposited by temporally-isolated populations varied significantly; thus the fitness of a particular genotype depends on the season and on the particular timing of its activation.     

Calibration of Regional S/P Amplitude-ratio Discriminants

v--vS/P amplitude ratios have proven to be a valuable discriminant in support of monitoring a Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. Regional S and P phases attenuate at different rates and the attenuation can vary geographically. Therefore, calibration is needed to apply the S/P discriminant in new regions. Calibration includes application of frequency-dependent source and distance corrections for regional Pn, Pg, Sn, and Lg phases.¶Jenkins et al. (1998) developed Pn, Pg, Sn, and Lg amplitude models for nine geographic regions and two global composite models, stable and tectonic. They determined frequency-dependent source and attenuation corrections from a large data set obtained from the Prototype International Data Center (PIDC). We use their corrections to evaluate calibrated S/P discriminants.¶Our discrimination data set includes >1000 amplitude ratios from earthquakes, industrial explosions, chemical explosions, and nuclear explosions from Lop Nor, India and Pakistan. We find that the calibrated S/P ratio is largest for earthquakes and smallest for the nuclear explosions, as expected. However, the discriminant is not universally valid. In particular, the S/P ratio for the Pakistan nuclear explosion fell within the normal range for the earthquakes. This event was recorded by only a few stations at far-regional distances and appears to have an anomalously high Sn amplitude. The industrial explosions overlap with the earthquake population, however the buried chemical explosions generally register lower S/P ratio than earthquakes.     

Cold fronts induce changes in phycoperiphyton structure in a shallow lake: Wind forces drive algae succession and nutrient availability

We evaluated wind as the main structuring force in driving phycoperiphyton structure, community composition and succession in a warm, polymictic shallow lake in southern Brazil. Mangueira Lake is continuously mixed due to its exposure to wind, and during cold fronts the wind changes from the dominant NE direction to a SSW direction. Our question was: could changes in wind forces induce phycoperiphyton succession and determine population structure? To answer this question, we studied the phycoperiphyton successional response to a change in wind forces under three different situations: on clean macrophyte leaves in an open site (Open) and in an enclosed site protected from the wind (Enclosure), and the Natural community growing on uncleaned macrophyte leaves in an open site. Cold fronts improved nutrient availability and changed the algal community. The phycoperiphyton natural community was dominated by Epithemia spp bound in gross masses of green filaments during cold fronts. However, the wind direction typically changes when cold fronts are over (NE-E) and wind blowing from the off-shore direction dislodged the attached algae biomass and pushed it toward to lake shore, inducing community changes. The macrophyte bank exhibited rapid colonization and acted as a refuge for phycoperiphyton, providing habitat heterogeneity, whereas the enclosure acted as a buffer against wind forces, delaying the succession derived from settlement of loosely adhered algae. Furthermore, in the enclosure, the succession only started after a strong disturbance (rain and wind > 10 m s⁻¹) in which lake water flooded the mesocosm inducing colonization. Phycoperiphyton showed resilience and recovered rapidly after the disturbance, when the rain supplied inocula and wind favored colonization with growth forms that take advantage of local conditions, depending of wind dynamics.     

Direct Assessment of Wood’s Metal Wettability on Quartz

--A tensiometric method (Wilhelmy plate) is used to study Wood's metal dynamic wettability on specially prepared surfaces of quartz single crystals at low velocities of immersion (2 to 16 wm/s). After correction for buoyancy, the force exerted on the plate by the molten metal is used to derive the unit work of wetting n cos Š where n is the Wood's metal surface tension and Š is the interfacial contact angle. Tests at different temperatures (85, 120 and 200°C) show that below 120°C, viscosity effects cannot be neglected. At an immersion/emersion rate of 2 wm/s, n cos Š is in the range 0.417-0.444 N/m at 120°C, and 0.432-0.458 N/m at 200°C. These figures allow the conversion of injection pressures into capillary diameters during Wood's metal injection tests. The method is promising since it may be used in porous materials to check the sensitivity of the unit work of wetting n cos Š to parameters such as roughness and mineralogy, which are known to vary in a wide range within the pores and cracks of rocks.     

Differences in zooplankton feeding rates and isotopic signatures from three temperate lakes

Bacteria and phytoplankton are integral in the mobilization and transfer of organic matter to higher trophic levels. Hence, we examined their role in zooplankton diets and assessed trends in their nitrogen isotopic variability. We performed feeding experiments with natural particulate organic matter (POM) and four zooplankton groups (Daphnia, Holopedium, large calanoids and small calanoids) to (1) examine whether there are differences in consumption (presented as clearance and ingestion rates) of phytoplankton and bacteria, and (2) determine whether differences in zooplankton clearance and ingestion rates are correlated with their δ¹⁵N isotopic signatures. In general, phytoplankton and bacteria clearance rates and biomass ingested per animal varied significantly among different zooplankton groups within lakes and between lakes for a given zooplankton group. Within a given lake, Daphnia and Holopedium had the highest phytoplankton and bacteria clearance and ingestion rates, followed by large calanoids, and then small calanoids. For a given zooplankton group, bacteria and phytoplankton clearance rates varied among lakes. In contrast, phytoplankton ingestion rates were consistently highest in Dickie Lake for all taxa, whereas bacteria ingestion rates were more variable among lakes for the different zooplankton taxa. The percentage contribution of different phytoplankton taxa to the biomass of phytoplankton ingested also varied significantly among lakes for a given taxa, but there were few differences within a given lake among zooplankton. Zooplankton δ¹⁵N_DOMC values were correlated with their size adjusted phytoplankton and bacteria clearance and ingestion rates. The correlations were stronger with (1) phytoplankton compared to bacteria, and (2) clearance rates compared to ingestion rates of biomass. Together our results suggest that zooplankton taxa with low phytoplankton and bacteria clearance and ingestion rates and higher δ¹⁵N_DOMC are likely exploiting food sources from higher trophic levels.     

Observation of Double-mixing Line Structure in the Convective Boundary Layer During the Summer Monsoon Season

v--vThe special aerological observations carried out as a part of Land Surface Processes Experiment (LASPEX) were used to investigate the thermodynamic structure of the convective boundary layer during the summer monsoon of 1997. The analysis suggested that the convective boundary layer top was found at 700 hPa which was associated with Š_e minimum and Š_es maximum values. Double-mixing line structure was noticed in the conserved variable diagrams which was possibly attributed to the radiative warming/evaporation of falling precipitation.     

Converted T Phases Recorded on Hawaii from Polynesian Nuclear Tests: A Preliminary Report

v--vWe present a preliminary study of T waves from Polynesian nuclear tests at Mururoa, recorded on digital stations of the Hawaii Volcano Observatory network, following their conversion to seismic waves at the southern shore of the Island of Hawaii, and subsequent propagation to the recording stations. We show that seismograms are composed of several packets, which can be interpreted as resulting from TMP and TMS conversions, and which feature distinct spectral characteristics. As the distance from the shoreline to the station increases, the relative importance of the several wave packets changes; a prominent shadow for TMP is found at 8-12 km from the shore. This pattern is affected by the local crustal structure; in a favorable case, propagation in deep, low-attenuation layers resulted in a clear record as far as 76 km from the shoreline. While these results are generally robust, they can be moderately affected by a change of location of the source inside Mururoa Atoll.     

同形溞(Daphnia similis)对幽蚊幼虫反捕食策略的模拟研究

枝角类溞会由于捕食者的存在而发生形态、行为、生活史等的变化.通过为期10 d对太湖春、夏季优势种同形溞(Daphnia similis)在有幽蚊幼虫(CL)、无幽蚊幼虫(CK)及培养过幽蚊幼虫的过滤水(FL)3个环境水平的模拟实验,发现同形溞在有幽蚊幼虫和培养过幽蚊幼虫的过滤水处理下平均体长、累积产仔数及平均产仔数均显著大于无幽蚊幼虫组,表明幽蚊幼虫释放的信息素能改变同形溞的体长、产仔数等生活史参数,这种改变会降低同形溞被捕食的风险.说明在自然环境下,幽蚊幼虫等无脊椎捕食者能通过直接捕食和信息素的间接作用共同影响枝角类种群.     

Relationships between body size and trophic position of consumers in temperate freshwater lakes

Animal body size is a driving force behind trophic interactions within biological communities, yet few studies have explored relationships between body size and trophic position (based on δ¹⁵N) at a broad-scale in freshwater lakes. Therefore, our goals were to (1) determine whether body size is a good predictor of trophic position for multiple pelagic zooplankton taxa and fish communities, and (2) examine how body size-trophic position relationships at the community level compare to species level for fish. Zooplankton and fish were collected from 12 and 7 lakes, respectively, located in the Kawarthas, southern Ontario, Canada. The results indicated that for zooplankton, significant positive but different relationships were found between body size and trophic position for cladocerans, in general, and Daphnia, but not Holopedium. For fish, at the lake community level six out of seven relationships were positive and significant, but again, different among lakes. In contrast, at the species level only three of eight species-specific relationships were significant. Furthermore, for two widespread species, Perca flavescens and Micropterus dolomieu, significant differences were found between community- and lake-specific species relationships. Our community-level models and most species-level models provide evidence that trophic interactions in freshwater lakes are size-based. These results demonstrate that general species models should be applied with caution when using body size to predict trophic position. Additionally, the predictive power of some relationships found here is questionable since, albeit significant, their strengths are generally low. Together, our results suggest that body size may have limited use in predicting trophic position of some biota in temperate freshwater lakes.