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Community structure and diel migration of zooplankton in shallow brackish lakes: role of salinity and predators

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Diel horizontal migration (DHM), where zooplankton moves towards macrophytes during daytime to avoid planktivorous fish, has been reported as a common migration pattern of zooplankton in shallow temperate freshwater lakes. However, in shallow eutrophic brackish lakes, macrophytes seem not to have the same refuge effect, as these lakes may remain turbid even at relatively high macrophyte abundances. To investigate the extent to which macrophytes serve as a refuge for zooplankton at different salinities, we introduced artificial plants mimicking submerged macrophytes in the littoral zone of four shallow lakes, with salinities ranging from almost freshwater (0.3) to oligohaline waters (3.8). Furthermore, we examined the effects of different salinities on the community structure. Diel samples of zooplankton were taken from artificial plants, from areas where macrophytes had been removed (intermediate areas) and, in two of the lakes, also in open water. Fish and macroinvertebrates were sampled amongst the artificial plants and in intermediate areas to investigate their influence on zooplankton migration. Our results indicated that diel vertical migration (DVM) was the most frequent migration pattern of zooplankton groups, suggesting that submerged macrophytes were a poor refuge against predation at all salinities under study. Presumably, this pattern was the result of the relatively high densities of small planktivorous fish and macroinvertebrate predators within the submerged plants. In addition, we found major differences in the composition of zooplankton, fish and macroinvertebrate communities at the different salinities and species richness and diversity of zooplankton decreased with increasing salinity. At low salinities both planktonic/free-swimming and benthic/plant-associated cladocerans occurred, whilst only benthic ones occurred at the highest salinity. The low zooplankton biomass and overall smaller-bodied zooplankton specimens may result in a lower grazing capacity on phytoplankton, and enhance the turbid state in nutrient rich shallow brackish lakes.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Nick S. Laursen, Diana A. Christiansen, Lars Thuesen, Tue Skov, Fatima Krogsgård Yousfi, Nina Christiansen, Bjarke Birkeland and Casper Katborg for assistance in the field. Furthermore, we wish to thank Mogens Andersen, Aage V. Jensens Foundation for shelter, Bent Lorentzen for statistical support, the staff of NERI, Silkeborg, and especially Jane Stougaard-Pedersen, for technical assistance, A.M. Poulsen for editorial assistance and Juana Jacobsen for layout assistance. We thank three anonymous reviewers and Guest Editor Felipe García-Rodríguez for their useful comments. Further support was obtained from the projects “Clear” (a Villum Kann Rasmussen Centre of Excellence project) and “Eurolimpacs” (EU). S.B. held a postdoctoral grant from the Dept. d’Universitats, Recerca i Societat de la Informació de la Generalitat de Catalunya. M.M. was also supported by PEDECIBA and the SNI (ANII, Uruguay).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Freshwater Ecology, National Environmental Research Institute, Aarhus University, Vejlsøvej 25, 8600, Silkeborg, Denmark

    Elisabeth Jensen, Sandra Brucet, Mariana Meerhoff, Louise Nathansen & Erik Jeppesen

  2. Department of Plant Biology, Aarhus University, Ole Worms Allé, Building 1135, Aarhus, 8000, Denmark

    Elisabeth Jensen, Louise Nathansen & Erik Jeppesen

  3. European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Institute for Environment and Sustainability, Via E. Fermi, 2749, 21020, Ispra, Italy

    Sandra Brucet

  4. Departamento de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Iguá 4225, 11400, Montevideo, Uruguay

    Mariana Meerhoff

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  1. Elisabeth Jensen
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  2. Sandra Brucet
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  3. Mariana Meerhoff
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Correspondence to Sandra Brucet.

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Guest editors: M. Meerhoff, M. Beklioglu, R. Burks, F. García-Rodríguez, N. Mazzeo & B. Moss / Structure and Function of World Shallow Lakes: Proceedings from the 6th Shallow Lakes Congress, held in Punta del Este, Uruguay, 23–28 November, 2008

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Jensen, E., Brucet, S., Meerhoff, M. et al. Community structure and diel migration of zooplankton in shallow brackish lakes: role of salinity and predators. Hydrobiologia 646, 215–229 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-010-0172-4

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