The implementation of a conservation program since the early 1980s resulted in a reduction in phosphorus concentrations in Lake Geneva. However, in the 1990s, phytoplankton biomass increased again, almost reaching the high values recorded during the period of greatest P loading. The structural changes in the phytoplankton of Lake Geneva over the past 25 yr have been analyzed using a recently developed statistical method based on hierarchical clustering and Bayesian probabilities. This method has been used to identify phytoplankton assemblages and to map annual and interannual successional patterns simultaneously. Characteristic species were identified for each cluster after calculation of their relative species fidelity and specificity indices. Six distinct phytoplankton assemblages were identified, and although the way species are organized into communities remains unclear, the seasonal patterns of succession are consistent with the C-S-R adaptive strategies and are characteristic of temperate lakes. This pattern broadly recurred over the years, but was markedly influenced by both human activity and regional climatic changes: The warmer winters and springs recorded in Europe since 1988 led to an earlier clear-water phase.

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A cohort of perch, Perca fluviatilis (L.) was monitored from hatching to first winter in the oligotrophic Lake Annecy, France, by combining hydroacoustic and direct capture methods (fish plankton net and pelagic trawl). The total stock of pelagic fish increased by a factor of 10 during the season, reaching a maximum in August and decreasing in autumn. Juvenile perch were mainly pelagic, being aggregated into schools in the daytime and dispersed at night. Migration of young-of-year (Y-O-Y) perch to the pelagic zone of Lake Annecy in late spring did not significantly affect zooplankton population abundance. It did, however, result in changes in zooplankton vertical distribution, with Daphnia remaining deeper in the water column. The increase in Y-O-Y biomass during summer was possibly associated with collapse of the Daphnia population by late July, and copepods one month later. K E Y W O R D S :food web, hydroacoustic, Perca fluviatilis, zooplankton.Correspondence: J.

A comparison of the population dynamics of Daphnia pulicaria and Daphnia rosea in 1967–1969 and during their decline from Lake Tahoe in 1970 showed that the decline resulted from a combination of increased death rates and decreased birth rates. The remaining cladoceran, Bosmina longirostris, disappeared from the plankton in 1971. The elimination of cladocerans coincided with high densities of the opossum shrimp, Mysis relicta, and the kokanee salmon, Oncorhynchus nerka. Predation by these two introduced species is believed to have increased cladoceran death rates. Changes in the timing of the peaks of primary productivity are a possible cause for the decline in birth rates. A brief resurgence of Bosmina in late 1974 was associated with a dramatic decline of the mysid population and the continued decline of kokanee which began in 1970. The mysids recovered by late 1975 but Bosmina again disappeared and has remained absent since. The failure of Daphnia to reappear suggests that factors in addition to predation by kokanee and Mysis exclude them from Lake Tahoe. Changes in the phytoplankton community composition may have altered the ability of the cladocerans to maintain birth rates sufficiently high to offset increased losses due to predation.

Spatial distribution of macrozooplankton was studied during spring in Lake of Geneva to evaluate the influence of abiotic (water temperature and stability, nutrients) and biotic (bacteria, chlorophyll a, fish biomass) factors on macrozooplankton distribution. Mapping and spatial analyses revealed that abiotic factors, as well as crustacean abundances, were structured along a gradient in the great lake basin. Chlorophyll a biomass, bacteria density, cyclopoid abundance, and fish biomass showed more patchy or inshore-offshore distribution patterns. Using canonical analyses, we determined the relative contribution of the spatial and environmental factors to the distribution of macrozooplankton species and of trophic groups based on herbivory and omnivory/carnivory. The distribution of macrozooplankton can be explained by small-scale variations and lake gradients in abiotic and biotic factors, with a dominant contribution of the abiotic factors. Water temperature and stability, as well as ammonium, are the main factors related to macrozooplankton distribution in Lake of Geneva during spring. Chlorophyll a biomass was also related to the distribution of cyclopoids. The canonical models explained 35-72% of the variance in the distribution of total crustaceans, species, and trophic groups. However, 28-65% of the macrozooplankton variance remained unexplained, which may be due to fine-scale variations in other environmental factors.