Humic lakes with inefficient and efficient transfer of matter in planktonic food webs

Abstract

Humic compounds and related factors are the main constraints for the development of zooplankton in humic lakes, leading to low transfer efficiency in food webs. The results of this study indicated that some zooplankton species could have an advantage under these conditions. We found that the mass development of omnivorous Asplanchna priodonta in temperate humic lakes could be caused by the domination of high nutritional algae such as Gonyostomum semen and Botryococcus braunii. These algae are too large for most zooplankton to ingest, but A. priodonta can feed on a wide range of particles and benefit from this high-nutritional food. Small cladocerans (Ceriodaphnia, Bosmina) might be favored when picoplankton and small algae-dominate humic lakes. Therefore, some zooplankton species could have an advantage and control the development of phytoplankton, leading to the effective transfer of matter and energy in the planktonic food web in humic lakes.

Estimation of summer CO2 emission from the littoral of lakes of different trophic levels in North-Eastern Poland

“…26 The elevated biomass of phytoplankton stands in stark contrast to the low biomass of zooplankton in dystrophic lake Suchar II, leading to a reduced efficiency in the transfer of matter and energy within planktonic food webs. 27 The water level of lakes is not artificially regulated. The exception is the Arkadia reservoir located in an urban area in Suwalki.…”

Power and Efficiency in Living Systems

“…With fewer consumer species at higher temperatures, the amount of animal production per producer production should decrease. In addition, eutrophic and dystrophic (humic) lakes with low TTEs may experience hypoxia and/or high acidity that reduces zooplankton abundance and productivity [30,107,108]. Thus, stressful abiotic conditions in freshwater lakes may cause low TTEs, rather than being the result of a trade-off with productivity.…”