Effects of the filter-feeding benthic bivalve corbicula fluminea on plankton community and water quality in aquatic ecosystems: A mesocosm study

The influence of filter-feeding bivalves on plankton communities, nutrients, and water quality in a given aquatic ecosystem is so profound that they can be considered ecosystem engineers. In a 70-day mesocosm experiment, we tested the hypothesis that Corbicula fluminea would change plankton community structure by reducing small zooplankton and large phytoplankton and improve water quality by reducing nutrients. We monitored levels of nitrogen and phosphorus, organic suspended solids (OSS), and light at the sediment surface. Within the plankton, phytoplankton biomass (as Chl a, >0.45 μm), the biomass of microphytoplankton (>20 μm), nanophytoplankton (2–20 μm), picophytoplankton (0.2–2 μm), and zooplankton were determined. Compared with the controls, C. fluminea reduced the abundance of rotifers and the biomass of phytoplankton, and picophytoplankton, thereby modifying the plankton community structure. We did not observe reductions in TN and TP concentration, but OSS concentrations were reduced, and light intensity at the sediment surface was increased as a result of the improved water transparency. Our research shows that colonization by C. fluminea may modify plankton community structure and improve water quality of eutrophic shallow lakes, shedding further light on the ecological roles of filter-feeding bivalves in aquatic ecosystems

Cтехиометрия и структура планктонных сообществ в литорали и пелагиали двух озер разного трофического статуса в Беларуси

Stoichiometric C : N : P ratios were compared between primary producers in littoral and pelagic ecosystems of mesotrophic relatively shallow lake Obsterno and shallow macrophyte covered low trophic lake Nobisto from May to October over the next two years. Elemental seston ratios of lake Obsterno revealed smaller differences between littoral and pelagic zones in comparison with lake Nobisto in 2017. During the studied period, in the both lakes, the seston C : N and C : P ratios were higher than the Redfield ratio (106 : 16 : 1 C : N : P) on most dates and N : P was always more than 16. Pelagic C : P and N : P ratios in lake Obsterno were the highest in May in 2017, July and September in 2018 with significant differences between littoral and pelagic zones. N : P ratios decreased in October but there were no significant differences among habitats. In lake Nobisto in 2018, seston C : P and N : P ratios increased from May to July in littoral and pelagic zones but then decreased in September to October. Our research shows differences in stoichiometric ratios in littoral and pelagic zones of these two lakes, which indicates food quality (seston C : N : P ratios) differences for zooplankton species depending on season and location.Изучали стехиометрию сестона (соотношения C : N : P) двух мелководных озер разной трофности – мезотрофного озера Обстерно и дистрофного макрофитного типа озера Нобисто в течение двух последовательных лет. Сравнивали сезонные изменения в стехиометрии продуцентов в литоральной и пелагической зонах. Соотношения элементов в сестоне оз. Обстерно выявили меньшие различия между литоральной и пелагической зонами по сравнению с оз. Нобисто в 2017 г. В течение исследуемого периода в обоих озерах соотношения C : N и C : P в сестоне были выше классического соотношения Редфилда (C106  : N16  : P1), а соотношение N : P всегда превышало 16. Соотношения C : P в пелагиали оз. Обстерно имели самые высокие показатели в мае 2017 г., а N : P в июле и сентябре 2018 г. со значимыми различиями между литоральной и пелагической зонами, но соотношения N : P уменьшились в октябре и не различались между местообитаниями. В оз. Нобисто в 2018 г. соотношения C : P и N : P в сестоне увеличивались с мая по июль в прибрежной и пелагической зонах, но затем снижались осенью. Как показали наши исследования, сезонные различия в стехиометрии сестона двух озер (соотношение C : N : P как показатель качества пищи) в разных местообитаниях отражают видовой состав фитопланктона, а также структуру сообществ зоопланктона, изменяющуюся в течение сезона и между местообитаниями

Effects of zebra mussels on cladoceran communities under eutrophic conditions

The purpose of this study was to determine how zebra mussels affected cladoceran community structure under eutrophic conditions. We conducted a mesocosm study where we manipulated the presence of zebra mussels and the presence of large-bodied Daphnia (Daphnia magna and Daphnia pulicaria). We also conducted a complimentary life-table experiment to determine how water from the zebra mussel treatment affected the life history characteristics of the cladoceran species. We anticipated that small- and large-bodied cladoceran species would respond differently to changes in algal quality and quantity under the effects of zebra mussels. Large-bodied Daphnia successfully established in the zebra mussel treatment but failed to grow in the control. We did not observe positive relationships between food concentrations and cladoceran abundances. However, the phosphorus content in the seston indicated that food quality was below the threshold level for large-bodied cladocerans at the beginning of the experiment. We believe that zebra mussels quickly enhanced the phosphorus content in the seston due to the excretion of inorganic phosphorus, thus facilitating the development of large-bodied Daphnia. In conclusion, our results suggest that zebra mussels can alter the phosphorus content of seston in lakes and this can affect the dynamics of crustacean zooplankton

Factors of dynamics of plankton crustacean communities under eutrophic conditions.

Текст статьи не публикуется в открытом доступе в соответствии с политикой журнала.Показано, что основным драйвером динамики обилия ветвистоусых и веслоногих ракообразных в эвтрофных условиях являются хищничество (рыбы), количество или качество пищи, выражаемое в содержании эйкозапентаеновой кислоты, фосфора и азота в сестоне. В результате исследований по динамике обилия веслоногих и ветвистоусых ракообразных в присутствии и отсутствии рыбы в экспериментальных мезокосмах с эвтрофными условиями установлено, что рыбы в эвтрофных условиях не влияют на количество и качество пищевых ресурсов для ракообразных. Однако во второй половине наших экспериментов наблюдался переход доминирования от веслоногих к ветвистоусым ракообразным. Это было связано не с влиянием рыбы, а с улучшением качества пищи для ветвистоусых ракообразных, определяемое соотношением углерода к фосфору в сестоне. Рыбы в эвтрофных условиях понижали биомассу как ветвистоусых, так и веслоногих ракообразных, не меняя соотношение между ними

Effects of Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) on phytoplankton community structure and water quality: A short-term mesocosm study

Nile tilapia is a highly invasive fish species, deliberately introduced into many lakes and reservoirs worldwide, sometimes resulting in significant ecosystem alterations. A short-term mesocosm experiment with and without Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) was designed to test the hypotheses that the presence of tilapia may affect phytoplankton community structure, increase nutrients availability in water column and deteriorate water quality. Nutrients, total suspended solids (TSS) and biomass of phytoplankton in different size classes (as Chl a) were measured. We found that tilapia increased the total nitrogen (TN), total dissolved nitrogen (TDN), NH4+ and TSS concentrations, deteriorating the water quality. In addition, under tilapia presence, the biomass of phytoplankton, as well as that of micro- and nano-phytoplankton, increased leading to a change in the structure of the phytoplankton assemblage. Moreover, a reduction in the biomass of periphyton was observed. Omnivorous tilapia is often dominant in tropical and subtropical waters, and removal of this fish may represent an effective management tool to improve the water quality