Zooplankton feeding ecology and the experimental acidification of Little Rock Lake

Thesis/Dissertation · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1988

OSTI ID:5408002

Sierszen, M E

There is considerable variety in both the selective behavior of suspension feeders and the quality of food available to them. The author reviews this variability and incorporate it in a simple model of particle selection that quantifies the consequences of selective feeding under various feeding conditions. To evaluate the concept that selective feeding enhances fitness, the author tests the hypothesis than an herbivorous zooplankton selects food items that best support its reproduction. Investigations of zooplankton herbivory in experimentally acidified Little Rock Lake indicate that acidification from pH 6.2 to pH 5.2 has not directly impaired feeding rates, while effects on selective feeding behavior are evident. Assessment of the effects of lake acidification on large predatory zooplankton indicate that Chaoborus spp. and water mite populations remain as yet unaffected, while Epischura lacustris and Leptodora kindtii have both declined in the acidified basin. Methodological tests show that preservation of labelled zooplankton by rapid freezing on dry ice minimizes loss of {sup 14}C and {sup 32}P. {sup 14}C retention approximates 100%, while {sup 32}P retention is more variable.

• Research Organization: Wisconsin Univ., Madison, WI (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5408002
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

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Aquatic-- Basic Studies-- Radiometric Techniques-- (-1989)
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54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ACIDIFICATION
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BIOLOGICAL INDICATORS
BIOLOGICAL VARIABILITY
CARBON 14 COMPOUNDS
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
GENETIC VARIABILITY
ISOTOPE APPLICATIONS
ISOTOPES
LABELLED COMPOUNDS
LAKES
LIGHT NUCLEI
NUCLEI
ODD-ODD NUCLEI
PH VALUE
PHOSPHORUS 32
PHOSPHORUS ISOTOPES
PLANKTON
POLLUTION
POPULATION DYNAMICS
RADIOISOTOPES
SENSITIVITY
SURFACE WATERS
TRACER TECHNIQUES
WATER POLLUTION
ZOOPLANKTON