Zooplankton feeding ecology and the experimental acidification of Little Rock Lake

Thesis/Dissertation · Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 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
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Thesis (Ph. D.)
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
LAKES
ACIDIFICATION
WATER POLLUTION
BIOLOGICAL INDICATORS
ZOOPLANKTON
SENSITIVITY
CARBON 14 COMPOUNDS
GENETIC VARIABILITY
PH VALUE
PHOSPHORUS 32
POPULATION DYNAMICS
TRACER TECHNIQUES
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BIOLOGICAL VARIABILITY
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
ISOTOPE APPLICATIONS
ISOTOPES
LABELLED COMPOUNDS
LIGHT NUCLEI
NUCLEI
ODD-ODD NUCLEI
PHOSPHORUS ISOTOPES
PLANKTON
POLLUTION
RADIOISOTOPES
SURFACE WATERS
520200* - Environment
Aquatic- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)
520101 - Environment
Aquatic- Basic Studies- Radiometric Techniques- (-1989)