Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Could artificial plant beds favour microcrustaceans during biomanipulation of eutrophic shallow lakes?

  • Primary Research Paper
  • Published:
Hydrobiologia Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Introduction of artificial plants may facilitate the transition from a turbid to a clear-water state in shallow lakes, particularly when plant establishment is delayed. We investigated the usefulness of artificial plants as a restoration tool in an experimental setup mimicking open submerged plant beds with high plant density [80%, HPD] and low plant density [20%, LPD] in shallow Lake Vaeng, Denmark, having undergone biomanipulation in the form of extensive fish removal. Biological measures of the fish, and of both free-swimming (FSM) and plant-attached microcrustaceans (PAM) within the experimental beds and in the lake, were obtained from before, during and after biomanipulation. We found that microcrustacean measures (density, biomass and Cladocera:FSM) were significantly larger in the HPD beds, before and during fish removal, while the effect of plants was not significant after biomanipulation, with low fish biomass. On PAM, these effects were less pronounced and only significant after biomanipulation. Microcrustaceans were larger-bodied at HPD in all years, for both FSM and PAM. In conclusion, artificial plant beds acted as an effective microcrustacea refuge against fish, particularly for the FSM at HPD and in the years with high fish densities, providing further evidence that artificial plant beds could assist lake restoration efforts.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Balayla, D. & B. Moss, 2003. Spatial patterns and population dynamics of plant-associated microcrustacea (Cladocera) in an English shallow lake (Little Mere, Cheshire). Aquatic Ecology 37: 417–435.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Balayla, D. & B. Moss, 2004. Relative importance of grazing on algae by plant-associated and open-water microcrustacea (Cladocera). Archiv für Hydrobiologie 161: 199–224.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beklioğlu, M. & B. Moss, 1996. Existence of a macrophyte-dominated clear water state over a very wide range of nutrient concentrations in a small shallow lake. Hydrobiologia 337: 93–106.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boll, T., D. Balayla, F. Ø. Andersen & E. Jeppesen, 2012. Can artificial plant beds be used as a tool to enhance macroinvertebrate food resources for perch (Perca fluviatilis L.) during the initial phase of lake restoration by cyprinid removal? Hydrobiologia 679: 175–186.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bottrell, H. H., A. Duncan, Z. M. Gliwicz, E. Grygierek, A. Herzig, A. Hillbricht-Ilkowska, H. Kurasawa, P. Larsson & T. Weglenska, 1976. A review of some problems in zooplankton production studies. Norwegian Journal of Zoology 24: 419–456.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brooks, L. & I. Dodson, 1965. Predation, body size and composition of the plankton. Science 50: 28–35.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burks, R. L., D. M. Lodge, E. Jeppesen & T. Lauridsen, 2002. Diel horizontal migration of zooplankton: costs and benefits of inhabiting littoral zones. Freshwater Biology 47: 343–365.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carpenter, S. R., J. F. Kitchell, J. R. Hodgson, P. A. Cochran, J. J. Elser, M. M. Elser, D. M. Lodge, D. Kretchmer, X. He & C. N. von Ende, 1987. Regulation of lake primary productivity by food-web structure. Ecology 68: 1863–1867.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Diehl, S., 1988. Foraging efficiency of three freshwater fishes: effects of structural complexity and light. Oikos 53: 207–214.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hall, D. J., S. T. Threlkeld, C. W. Burns & P. H. Crowley, 1976. The size-efficiency hypothesis and the size-structure of zooplankton communities. Annual Review of Ecological Systematics 7: 177–208.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hansen, A., E. Jeppesen, S. Bosselmann & P. Andersen, 1992. Zooplankton i søer - metoder og artsliste. Prøvetagning, bearbejdning og rapportering ved undersøgelser af zoplankton i søer. Miljøprojekt nr. 205. Miljøstyrelsen. 116 s. (in Danish) [Zooplankton in lakes - methods and species list. Sampling, processing and reporting for zooplankton investigations in lakes].

  • Hansson, L. A., H. Annadotter, E. Bergman, S. F. Hamrin, E. Jeppesen, T. Kairesalo, E. Luokkanen, P.-Å. Nilsson, M. Søndergaard & J. Strand, 1998. Biomanipulation as an application of food chain theory: constraints, synthesis and recommendations for temperate lakes. Ecosystems 1: 558–574.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hessen, D., B. A. Faafeng, P. Brettum & T. Andersen, 1995. Replacement of herbivore zooplankton species along gradients of ecosystem productivity and fish predation pressure. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 52: 733–742.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hilt, S., E. M. Gross, M. Hupfer, H. Morscheid, J. Mählmann, A. Melzer, J. Poltz, S. Sandrock, E.-M. Scharfg, S. Schneider & K. van de Weyer, 2006. Restoration of submerged vegetation in shallow eutrophic lakes – A guideline and state of the art in Germany. Limnologica 36: 155–171.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jeppesen, E., M. Søndergaard, E. Mortensen, P. Kristensen, B. Riemann, H. J. Jensen, J. P. Müller, O. Sortkjær, J. P. Jensen, K. Christoffersen, S. Bosselmann & E. Dall, 1990. Fish manipulation as a lake restoration tool in shallow, eutrophic, temperate lakes. 1. Cross-analysis of three Danish case studies. Hydrobiologia 200(201): 205–218.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jeppesen, E., J. P. Jensen, M. Søndergaard, T. Lauridsen, L. J. Pedersen & L. Jensen, 1997. Top-down control in freshwater lakes: the role of nutrient state, submerged macrophytes and water depth. Hydrobiologia 342(343): 151–164.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jeppesen, E., M. Søndergaard, J. P. Jensen, K. Havens, O. Anneville, L. Carvalho, M. F. Coveney, R. Deneke, M. Dokulil, B. Foy, D. Gerdeaux, S. E. Hampton, K. Kangur, J. Köhler, S. Körner, E. Lammens, T. L. Lauridsen, M. Manca, R. Miracle, B. Moss, P. Nõges, G. Persson, G. Phillips, R. Portielje, S. Romo, C. L. Schelske, D. Straile, I. Tatrai, E. Willén & M. Winder, 2005. Lakes’ response to reduced nutrient loading - an analysis of contemporary long term data from 35 case studies. Freshwater Biology 50: 1747–1771.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jeppesen, E., M. Søndergaard, T. L. Lauridsen, T. A. Davidson, Z. Liu, N. Mazzeo, C. Trochine, K. Özkan, H. S. Jensen, D. Trolle, F. Starling, X. Lazzaro, L. S. Johansson, R. Bjerring, L. Liboriussen, S. E. Larsen, F. Landkildehus, S. Egemose & M. Meerhoff, 2012. Biomanipulation as a restoration tool to combat eutrophication: recent advances and future challenges. Advances in Ecological Research 47: 411–488.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kankaala, P., A. Vasama, K. Eskonen & L. Hyytinen, 1990. Zooplankton of Lake Ala-Kitka (NE-Finland) in relation to phytoplankton and predation by vendace (Coregonus albula). Aqua Fennica 20: 81–94.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lauridsen, T. & I. Buenk, 1996. Diel changes in the horizontal distribution of zooplankton in the littoral zone of two shallow eutrophic lakes. Archiv für Hydrobiologie 137: 161–176.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lauridsen, T., E. Jeppesen & M. Søndergaard, 1994. Colonization and succession of submerged macrophytes in shallow Lake Væng during the first five years following fish-manipulation. Hydrobiologia 275–276: 33–42.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lauridsen, T. L., L. J. Pedersen, E. Jeppesen & M. Søndergaard, 1996. The importance of macrophyte bed size for cladoceran composition and horizontal migration in a shallow lake. Journal of Plankton Research 18: 2283–2294.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lauridsen, T. L., J. P. Jensen, E. Jeppesen & M. Søndergaard, 2003. Submerged macrophytes in Danish lakes following nutrient loading reductions and biomanipulation. Hydrobiologia 506(509): 641–649.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leah, R. T., B. Moss & D. E. Forrest, 1980. The role of predation in causing major changes in the limnology of a hyper-eutrophic lake. Internationale Revue der Gesamten Hydrobiologie 65: 223–247.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McCauley, E., 1984. The estimation of the abundance and biomass of zooplankton in samples. In Downing, J. A. & F. H. Rigler (eds), A Manual on Methods for the Assessment of Secondary Productivity in Fresh Waters. Blackwell, Oxford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moss, B., 1990. Engineering and biological approaches to the restoration from eutrophication of shallow lakes in which aquatic plant communities are important components. Hydrobiologia 200(201): 367–377.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nurminen, L. & J. Horppila, 2006. Efficiency of fish feeding on plant-attached prey: effects of inorganic turbidity and plant-mediated changes in the light environment. Limnology and Oceanography 51(3): 1550–1555.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Perrow, M. R., A. J. D. Jowitt, J. H. Stansfield & G. L. Phillips, 1999. The practical importance of the interactions between fish, zooplankton and macrophytes in shallow lake restoration. Hydrobiologia 395(396): 199–210.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sagrario, G., M. De Los Ángeles, E. Balseiro, R. Ituarte & E. Spivak, 2009. Macrophytes as refuge or risky area for zooplankton: a balance set by littoral predacious macroinvertebrates. Freshwater Biology 54: 1042–1053.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scheffer, M., S. H. Hosper, M.-L. Meijer, B. Moss & E. Jeppesen, 1993. Alternative equilibria in shallow lakes. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 8: 275–279.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Scheinin, M., S. B. Scyphers, L. Kauppi, K. L. Heck Jr. & J. Mattila, 2011. The relationship between vegetation density and its protective value depends on the densities and traits of prey and predators. Oikos 121(7): 1093–1102.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schou, M. O., C. Risholt, T. L. Lauridsen, M. Søndergaard, P. Grønkjær, L. Jacobsen, S. Berg, C. Skov, S. Brucet & E. Jeppesen, 2009. Restoring lakes by using artificial plant beds: habitat selection of zooplankton in a clear and a turbid shallow lake. Freshwater Biology 54: 1520–1521.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schriver, P., J. Bøgestrand, E. Jeppesen & M. Søndergaard, 1995. Impact of submerged macrophytes on fish-zooplankton- phytoplankton interactions – large-scale enclosure experiments in a shallow eutrophic lake. Freshwater Biology 33: 255–270.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stansfield, J. H., M. R. Perrow, L. D. Tench, A. J. D. Jowitt & A. A. L. Taylor, 1997. Submerged macrophytes as refuges for grazing Cladocera against fish predation: observations on seasonal changes in relation to macrophyte cover and predation pressure. Hydrobiologia 342(343): 229–240.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Søndergaard, M., E. Jeppesen, T. L. Lauridsen, C. Skov, E. H. Van Nes, R. Roijackers, L. Lammens & R. Portielje, 2007. Lake restoration in Denmark and The Netherlands: successes, failures and long-term effects. Journal of Applied Ecology 44: 1095–1105.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Søndergaard, M., L. Liboriussen, A. R. Pedersen & E. Jeppesen, 2008. Lake restoration by fish removal: short and Long-term effects in 36 Danish lakes. Ecosystems 11: 1291–1305.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Søndergaard, M., T. L. Lauridsen, L. S. Johansson & E. Jeppesen, 2017. Repeated fish removal to restore lakes: case study Lake Væng, Denmark - two biomanipulations during 30 years of monitoring. Water 9: 43.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Timms, R. M. & B. Moss, 1984. Prevention of growth of potentially dense phytoplankton populations by zooplankton grazing, in the presence of zooplanktivorous fish, in a shallow wetland ecosystem. Limnology and Oceanography 29: 472–486.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Winfield, I. J., 1986. The influence of simulated aquatic macrophytes on the zooplankton consumption rate of juvenile roach, Rutilus rutilus, rudd, Scardinius erythrophthalmus, and perch, Perca fluviatilis. Journal of Fish Biology 29: 37–48.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

For valuable help in the field, we thank Sandra Brucet, Ayşe İdil Çakıroğlu, Lissa Skov Hansen, Frank Landkildehus, Eti Levi, Lúcia Lobão, Xristina Papadaki, Ulla Kvist Pedersen, Tommy Silberg, Ülkü Nihan Tavşanoğlu, Kirsten Landkildehus Thomsen, Korhan Özkan and Marcelo Guerrieri. We also thank Ulla Kvist Pedersen and Lissa Skov Hansen for help in the laboratory, Erling Pedersen for help in the workshop, Søren Erik Larsen for statistical advice and Anne Mette Poulsen for carefully revising the English manuscript. The study was funded by the European Commission project ENDURE (Marie Curie Individual fellowship MEIF-CT-2006-038366, to D.B.) and the Danish Centre for Lake Restoration CLEAR (a Villum Kann Rasmussen Centre of Excellence project), The Danish Research Council for Nature and Universe (272-08-0406) and MARS (Managing Aquatic ecosystems and water Resources under multiple Stress) funded under the 7th EU Framework Programme, Theme 6 (Environment including Climate Change), Contract No.: 603378 (http://www.mars-project.eu). C.T. is a researcher for the Argentinean Research Council ‘CONICET’ and received a postdoctoral grant from Unesco-L’Oréal. We dedicate the paper to the late Brian Moss, a giant in limnology, a great and wise mentor and a great friend. Brian Moss introduced us to the idea of horizontal migration of zooplankton 30+ years ago and guided the first author through his PhD study.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Vejlsøvej 25, 8600, Silkeborg, Denmark

    David Balayla, Thomas Boll, Carolina Trochine & Erik Jeppesen

  2. Institute of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, 5230, Odense M, Denmark

    Thomas Boll

  3. Arctic Research Centre, Aarhus University, Building 1540, Aarhus C, Denmark

    Erik Jeppesen

  4. Sino-Danish Centre for Education and Research (SDC), Beijing, China

    Erik Jeppesen

  5. Laboratorio de Limnología, Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente-Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Bariloche, Argentina

    Carolina Trochine

  6. Water and Nature, COWI A/S, Jens Chr. Skous Vej 9, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark

    Thomas Boll

Authors
  1. David Balayla
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Thomas Boll
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Carolina Trochine
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Erik Jeppesen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to David Balayla or Erik Jeppesen.

Additional information

Handling editor: Boping Han

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Balayla, D., Boll, T., Trochine, C. et al. Could artificial plant beds favour microcrustaceans during biomanipulation of eutrophic shallow lakes?. Hydrobiologia 802, 221–233 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-017-3270-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-017-3270-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation