Abstract
Microplankton community structures and abundance was assessed in lakes at the Toolik Lake LTER site in northern Alaska during the summers of 1989 and 1990. The microplankton community included oligotrich ciliates, but rotifers and zooplankton nauplii comprised greater than 90% of total estimated heterotrophic microplankton biomass. Dominant rotifer taxa included Keratella cochlearis, Kellicottia longispina, Polyarthra vulgaris, Conochilus unicornis and a Synchaeta sp. Microplankton biomass was lowest in highly oligotrophic Toolik Lake (< 5 µgCl−1 at the surface) and highest (up to 55 µCl−1) in the most eutrophic lakes, experimentally fertilized lakes, and fertilized limnocorrals, consistent with bottom-up regulation of microplankton abundance.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Azam, F., T. Fenchel, J. G. Field, J. S. Grey, L. A. Meyer-Reil & F. Thingstad, 1983. The ecological role of water-column microbes in the sea. Mar. Ecol. Progr. Ser. 10: 257–263.
Beaver, J. R. & T. L. Crisman, 1988. The role of ciliated protozoa in pelagic freshwater ecosystems. Microb. Ecol. 17: 111–136.
Chengalath, R. & W. Koste, 1989. Composition and distributional patterns in arctic rotifers. Hydrobiologia 186/187: 191–200.
Dodson, A. & W. Thomas, 1964. Concentrating plankton in a gentle fashion. Limnol. Oceanogr. 9: 455–459.
Hobbie, J. E., 1973. Arctic limnology: A review. pp. 127–168, In M. E. Britton (ed.) Alaskan Arctic Tundra. Arctic Inst. of North Am., Technical Paper No. 25.
Hobbie, J. E. & J. V. K. Helfrich III, 1988. The effect of grazing by microprotozoans on production of bacteria. Archiv. Hydrobiol. Beih. 31: 281–288.
Hutchinson, G. E., 1967. A treatise on limnology. Vol. II. J. Wiley & Sons, Inc. New York.
Kling, G. W., B. Fry & W. J. O'Brien, 1992. Stable isotopes and planktonic trophic structure in arctic lakes. Ecology. 72: In press.
McQueen, D. J., M. R. S. Johannes, J. R. Post, T. J. Stewart & D. R. S. Lean, 1989. Bottom-up and top-down impacts on freshwater pelagic community structure. Ecol. Monogr. 59: 289–309.
Miller, M. C., G. R. Hater, P. Spatt, P. Westlake & D. Yaekel, 1986. Primary production and its control in Toolik Lake, Alaska. Arch. Hydrobiol./Suppl. 74. 1: 97–131.
Moore, J. W., 1978. Composition and structure of zooplankton communities in eighteen arctic and subarctic lakes. Int. Revue ges. Hydrobiol. 63: 545–565.
Neill, W. E., 1988. Complex interactions in oligotrophic lake foodwebs: responses to nutrient enrichment. In Carpenter, S. R. (ed.) Complex interactions in lake communities. Springer-Verlag. New York: 31–44.
O'Brien, W. J., C. Buchanan & J. F. Haney, 1979. Arctic zooplankton community structure: Exceptions to some general rules. Arctic 32: 237–247.
O'Brien, W. J., A. E. Hershey, J. E. Hobbie, M. A. Huller, G. W. Kipphut, M. C. Miller, B. Moller & J. R. Vestal, 1992. Control mechanisms of arctic lake ecosystems: a limnocorral experiment. Hydrobiologia 240: 143–188.
Pace, M. L., 1986. An empirical analysis of zooplankton community size structure across lake trophic gradients. Limnol. Oceanogr. 31: 45–55.
Pauli, H.-R., 1989. A new method to estimate individual dry weights of rotifers. Hydrobiologia 186/187: 355–361.
Pomeroy, L. R. & W. J. Wiebe, 1988. Energetics of microbial food webs. Hydrobiologia 159: 7–18.
Porter, K. G., E. B. Sherr, B. F. Sherr, M. Pace & R. W. Sanders, 1985. Protozoa in planktonic food webs. J. Protozool. 32: 409–415.
Putt, M. & D. K. Stoecker, 1989. An experimentally determined carbon:volume ratio for marine ‘oligotrichous’ ciliates from estuarine and coastal waters. Limnol. Oceanogr. 34: 1097–1104.
Rigler, F. H., M. E. MacCallum & J. C. Roff, 1974. Production of zooplankton in Char Lake. J. Fish. Res. Bd Can. 31: 637–646.
Ruttner, Kolisko, A., 1974. Plankton rotifers. Biology and taxonomy. Die Binnengewässer, Suppl. Vol. XXVI, part 1.
Ruttner, Kolisko, A., 1977. Suggestions for biomass calculation of plankton rotifers. Arch. Hydrobiol. 8: 71–76.
Sanders, R. W., K. G. Porter, S. J. Bennett & A. E. DeBiase, 1989. Seasonal patterns of bacterivory by flagellates, ciliates, rotifers, and cladocerans in a freshwater plankton community. Limnol. Oceanogr. 34: 673–687.
Sherr, B. F. & E. B. Sherr, 1984. Role of heterotrophic protozoa in carbon and energy flow in aquatic ecosystems. In M. J. Klug & C. A. Reddy (eds) Current Perspectives in Microbial Ecology. Amer. Soc. Microbial. Washington, D.C. 412–423.
Stockner, J. G. & K. G. Porter, 1988. Microbial food webs in freshwater planktonic ecosystems. In S. R. Carpenter (ed.) Complex Interactions in lake communities. Springer-Verlag, NY 69–83.
Williamson, C. E. & N. M. Butler, 1986. Predation on rotifers by the suspension-feeding calanoid copepod Diaptomus pallidus. Limnol. Oceanogr. 31: 393–402.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Rublee, P.A. Community structure and bottom-up regulation of heterotrophic microplankton in arctic LTER lakes. Hydrobiologia 240, 133–141 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00013458
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00013458