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Natural changes in the planktonic rotifera of a small acid lake near Sudbury, Ontario following water quality improvements

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Abstract

Swan Lake is a small, acidic, metal-contaminated lake located near Sudbury, Ontario. During the past 8 yr, the lake has experienced a substantial increase in pH, together with significant reductions in the concentrations of heavy metals and base cations. These changes were observed only after acid and metal emissions from Sudbury area smelters were reduced. The composition of the planktonic Rotifera in the lake has changed concurrent with improvements in water chemistry. Dominance of the rotifer community by the acidophile Keratella taurocephala has been sharply reduced in recent years, while significant increases in the densities of Polyarthra spp., Chromogaster ovalis, Conochiloides natans and Trichocerca similis have been observed.

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MacIsaac, H.J., Keller, W., Hutchinson, T.C. et al. Natural changes in the planktonic rotifera of a small acid lake near Sudbury, Ontario following water quality improvements. Water, Air, and Soil Pollution 31, 791–797 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00284225

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