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Spatio-temporal variation of the zooplankton community in a tropical caldera lake with intensive aquaculture (Lake Taal, Philippines)

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Abstract

Zooplankton were collected from Lake Taal between January and December 2008 in order to test for differences in species composition and abundance between a lake basin with intensive fish cage (FC) aquaculture and an open water area without FCs. Most species showed similar patterns of occurrence in both basins while having differences in abundance. Several rotifer species were more abundant in FC sites most of the year, while for microcrustaceans higher abundances in FC sites only happened during the first 2 months. Their distribution is attributed to the presence of higher nutrient levels in FC sites as well as wind-induced basin-wide water movements during the different monsoon seasons which disperse plankton and nutrients from FC sites to other parts of the lake. Zooplanktonic indicators, such as the Brachionus–Trichocerca quotient (Q B/T) and the ratio of calanoids to cladocerans and cyclopoids, clearly demonstrate the eutrophic state of the lake. A comparison with previous studies suggests that the lake was already eutrophic prior to the introduction of aquaculture in the 1970s. The trophic conditions in Lake Taal may be attributed to the lakes’ tropical and volcanic nature, with productivity further enhanced by increased nutrient input from aquaculture.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to acknowledge Mrs. Amy-Jane Beer for language editing, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) Weather Station in Tanauan City and the Batangas Provincial Government Environment and Natural Resources Office (PGENRO) for providing secondary data. The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), Tonolli Fund Postgraduate Fellowship of the International Society of Limnology (SIL), Philippine Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the University of Santo Tomas (UST) provided funds to the first author to conduct this research. This study was completed while the first author was at the Limnological Institute of the University of Konstanz as a German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) Research Fellow.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School and Research Center for the Natural Sciences, University of Santo Tomas, Manila, Philippines

    Rey Donne S. Papa

  2. Institute of Biological Sciences, University of the Philippines Los Baños College, Laguna, Philippines

    Macrina T. Zafaralla

  3. Limnological Institute, University of Konstanz, Constance, Germany

    Reiner Eckmann

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  1. Rey Donne S. Papa
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  2. Macrina T. Zafaralla
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Correspondence to Rey Donne S. Papa.

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Handling editor: Karl E. Havens

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Papa, R.D.S., Zafaralla, M.T. & Eckmann, R. Spatio-temporal variation of the zooplankton community in a tropical caldera lake with intensive aquaculture (Lake Taal, Philippines). Hydrobiologia 664, 119–133 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-010-0591-2

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