Abstract
Bythotrephes invaded Harp Lake, Ontario, Canada, in the early 1990s. Here we describe seasonal changes in the size, abundance and life history of the invader. The weight of Bythotrephes could be accurately estimated (r2 =0.90) from the length of its body and the state of development of its brood, but substantial (22%) corrections for shrinkage in sugarformalin were required. The seasonality of the size and abundance of Bythotrephes was apparently regulated by the interaction of fish predation, temperature-mediated growth, the availability of the invader's prey, and switches in its reproductive biology. The vernal increase in the growth of the Bythotrephes population lagged behind increases in water temperature and abundances of preferred prey, most probably because of predation by lake herring (Coregonus artedi). Bythotrephes abundance increased rapidly in early July; however, the population maximum was brief. After the abundance of their preferred prey crashed in mid-July, Bythotrephes body size declined, and adult females switched from parthenogenic to resting egg production. Population size declined in consequence. In the summer, female Bythotrephes committed most of their energy to growth between instar I and II, but to egg production for instars II and III. The biology of the Harp Lake population differed from that observed in other recently invaded lakes in several ways – the lag in population growth in the spring, the small change in body size between instars II and III, the decline in body size in August, and the co-incident switch by mature females to resting egg production. These inter-lake differences in biology indicate we have more to learn about Bythotrephes before we can predict its influence on the inland lakes of North America.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Allen, G., N. D. Yan & W. T. Geiling, 1994. ZEBRA2 - Zooplankton Enumeration and Biomass Routines for APIOS: a semi-automated sample processing system for zooplankton ecologists. Ontario Min. Environ. & Ener. rep., Dorset, ON, Canada, 44 pp.
Atkinson, D., 1994. Temperature and organism size - a biological law for ectotherms. Adv. ecol. Res. 25: 1–58.
Barnhisel, D. R. & H. A. Harvey, 1995. Size-specific fish avoidance of the spined crustacean Bythotrephes: field support for laboratory predictions. Can J. Fish. aquat. Sci. 52: 768–775.
Berg, D. J. & D. W. Garton, 1988. Seasonal abundance of the exotic predatory Cladoceran Bythotrephes cederstroemi, in western Lake Erie. J. Great Lakes Res. 14: 479–488.
Berg, D. J. & D. W. Garton, 1994. Genetic differentiation in North American and European populations of the Cladoceran Bythotrephes. Limnol. Oceanogr. 39: 1503–1516.
Branstrator, D. K., 1995. Ecological interactions between Bythotrephes cederstroemi and Leptodora kindtii and the implications for species replacement in Lake Michigan. J. Great Lakes Res. 21: 670–679.
Burkhardt, S., 1994. Seasonal size variation in the predatory Cladoceran Bythotrephes cederstroemi in Lake Michigan. Freshwat. Biol. 31: 97–108.
Campbell, L. & P. Chow-Fraser, 1995. Estimating effects of chemical preservatives and freezing on the length and dry weight of Daphnia and Diaptomus in an oligotrophic lake. Arch. Hydrobiol. 134: 255–269.
Carvalho, G. R. & R. N. Hughes, 1983. The effect of food availability, female culture-density and photoperiod on ephippia production in Daphnia magna Strauss (Crustacea: Cladocera). Freshwat. Biol. 13: 37–46.
Coulas, R. A., A. J. MacIsaac & N. Duntop, 1998. Selective predation by adult lake herring (Coregonus artedi on zooplankton in Harp Lake, Ontario. Freshwat. Biol., in press.
Dillon, P. J. & L. A. Molot, 1996. Long-term phosphorus budgets and an examination of a steady-state mass balance model for central Ontario lakes. Wat. Res. 30: 2273–2280.
Dillon, P. J., R. A. Reid & E. de Grosbois, 1987. The rate of acidification of aquatic ecosystems in Ontario, Canada. Nature 329: 45–48.
Dillon, P. J., W. A. Scheider, R. A. Reid & D. S. Jeffries, 1994. Lakeshore Capacity Study: Part I - test of effects of shoreline development on the trophic status of lakes. Lake & Reservoir Mgmt 8: 121–129.
Edmondson, W. T. & A. H. Litt, 1982. Daphnia in Lake Washington. Limnol. Oceanogr. 27: 272–293.
Emery, A. R., 1973. Preliminary comparisons of day and night habits of freshwater fish in Ontario lakes. J. Fish. Res. Bd Can. 30: 761–774.
Evans, M. S., 1988. Bythotrephes cederstroemi: its new appearance in Lake Michigan. J. Great Lakes Res. 14: 234–240.
Garton, D. W. & D. J. Berg, 1990. Occurrence of Bythotrephes cederstroemi (Schoedler 1877) in Lake Superior, with evidence of demographic variation within the Great Lakes. J. Great Lakes Res. 16: 148–152.
Garton, D. W., D. J. Berg & R. J. Fletcher, 1990. Thermal tolerance of the predatory Cladocerans Bythotrephes cederstroemi and Leptodora kindtii - relationship to seasonal abundance in western Lake Erie. Can. J. Fish. aquat. Sci. 47: 731–738.
Garton, D. W., D. J. Berg, A. N. Stoeckmann & W. R. Haag, 1991. Biology of recent invertebrate invading species in the Great Lakes: the spiny water flea, Bythotrephes cederstroemi and the zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha. In B. N. McKnight (ed.), Biological Pollution: the Control and Impact of Invasive Exotic Species. Indiana Acad. Sci., Indianapolis: 63–84.
Giguère, L. A., J. F. St. Pierre, B. Bernier, A. Vezina & J. G. Rondeau, 1989. Can we estimate the true weight of zooplankton samples after chemical preservation? Can. J. Fish. aquat. Sci. 46: 522–527.
Girard, R. & R. A. Reid, 1990. Dorset Research Centre study lakes: sampling methodology (1986-1989) and lake morphometry. Ontario Min. Envir. Energy, 33 pp.
Hall, R. I. & N. D. Yan, 1997. Comparing annual population growth estimates of the exotic invader Bythotrephes using sediment and plankton records. Limnol. Oceanogr. 42: 112–120.
Haney, J. F. & D. J. Hall, 1973. Sugarcoated Daphnia: a preservation technique for Cladocera. Limnol. Oceanogr. 18: 331–333.
Herzig, A., 1985. Resting eggs - a significant stage in the life cycle of crustaceans Leptodora kindti and Bythotrephes longimanus. Verh. int. Ver. Limnol. 22: 3088–3098.
Herzig, A. & B. Auer, 1990. The feeding behaviour of Leptodora kindti and its impact on the zooplankton community of Neusiedler-See (Austria). Hydrobiologia 198: 107–118.
Johannsson, O. E., E. L. Mills & R. O'Gorman, 1991. Changes in the nearshore and offshore zooplankton communities in Lake Ontario: 1981-88. Can. J. Fish. aquat. Sci. 48: 1546–1557.
Kerfoot, W. C. & K. L. Kirk, 1993. Why the hypolimnion is not a desert: The taste discrimination-temperature hypothesis. Verh. int. Ver. Limnol. 25: 335–343.
Ketelaars, H. A. M., A. J. Wagenvoort, R. F. Herbst, P. A. W. van der Salm & G.-A. J. de Jonge-Pinkster, 1995. Life-history characteristics and distribution of Bythotrephes longimanus Leydig (Crustacea, Onychopoda) in the Biesbosch reservoirs. Hydrobiologia 307: 239–251.
Lasenby, D. C., N. D. Yan & M. N. Futter, 1994. Changes in body dimensions of larval Chaoborus in ethanol and formalin. J. Plankton Res. 16: 1601–1608.
Lehman, J. T. & C. E. Cáceres, 1993. Foodweb responses to species invasion by a predatory invertebrate: Bythotrephes in Lake Michigan. Limnol. Oceanogr. 38: 879–891.
Lehman, J. T. & D. K. Branstrator, 1995. A model for growth, development, and diet selection by the invertebrate predator Bythotrephes cederstroemi. J. Great Lakes Res. 21: 610–619.
Makarewitz, J. C. & H. D. Jones, 1990. Occurrence of Bythotrephes cederstroemi in Lake Ontario offshore waters. J. Great Lakes Res. 16: 143–147.
Martin, J. W. & C. E. Cash-Clark, 1995. The external morphology of the onychopod cladoceran genus Bythotrephes (Crustacea, Branchipoda, Onychopoda, Cercopagididae), with notes on the morphology and phylogeny of the order Onychopoda. Zool. Scripta 24: 61–90.
Moore, M. & C. Folt, 1993. Zooplankton body size and community structure: effects of thermal and toxicant stress. Trends Ecol. Evol. 8: 178–183.
Moore, M. V., C. L. Folt & R. S. Stemberger, 1996. Consequences of elevated temperatures for zooplankton assemblages in temperate lakes. Arch. Hydrobiol. 135: 289–319.
Pace, M. L. & J. D. Orcutt, Jr., 1981. The relative importance of protozoans, rotifers, and crustaceans in a freshwater zooplankton community. Limnol. Oceanogr. 26: 822–830.
Pawson, T. W. & N. D. Yan, 1997. Revised zooplankton sample archive and database design for the Dorset Environmental Science Centre, Ontario Min. Environ. & Ener. rep., Dorset, ON, Canada, 38 pp.
Sprules, W. G., L. B. Holtby & G. Griggs, 1981. A microcomputer-based measuring device for biological research. Can. J. Zool. 59: 1611–1614.
Stenson, J. A. E., 1978. Relations between vertebrate and invertebrate zooplankton in some arctic lakes. Astarte 11: 21–26.
Vanderploeg, H. A., J. R. Liebig & M. Omair, 1993. Bythotrephes predation on Great Lakes zooplankton measured by an in situ method: implications for zooplankton community structure. Arch. Hydrobiol. 127: 1–8.
Yan, N. D. & G. L. Mackie, 1987. Improved estimation of the dry weight of Holopedium gibberum (Crustacea, Cladocera) using clutch size, a body fat index, and lake water total phosphorus concentration. Can. J. Fish. aquat. Sci. 44: 382–389.
Yan, N. D. & T. W. Pawson, 1997. Changes in the crustacean zooplankton community of Harp Lake, Canada, following the invasion by Bythotrephes cederstroemi. Freshwat. Biol. 37: 409–425.
Yan, N. D., W. Keller, H. J. MacIsaac & L. J. McEachern, 1991. Regulation of zooplankton community structure of an acidified lake by Chaoborus. Ecol. Applicat. 1: 52–65.
Yan, N. D., W. I. Dunlop, T. W. Pawson & L. E. MacKay, 1992. Bythotrephes cederstroemi (Schoedler) in Muskoka Lakes: first records of the European invader in inland lakes in Canada. Can. J. Fish. aquat. Sci. 49: 422–426.
Yurista, P. M., 1992. Embryonic and postembryonic development in Bythotrephes cederstroemi. Can. J. Fish. aquat. Sci. 49: 1118–1125.
Yurista, P. M. & K. L. Schulz, 1995. Bioenergetic analysis of prey consumption by Bythotrephes cederstroemi in Lake Michigan. Can. J. Fish. aquat. Sci. 52: 141–150.
Zozulya, S. S. & F. D. Mordukhai-Boltovskoi, 1977. Seasonal variability of Bythotrephes longimanus (Crustacea, Cladocera). Dokl. Akad. Nauk. SSSR, Biol. Sci. Sect. 232: 75–77.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Yan, N.D., Pawson, T.W. Seasonal variation in the size and abundance of the invading Bythotrephes in Harp Lake, Ontario, Canada. Hydrobiologia 361, 157–168 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1003182603791
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1003182603791