Abstract
This study shows that multiyear control of phytoplankton by grazing is possible in otherwise cladoceran dominated ecosystems at low cyprinid fish stocks (around 100 kg ha−1) and where piscivore populations, following manipulation measure, can be sustained at the biomass ratio >15%. This reinforces the idea that fish community structure may be a key to the stability of trophic structures that suppress phytoplankton in ecosystems where otherwise cladoceran plankton dominates. Experimental ponds with lower fish biomass (<150-kg ha−1) had less chlorophyll-a concentration per unit TP than those with higher fish biomass. Regressions of chlorophyll-a vs. total phosphorus in the ponds and Major Lake were not significant at lower fish biomass. However, at higher fish biomass the bottom-up processes dominated across all types of ecosystems studied and the regressions were significant. The biomass of herbivorous Cladocera was significantly higher in ponds with a higher percentage of piscivores.
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Tátrai, I., Mátyás, K., Korponai, J. et al. Management of fish communities and its impacts on the lower trophic levels in shallow ecosystems in Hungary. Hydrobiologia 506, 489–496 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:HYDR.0000008616.52608.51
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:HYDR.0000008616.52608.51