Abstract
In September 1987 the shallow, eutrophic, Lake Mosvatn was treated with rotenone to eliminate planktivorous fish (mainly whitefish,Coregonus lavaretus, L.), and the effects were studied. The first summer after treatment the zooplankton community changed markedly from rotifer dominance and few grazers, to a community with few rotifers and many grazers. Accordingly there was a fivefold increase in the biomass ofDaphnia galeata. Adult females ofD. galeata approximately doubled in weight. The decrease in rotifer biomass was probably mainly due to a loss of food by competition with the daphnids. The phytoplankton community was also markedly affected. Prior to treatment Secchi depth was 1.7 m and Chl-a 23µg l−1 in the summer. After treatment there was an increase in the proportion of small and gelatinous algae and the mean chlorophyll concentration fell to 7µg Chl-a l−1. Secchi depth increased to>2.3 m (bottom-sight most of the season). After the treatment there were also fewer cyanobacterial blooms. This seems to be related to oligotrophication caused indirectly by increased grazing by the zooplankton. Total nutrient concentrations were affected. Prior to treatment the mean summer concentration of total phosphate was 44µg P l−1. This decreased to 29µg P l−1 in the first summer and 23µg P l−1 the second summer after the treatment. Total nitrogen decreased from 0.68 mg N l−1 before treatment to 0.32 mg N l−1 the first summer after the treatment. The phosphate loading was not reduced, therefor it can be concluded that the fish removal provided a biomanipulation which caused the more oligotrophic conditions.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Andersen, T., 1989. Fosfor og karbonstrøm i beitekjeden. In Y. Olsen & O. Vadstein (eds.), NTNF's Program for eutrofieringsforskning. Faglig sluttrapport for Fase 1–3, (1978–88). ISBN 82-7224-296-6: 39–43.
Anderson, R. S., 1970. Effects of rotenone on zooplankton communities and a study of their recovery patterns in two mountain lakes in Alberta. J. Fish. Res. Bd Can. 27: 1335–1356.
Andronikova, I., 1978. Estimation of the role of zooplankton in the process of selfpurification. Verh. int. Ver. Limnol. 20: 1022–1025.
Benndorf, J., 1987. Food web manipulation without nutrient control: A useful strategy in lake restoration? Schweiz. Z. Hydrol. 49/2: 237–248.
Berge, D., 1987. Fosforbelastning og respons i grunne og middels grunne innsjøer. Hvordan man bestemmer akseptabelt trofinivå og akseptabel fosforbelastning i sjøer med middeldyp 1.5–15 m.-NIVA, 0-85110. ISBN 82-577-1250-7, 44 pp.
Bottrell, H. H., & A. Duncan, Z. M. Gliwicz, E. Grygierek, A. Herzig, A. Hillbricht-Ilkowska, H. Kurasawa, P. Larsson & T. Weglenska, 1976. A review of some problems in zooplankton production studies. Norw. J. Zool. 24: 419–456.
Carpenter, S. R., J. F. Kitchell & J. R. Hodgson, 1985. Cascading trophic interactions and lake primary production. BioScience 35: 634–639.
Chow-Fraser, P., 1986. Effect of collection and acclimation period on grazing rates of limnetic zooplankton. Hydrobiologia 137: 203–210.
Chow-Fraser, P. & W. G. Sprules, 1986. Inhibitory effect ofAnabaena sp., onin situ filtering rate ofDaphnia. Can. J. Zool. 64: 1831–1834.
Dumont, H. J., I. Van de Velde & S. Dumont, 1975. The dry weight estimate of biomass in a selection of cladocera, copepoda and rotifera from the plankton, periphyton, and benthos of continental waters. Oecologia 19: 75–97.
Gliwicz, Z. M., A. Ghilarov & J. Pijanowska, 1981. Food and predation as major factors limiting two natural populations ofDaphnia cucullata Sars. Hydrobiologia 80: 205–218.
Gulati, R. D., 1983. Zooplankton and its grazing as indicators of trophic status in Dutch lakes. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 3: 343–354.
Gulati, R. D., 1989. Structure and feeding activities of zooplankton community in Lake Zwemlust, in the two years after biomanipulation. Hydrobiol. Bull. 23: 35–48.
Haney, J. F., 1985. Regulation of cladoceran filtering rates in nature by body size, food concentration, and diel feeding patterns. Limnol. Oceanogr. 30: 397–411.
Horne, A. S., J. E. Dillard, D. K. Fujita & C. R. Goldman, 1972. Nitrogen fixation in Clear Lake, California. II. Synoptic studies on the autumnAnabaena bloom. Limnol. Oceanogr. 17: 693–704.
Jarvis, A. C., R. C. Hart & S. Combrink, 1988. Cladoceran filtration rate — body length relations: model improvements developed for aMicrocystis-dominated hypertrophic reservoir. J. Plankton Res. 10 (1): 115–131.
Langeland, A., 1990. Biomanipulation development in Norway. Hydrobiologia 200/201: 535–540.
Lyche, A., 1984. Plankton i innsjøer langs en trofigradient. En regional undersøkelse av samfunnsstrukturen i fytoplankton i 20 innsjøer i Oslo-området. Cand. real. thesis. University of Oslo, 259 pp.
Morrison, B. R. S. & G. Struthers, 1975. The effects of rotenone on the invertebrate fauna of three Scottish freshwater lochs. J. Inst. Fish. Mgmt. 6: 81–91.
Murphy, J. & J. Riley, 1962. A modified single solution method for the determination of phosphate in natural waters. Anal. Chem. Acta 27: 31.
Nilssen, J. P., 1978. Eutrophication, Minute Algae and Inefficient Grazers. Mem. Ist. Ital. Idrobiol. 36: 121–138.
NTNF, 1989. Administrativ sluttrapport fra programstyret for eutrofieringsforskning, fase 1–3, 1978–1988. (Olsen, Y., ed.). ISBN: 82-7224-295-8, 33 pp.
Nordland, J. & S. Sanni, 1989. Mosvatnet. In Y. Olsen & O. Vadstein (eds.), NTNF's program eutrofieringsforskning, faglig sluttrapport for Fase 1–3, 1978–88, ISBN 82-7224-296-6: 58–59.
OECD, 1982. Eutrophication of waters: Monitoring, assessment and control. OECD Eutrophication Programme — Final Report. Paris, France, 155 pp.
Olsen, Y., 1988. Phosphate kinetics and competitive ability of planktonic blooming cyanobacteria under variable phosphate supply. Dr. tech. thesis part 1. University of Trondheim, Norway, 58 pp.
Olsen, Y., 1989. Evaluation of competitive ability ofStaurastrum luetkemuellerii (chlorophyceae) andMicrocystis aeruginosa (cyanophyceae) under P limitation. J. Phycol. 25: 486–499.
Olsen, Y., Å, Brabrand, T. Källqvist. A. Lyche, H. Reinertsen og O. Vadstein, 1989. NTNF's Program for eutrofieringsforskning: Kriterier og prosedyrer for bestemmelse av biologisk selvrensningsevne i innsjøer. ISBN 82-7224-297-4, 30 pp.
Olsen, Y. & O. Vadstein (eds.), 1989. NTNF's Program for eutrofieringsforskning. Faglig sluttrapport for Fase 1–3, (1978–88). ISBN 82-7224-296-6, 79 pp.
Porter, K. G., 1973. Selective grazing and differential digestion of algae by zooplankton. Nature 244: 179–180.
Reinertsen, H. & Y. Olsen, 1984. Effects of fish elimination of the phytoplankton community of a eutrophic lake. Verh. int. Ver. Limnol. 22: 649–657.
Reinertsen, H., A. Jensen, A. Langeland & Y. Olsen, 1986. Algal competition for phosphorus. The influence of zooplankton and fish. Can. J. Fish. aquat. Sci. 43: 1135–1141.
Reynolds, C. S., 1984. The ecology of freshwater phytoplankton. Cambridge University Press, 384 pp.
Sanni, S., 1988. Tiltaksrettede undersøkelser og overvåking av Mosvatnet 1977–87. Rogaland Research Institute, RF 164. ISBN 82-7220-183-6, 109 pp.
Sanni, S., 1989. Overvåking av Mosvatnet før og etter rotenonbehandling. Årsrapport 1988. Rogaland Research Institute, RF 27. ISBN 82-7220-199-2, 16 pp.
Seymour, E. A., 1980. The effects and control of algal blooms in fish ponds. Aquaculture 19: 55–74.
Shapiro, J. & D. I. Wright, 1984. Lake restoration by biomanipulation: Round Lake, Minnesota, the first two years. Freshwat. Biol. 14: 371–383.
Stanton, M. P., 1974. Simple efficient column for use in the automated determination of nitrate in water. Anal. Chem. 46: 1616.
Strickland, J. D. H. & T. R. Parsons, 1972. A practical handbook of seawater analysis. Fish. Res. Bd. Can. 36: 152–157.
Trimbee, A. M. & E. E. Prepas, 1987. Evaluation of total phosphorus as a predictor of the relative biomass of blue-green algae with emphasis on Alberta lakes. Can. J. Fish. aquat. Sci. 44: 1337–1342.
Viner, A. B., 1970. Hydrobiology of Lake Volta, Ghana. II. Some observations on biological features associated with morphology and water stratification. Hydrobiologia 35: 230–248.
Utermöhl, H., 1958. Zur Vervollkommung der quantitativen Phytoplankton-Metodik. Mitt. int. Ver. Limnol. 9: 1–38.
Viner, A. B., 1984. Resistance to mixing in New Zealand lakes. N. Z. J. Mar. Freshwat. Res. 18: 73–82.
Walsby, A. E. & C. S. Reynolds, 1980. Sinking and floating. In I. G. Morris (ed.), The physiological Ecology of Phytoplankton. Blackwell, Oxford: 371–412.
Watson, S. & J. Kalff, 1981. Relationships between nannoplankton and lake trophic status. Can. J. Fish. aquat. Sci. 38: 960–967.
Willén, E., 1976. A simplified method for phytoplankton counting. Br. phycol. J. 11: 265–278.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Sanni, S., Wærvågen, S.B. Oligotrophication as a result of planktivorous fish removal with rotenone in the small, eutrophic, Lake Mosvatn, Norway. Hydrobiologia 200, 263–274 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02530345
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02530345