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JPR Advance Access published online on March 30, 2004
Journal of Plankton Research, doi:10.1093/plankt/fbh067
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Received December 15, 2003;
accepted February 18, 2004

Article

Daphnia dominance and zooplankton community structure in fishless ponds

Christopher F. Steiner 1*

1 W. K. Kellogg Biological Station and the Department of Zoology, Michigan State University, Hickory Corners, MI 49060, U.S.A.; Present Address: Department of Animal Biology, University of Illinois, 515 Morrill Hall, 505 South Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801, U.S.A.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: csteiner{at}life.uiuc.edu.


  Abstract

Predation by fish has commonly been viewed as a primary driver of spatial and seasonal variation in Daphnia dominance and the size structure of zooplankton communities. Yet, previous research suggests that large Daphnia do not always dominate in the absence of predation. As alternatives to the planktivory model, numerous alternate mechanisms have been put forth, including the effect of resource competition and its interaction with resource quantity and quality and abiotic factors (e.g., temperature). Here I present results of a field survey of 18 fishless, permanent ponds in southwest Michigan in which I explore spatiotemporal variation in Daphnia pulex abundance and several potential determinants of this variation. Results revealed a large amount of variation in D. pulex incidence and relative biomass, with some ponds exhibiting seasonal losses, some having few or no Daphnia, and some being dominated by D. pulex for the entire sample period. Redundancy analysis of zooplankton composition and pond environmental variables (biotic and abiotic) showed no relationship between D. pulex biomass and measures of Chaoborus abundance, algal resource production, or algal resource quality (including seston C:N:P). Instead, pH and temperature (both of which covaried) showed the strongest relationship with D. pulex biomass.


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