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JPR Advance Access published online on October 4, 2004
Journal of Plankton Research, doi:10.1093/plankt/fbh138
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Received March 26, 2003
Accepted July 19, 2004

Article

Spatial Heterogeneity of Zooplankton Biomass and Size Structure in Southern Québec Lakes: Variation among Lakes and within Lake among EPI-, Meta and Hypolimnion Strata

Stéphane Masson 1*, Bernadette Pinel-Alloul 1, and Pierre Dutilleul 2

1 Groupe de Recherche Interuniversitaire en Limnologie et en Environnement Aquatique (G.R.I.L.). Département de Sciences Biologiques, Université de Montréal, C.P. 6128, succursale Centre-ville, Montréal (Québec), Canada, H3C-3J7; Station de Biologie des Laurentides, Université de Montréal, 440, chemin du Lac Croche St. Hippolyte, (Québec) Canada, J0R 1P0
2 Department of Plant Science, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Macdonald Campus, 21 111 Lakeshore Road, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, (Québec), Canada, H9X 3V9

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: stephane.masson{at}menv.gouv.qc.ca; massonst@megantic.net.


  Abstract

Environmental control of zooplankton biomass size structure (53-100 µm, 100-202 µm, 202-500 µm, > 500 µm) was investigated in the three limnetic strata of 25 southern Québec Shield lakes, Canada. Among-lake differences were the greatest source of variation of zooplankton biomass, whereas the strong lake-by-stratum interaction observed indicated that the vertical variations of zooplankton biomass and its size fractions were not constant from lake to lake. The analysis of spatial and local factors based on thermal strata is consistent with conceptual models of predation and nutrient control on the biomass and size structure of the zooplankton. Productivity of the aquatic systems, which was driven by lake depth, flushing rate and total phosphorus concentration, was the primary factor influencing total zooplankton biomass and size structure at among lake scale in epilimnetic waters. The effects of the planktivorous fish on the large zooplankton biomass (> 500 µm) was more clearly perceived when the effect of lake depth was removed by partial redundancy analysis. This study showed that although bottom-up and top-down forces are complementary in structuring of zooplankton communities, they can also act differently on the community attributes (e.g., biomass and size structure). Among-lake zooplankton biomass is predictable from lake trophy, but the size structure and vertical distribution of zooplankton communities are appear controlled by lake stratification and by inference to interactions with size selective predation by fish. In metalimnetic waters, the 53-100 µm and 100-202 µm zooplankton biomass fractions were primarily dependent on abiotic factors, while the 202-500 µm and > 500 µm fractions were related to planktivory and picophytoplankton concentrations. The well-oxygenated and cold hypolimnetic waters of some lakes offered a refuge from surface turbulence and planktivory to large zooplankton size fractions (202-500 µm and > 500 µm).


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