Changes in Zooplankton Structure in an Experimental System at the Isolation of Plankton-Eating Fish

Abstract

The trophic press of fish in a highly trophic pond causes a loss of species diversity and a decrease in the organism size of filter-feeding zooplankton. The isolation of fish from an experimental flow-through system leads to increases in abundance and biomass of large-size zooplankton. The rate of alga and cyanobacteria consumption by zooplankton increases as does its fertility and organism size. The result is the removal of cyanobacteria from water in the flow-through ecosystem and recovery of the water quality.