Abstract

An outdoor tank experiment was carried out for the assessing of the impacts of Sarotherodon galilaeus (Galilee Saint Peter’s Fish; Cichlidae) (SG) and Hypophthalmichthys molitriox (Silver Carp; Cyprinidae) (SC) on Lake Kinneret (Israel) plankton. In order to evaluate the interaction effect, the experiments were of replicated 2 × 2 factorial design: TG × SC. A lot of interaction effects were indicated showing that the effects of the two fishes were not independent and potentially competitors. SG suppressed most crustaceans and rotifers while increasing gross and net primary production and chlorophyll concentration. SC had less intense effects on zooplankton than SG. Although SC suppressed most crustaceans and rotifers, it had less interaction effects than SG. SC had no statistically significant effects on phytoplankton production or chlorophyll concentration. It is suggested that these experiments indicate that although the plankton community impacts of SG and SC do differ, both fishes utilize similar food resources in Lake Kinneret. Fingerlings of SG and SC are planted in Lake Kinneret annually aimed at the improvement of fishermen’s income and prevention of water quality deterioration. SC is known as efficient consumer of Microcystis. It is therefore recommended to limit SC introduction to periods when Microcystis is abundant.

Highlights

  • The silver carp (SC) is known as a filter feeder, which has a specialized apparatus capable of filtering small par-How to cite this paper: Gophen, M. (2014) Competitive Consumption of the Lake Kinneret (Israel) Plankton by Hypophthalmichthys molitrix and Sarotherodon galilaeus

  • Significant interaction effects were detected for most zooplankton taxa in one or both experiments

  • These indicate that the impacts of a fish species on the plankton community were significantly affected by the presence of the other species in the Tank

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Summary

Introduction

The silver carp (SC) is known as a filter feeder, which has a specialized apparatus capable of filtering small par-How to cite this paper: Gophen, M. (2014) Competitive Consumption of the Lake Kinneret (Israel) Plankton by Hypophthalmichthys molitrix and Sarotherodon galilaeus. The silver carp (SC) is known as a filter feeder, which has a specialized apparatus capable of filtering small par-. How to cite this paper: Gophen, M. (2014) Competitive Consumption of the Lake Kinneret (Israel) Plankton by Hypophthalmichthys molitrix and Sarotherodon galilaeus. The gill rakers are fused into a sponge-like filter, and an epibranchial organ secretes mucus which adhere trapped particles. Strong buccal pump forces are operated for the implementation of high quantity of water flow through the filter apparatus. The major food sources consumed by SC are known to be the phytoplankton but they consume zooplankton and detritus. Due to their phytoplanktivory trait, they are successfully used for controlling Cyanobacteria

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Conclusion

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