Relationships between zooplankton community structure and phytoplankton in two lime‐treated eutrophic hardwater lakes

Abstract

1. North Halfmoon Lake and Lofty Lake (Alberta, Canada) were chosen for whole‐lake liming experiments as a new restoration technology to enhance calcite precipitation and reduce eutrophication. During a 3‐year study (1991–93) the relationships between zooplankton and phytoplankton were assessed, together with the effects of lime additions.2. Zooplankton communities were numerically dominated by rotifers, while the major contribution to biomass was due to large filter‐feeding Daphnia during the first half of the summer season. In Lofty Lake, cladocerans made up to 93% of biomass, whereas in North Halfmoon Lake both cladocerans and calanoids were strongly represented.3. Total zooplankton and cladoceran biomasses were inversely correlated with chlorophyll a (chl a). The same relationship was found between large Daphnia (≥ 1 mm) and chl a. These relationships suggest that the decline in Daphnia may have been caused by an increase in cyanobacteria biomass during bloom events.4. There were minor changes in rotifer populations after liming; however, these changes have been caused by natural year‐to‐year variation rather than liming. In general, cladocerans showed an increase in body size and population biomass when pre and post‐treatment data were compared by means of ANCOVA. Statistical analysis showed that there were more cladocerans per unit of chl a after liming; however, further research is needed to relate these patterns unambiguously to the application of lime as a restoration technology.