Abstract
We examined whether seston food quality was a significant factor to predict zooplankton, specifically Daphnia pulex, biomass dynamics in Lake Berryessa, California, U.S.A. The seston composition changed dramatically during the study period. Total macrozooplankton to seston biomass ratios were high during the springtime, as was D. pulex biomass. In monthly growth experiments using natural seston, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) concentration was best in explaining D. pulex growth, although α-linolenic acid (ALA) also showed considerable relationship with D. pulex growth. We built D. pulex growth models using combinations of EPA concentration, C:P ratio, and water temperature. The model using EPA concentration, C:P ratio and water temperature was best in explaining D. pulex biomass in springtime in Lake Berryessa. However, this model did not work for other seasons, suggesting that resource control via seston food quality was prevalent in springtime, but other factors may also become important in other seasons in this reservoir.
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