Abstract
Based on the recognition of rather constant species-specific element to dry weight ratios in freshwater zooplankton, pools of metazoan zooplankton P and N were calculated for 45 Norwegian lakes of varying trophy. On the average zooplankton constituted 20.4 ± 12.3% and 4.6 ± 4.3% of paniculate P and N respectively. The fraction was considerably higher in many oligotrophic lakes, at most >50 and 20% respectively, but declined to —15% (P) and ~5% (N) in meso- to eutrophic lakes. In general, phytoplankton contribution to particulate P was <50%, leaving a large share of paniculate P to bacteria and microzooplankton. The zooplankton proportion of particulate P was only weakly influenced by the predation pressure in terms of fish community structure. Zooplankton P is important in the overall lake metabolism, and knowledge of this pool may be used to estimate zooplankton-mediated loss and regeneration of P and improve total nutrient element budgets in lakes.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
