Lake Communities Research Articles

Parcel-Level Risk Affects Wildfire Outcomes: Insights from Pre-Fire Rapid Assessment Data for Homes Destroyed in 2020 East Troublesome Fire

Parcel-level risk (PLR) describes how wildfire risk varies from home to home based on characteristics that relate to likely fire behavior, the susceptibility of homes to fire, and the ability of firefighters to safely access properties. Here, we describe the WiRē Rapid Assessment (RA), a parcel-level rapid wildfire risk assessment tool designed to evaluate PLR with a small set of measures for all homes in a community. We investigate the relationship between 2019 WiRē RA data collected in the Columbine Lake community in Grand County, Colorado, and whether assessed homes were destroyed in the 2020 East Troublesome Fire. We find that the overall parcel-level risk scores, as well as many individual attributes, relate to the chance that a home was destroyed. We also find strong evidence of risk spillovers across neighboring properties. The results demonstrate that even coarsely measured RA data capture meaningful differences in wildfire risk across a community. The findings also demonstrate the importance of accounting for multiple aspects of PLR, including both hazards and susceptibility, when assessing the risk of wildfire to homes and communities. Finally, the results underscore that relatively small actions by residents before a fire can influence wildfire outcomes.

Lake salinization drives consistent losses of zooplankton abundance and diversity across coordinated mesocosm experiments

AbstractHuman‐induced salinization increasingly threatens inland waters; yet we know little about the multifaceted response of lake communities to salt contamination. By conducting a coordinated mesocosm experiment of lake salinization across 16 sites in North America and Europe, we quantified the response of zooplankton abundance and (taxonomic and functional) community structure to a broad gradient of environmentally relevant chloride concentrations, ranging from 4 to ca. 1400 mg Cl− L−1. We found that crustaceans were distinctly more sensitive to elevated chloride than rotifers; yet, rotifers did not show compensatory abundance increases in response to crustacean declines. For crustaceans, our among‐site comparisons indicate: (1) highly consistent decreases in abundance and taxon richness with salinity; (2) widespread chloride sensitivity across major taxonomic groups (Cladocera, Cyclopoida, and Calanoida); and (3) weaker loss of functional than taxonomic diversity. Overall, our study demonstrates that aggregate properties of zooplankton communities can be adversely affected at chloride concentrations relevant to anthropogenic salinization in lakes.

The spatiotemporal characteristics of water quality and phytoplankton community in a shallow eutrophic lake: Implications for submerged vegetation restoration

One of the most serious consequences of eutrophication in shallow lakes is deterioration of water quality, proliferation of phytoplankton and disappearance of submerged macrophytes. After removing herbivorous and plankti-benthivorous fish, submerged macrophyte restoration was utilized at the entire lake (82.7 km2) to combat eutrophication and improve water quality in the shallow subtropical aquaculture of Lake Datong. We conducted two years of monitoring, from March 2018 to February 2020. During the first year of restoration, 80% of the area of Lake Datong (approximately 60 km2) was successfully recovered by submerged vegetation, and the water quality was improved. For example, the phosphorous (P) content (including total P (TP), dissolved reactive P (DRP) and total dissolved P (TDP)) and turbidity decreased, and the Secchi depth (SD) increased. However, the submerged vegetation disappeared from autumn 2019 in the intermittent recovery area (MN), while the continuous recovery area (DX) continued to recover with an abundance of submerged vegetation. During the second year, the water quality continued to improve significantly in the DX area, with high biomass and coverage of submerged vegetation. In the MN area, although turbidity and ammonia nitrogen (NH4+-N) increased significantly and SD decreased significantly, the P content (TP, TDP, and DRP) still continued to decrease. The restoration of submerged macrophytes could significantly decrease the density of phytoplankton. Over time, there was a regime shift in Lake Datong. The structural equation model (SEM) results illustrated that the water level and submerged plant coverage were the primary drivers that triggered changes in the state of the lake ecosystem. Our results highlight the potential of restoring submerged vegetation to control water eutrophication at the whole-lake scale. However, the water level in spring was the primary driver that triggered changes in the state of the lake ecosystem. Water level management should be emphasized during the early stages of recovery of submerged plants.

Measuring beta diversity components and beneficial effects of coarse woody habitat introduction on invertebrate and macrophyte communities in a shallow northern boreal lake; implications for offsetting

Measuring beta diversity components and beneficial effects of coarse woody habitat introduction on invertebrate and macrophyte communities in a shallow northern boreal lake; implications for offsetting

Anthropogenic impacts on the biodiversity and anti-interference ability of microbial communities in lakes

Lakes are critical for biogeochemical and ecological processes and are sensitive and vulnerable to anthropogenic disturbances, but how and to what extent human activities disturb the biodiversity in lakes remain unknown. Here, we showed the microbial diversity in 46 lakes and assessed the influence of 27 anthropogenic factors. We found that the economic level (e.g., per capita gross domestic product) was strongly negatively correlated (r = −0.97) with bacterial diversity but positively correlated (r = 0.17) with fungal diversity in lakes. The composition of the microbial community significantly changed with increasing economic level. Bacteria are more sensitive than fungi to anthropogenic impacts. Expanding the population size and increasing the economic level may promote the development of fungal diversity but inhibit bacterial diversity. Air quality, urbanization and ozone were negatively correlated with bacterial diversity, and fisheries had a negative correlation with fungal diversity. The anti-interference ability of lake microorganisms in the middle economic level zones (45,000–90,000 yuan/person) was stronger than that in high-level (> 90,000 yuan/person) and low-level (> 45,000 yuan/person) economic zones. Overall, our investigation provides national-scale evidence that changes in the microbial diversity in lakes were related to economic levels.

Demographic and Life History Characteristics of Black Bullheads Ameiurus melas in a North Temperate USA Lake

Black bullheads Ameiurus melas are an environmentally tolerant omnivorous fish species that are found throughout much of North America and parts of Europe. Despite their prevalence, black bullheads are an infrequently studied species making their biology, ecology, and life history poorly understood. Although limited information has been published on black bullheads, evidence suggests that bullheads can dominate the fish biomass and have profound influences on the fish community in some north temperate USA lakes. The goal of our study was to provide additional information on black bullhead population demographics, growth rates, life history characteristics, and seasonal diet preferences in a northern Wisconsin lake. Using common fish collection gears (fyke netting, electrofishing), fish aging protocols, fecundity assessments, and diet indices, our results suggested that black bullheads exhibited relatively fast growth rates, early ages at maturity, moderate fecundity, and a diverse omnivorous diet. Due to these demographic and life history characteristics, black bullheads have the potential to dominate fish community biomass in their native and introduced range. Results from our study may inform the management of black bullhead as native and invasive species.

Importance of nonindigenous harpacticoids (Crustacea: Copepoda) decrease with depth in Lake Ontario

Harpacticoid copepods can be a substantial component of the meiobenthic community in lakes and serve an ecological role as detritivores. Here we present the first species-level lake-wide quantitative assessment of the harpacticoid assemblage of Lake Ontario with emphasis on the status of nonindigenous species. Additionally, we provide COI-5P sequences of harpacticoid taxa through Barcode of Life Data System (BOLD). Harpacticoids were collected at depths from 0.1 to 184 m and from a range of substrates from August to September 2018 as part of the Cooperative Science and Monitoring Initiative (CSMI) offshore benthic survey. Twenty-six meiobenthic samples were analyzed using microscopy for community composition analysis of harpacticoids. We found thirteen indigenous and three nonindigenous species of harpacticoid, with the introduced species dominating at shallow depths. The community transitioned from nonindigenous to indigenous species dominance as depth increased. Nonindigenous species accounted for 79% of the community (by abundance) at depths <20 m, 55% from 20 to 40 m, and only 24% at depths >40 m. The nonindigenous species encountered included the first detections of Schizopera borutzkyi (Monchenko, 1967) and Heteropsyllus nunni (Coull, 1975) from Lake Ontario. S. borutzkyi was the most abundant harpacticoid species in the lake, approaching a maximum density of 50,000/m2 and a lake-wide average density of 7,900/m2. Numerically important indigenous species included Bryocamptus nivalis (Willey, 1925), Canthocamptus robertcokeri (Wilson, 1958), Canthocamptus staphylinoides (Pearse, 1905), and Moraria cristata (Chappuis, 1929). The prevalence of nonindigenous harpacticoids in the meiobenthos of Lake Ontario suggests further investigations of Great Lakes meiofauna communities are warranted.

Crossing Treeline: Bacterioplankton Communities of Alpine and Subalpine Rocky Mountain Lakes

From the aboveground vegetation to the belowground microbes, terrestrial communities differ between the highly divergent alpine (above treeline) and subalpine (below treeline) ecosystems. Yet, much less is known about the partitioning of microbial communities between alpine and subalpine lakes. Our goal was to determine whether the composition of bacterioplankton communities of high-elevation mountain lakes differed across treeline, identify key players in driving the community composition, and identify potential environmental factors that may be driving differences. To do so, we compared bacterial community composition (using 16S rDNA sequencing) of alpine and subalpine lakes in the Southern Rocky Mountain ecoregion at two time points: once in the early summer and once in the late summer. In the early summer (July), shortly after peak runoff, bacterial communities of alpine lakes were distinct from subalpine lakes. Interestingly, by the end of the summer (approximately 5 weeks after the first visit in August), bacterial communities of alpine and subalpine lakes were no longer distinct. Several bacterial amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) were also identified as key players by significantly contributing to the community dissimilarity. The community divergence across treeline found in the early summer was correlated with several environmental factors, including dissolved organic carbon (DOC), pH, chlorophyll-a (chl-a), and total dissolved nitrogen (TDN). In this paper, we offer several potential scenarios driven by both biotic and abiotic factors that could lead to the observed patterns. While the mechanisms for these patterns are yet to be determined, the community dissimilarity in the early summer correlates with the timing of increased hydrologic connections with the terrestrial environment. Springtime snowmelt brings the flushing of mountain watersheds that connects terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. This connectivity declines precipitously throughout the summer after snowmelt is complete. Regional climate change is predicted to bring alterations to precipitation and snowpack, which can modify the flushing of solutes, nutrients, and terrestrial microbes into lakes. Future preservation of the unique alpine lake ecosystem is dependent on a better understanding of ecosystem partitioning across treeline and careful consideration of terrestrial-aquatic connections in mountain watersheds.

Разнообразие сообществ водной растительности озер Обь-Иртышского междуречья (Западная Сибирь)

The information on the syntaxonomic diversity of aquatic vegetation in the Ob-Irtysh interfluve (south of West Siberia), which was revealed using the ecological-floristic approach (Braun-Blanquet, 1964) is summarized. Lake ecosystems of the studied region are exposed to cyclical changes in accordance with the cyclicity of the hydrological regime of the lakes. Periodic fluctuations in the water level in lakes are accompanied by changes in mineralization, and therefore the biological regime of the lakes is unstable. The studies were carried out from 2001 to 2014 in Novosibirsk Region and Altai Territory. 164 complete geobotanical relevés made by the author on 80 lakes are used (Fig. 1, table 1); a list of studied lakes is given. Field work was carried out during the period of the lowest water level (summer dry season) — July–August. The following scale was used for abundance estimation: r — the species is extremely rare; + — rare, small cover; 1 — the number of individuals is large, the cover is small or individuals are sparse, but the cover is large; 2 —cover of 5–25 %; 3 — 26–50 %; 4 — 51–75 %; 5 — more than 75 %. Computer programs Turboveg for Windows 2.117 (Hennekens, Schaminée, 2001) and Juice 7.0.45 (Tichý, 2002) were used for data treatment. The syntaxonomic affiliation of phytocenoses was determined using modern literature (Bobrov, Chemeris, 2006; Vegetace…, 2011; Chepinoga, 2015; Landucci et al. 2015; Mucina, 2016). The coenotic diversity of aquatic vegetation in the studied lakes is 43 associations and 2 communities from 12 alliances, 6 orders, 5 classes (Tables 2–11). Eight associations belong to the class Lemnetea; 18 associations — Potamogetonetea; 3 associations and 2 communities — Stigeoclonietea tenuis; 9 associations — Charetea intermediae; 5 associations — Ruppietea maritimae. This rather high value of phytocenotic diversity is due to the high diversity of ecological conditions of specific lakes, in turn, determined by the different origin of lakes, the nature and composition of soils, salinity and chemical composition of waters, and temperature regime. Two new associations – Najadetum majoris ass. nov. and Ranunculetum subrigidi ass. nov. — are described. Table 10 shows the values of the frequency of associations (aquatic communities) in the lakes of the Novosibirsk region. We have identified phytocenotic complexes on the basis of data on the ranges of halotolerance of associations and in accordance with the frequency of associations in the lakes of different mineralization. Four phytocenotic complexes can be distinguished for the studied lakes of the Baraba Lowland and Kulunda Plain: freshwater, oligo-mesohaline, meso-hyperhaline, and euryhaline (Fig. 12). As for the ranges of halotoleration of lake communities, it is obvious that it is impossible to establish the universal ranges of halotolerance of species and communities of macrophytes for a number of reasons 1) regional differences in the salt composition of waters, 2) seasonal fluctuations in water salinity; 3) varying methods of mineralization measuring (ionometrically or analytically and also different analytical methods — by the sum of ions, and by the dry residual). However, several general trends can be distinguished. The main trend is a decrease in the species and coenotic diversity of aquatic and semi-aquatic vegetation with mineralization growth (Hammer, 1988; Williams, 1998; our data, etc.) This universal pattern is true for all groups of biota (Hammer, 1986; Williams, 1998; Kipriyanova et al., 2007, etc.). Communities of the assosiations Lemnetum trisulcae, Lemno–Utricularietum vulgaris, Potamogetono–Ceratophylletumsubmersi, Najadetum marinae, Potamogetonetum perfoliati were more resistant to high mineralization (up to 5 g/dm3 according to our data). The highest halotolerance among aquatic plant communities is found for the associations Ruppietum maritimae and Ruppietum drepanensis, as well as for Cladophoretum fractae. Based on the results of our research, it has been shown that in the continental lakes of the southeast of Western Siberia, such specific cenoses of continental water bodies of Siberia, as the communities of the assosiations Stuckenietum macrocarpae and Cladophoro fractae–Stuckenietum chakassiensis (Kipriyanova, 2017), mainly occur in oligo- and mesohaline waters in the range of mineralization 0.5–18.0 g/dm3. Stratiotetum aloidis, Nymphaeo–Nupharetum luteae, Nymphaeetum candidae associations were common in the freshwater lakes (up to 0.5 g/dm3), another ones were met moderately and less frequently. Associations Lemnetum trisulcae, Lemno minoris Ceratophylletum demersi were common in the β-oligohaline (0.5–1 g/dm3) lakes. Lemno–Utricularietum vulgaris, Myriophylletum sibirici, Potamogetonetum pectinati, Potamogetonetum perfoliati, Stuckenietum macrocarpae were moderately frequent, the rest were rare and solitary. Associations Lemnetum trisulcae, Lemno minoris–Ceratophylletum submersi, Stuckenietum macrocarpae, and Cladophoro fractae–Stuckenietum chakassiensis were common in the α-oligohaline lakes (1–5 g/dm3). The rest were moderately and less frequent. In mesohaline waters (5–18 g/dm3), associations Cladophoro fractae–Stuckenietum chakassiensis and Ruppietum maritimae were common. The rare in the studied lakes communities of the associations Najadetum marinae, Ruppietum maritimae, Ruppietum drepanensis, Charetum tomentosae, Nitellopsidetum obtusae are need in protection, since they include the species listed in the Red Data Book of the Novosibirsk Region (Krasnaya ..., 2018).

Scientific cognition, path and governance system guarantee of the Life Community of Mountains, Rivers, Forests, Fields, Lakes and Grasses

Scientific cognition, path and governance system guarantee of the Life Community of Mountains, Rivers, Forests, Fields, Lakes and Grasses

Structure of the ichthyoplankton community in a Neotropical floodplain lake affected by environmental degradation

Many Amazonian fish' reproduction is associated to seasonality and to the conditions of habitat integrity. In a Neotropical floodplain lake of the Amazon region, the temporal structure of ichthyoplankton was investigated and the hypothesis that the density of fish eggs and larvae and the diversity of species vary between two areas with different levels of environmental changes occurred was tested. The sampling occurred monthly between September 2017 and August 2018. Six sampling stations were used, distributed in locations close to and far from the altered area. 195 eggs and 1,785 larvae from nine orders and 27 species were captured. The eggs were from non-migratory fish species and occurred during two moments. The larvae presented different abundance peaks during the sample months and all the initial stages of development occurred. Clupeiformes was the most abundant and Characiformes the species richest. The density of the ichthyoplankton and the diversity of species presented temporal variation. However, only the larval density varied between the areas of the lake. The Lake Juá is a spawning area for resident fish and is a nursery and growth area for larvae of species with different ecological categories and socioeconomic importance during different periods of the year.

Environmental filtering and low trait redundancy characterise fish assemblages in Lake Mamo, Orinoco River floodplain, Venezuela

The study of assembly rules of fish communities in Neotropical floodplain lakes represents a major interest in community ecology due to their high species diversity and environmental variation, both spatial and temporal. In this study, assembly rules of freshwater fishes in Lake Mamo were explored. The main goals of this research were to analyse the seasonal variations in taxonomic and functional diversities of fishes in sandbanks and patches of aquatic macrophytes, in order to identify whether the fish assemblages are organised according to environmental filtering or limiting similarity, and to explore the relationships between taxonomic and functional diversity to determine if fish assemblages are either functionally redundant or complementary. In both mesohabitats, fishes were collected using seine nets during four hydrological seasons corresponding to low waters, rising waters, high waters and falling waters. Taxonomic and functional structure of fish assemblages in each habitat and across hydrological seasons was examined through multidimensional scaling (MDS), PERMANOVAs and principal co-ordinate analyses. Seasonal variations in taxonomic diversity were determined through Fligner tests of Shannon diversity indices, and for functional diversity, of functional richness (FRich), functional dispersion (FDisp), functional evenness (FEve) and functional divergence (FDiv). Null model analyses were used to determine if the functional indices diverged from randomness across hydrological seasons. Finally, relationships between functional indices and Shannon diversity were explored using linear, power, asymptotic and logistic models. There were significant differences in taxonomic and functional composition between mesohabitats and more markedly across hydrological seasons. All fish assemblages were significantly underdispersed at all instances, while functional evenness was higher than expected in both mesohabitats during low waters, signaling both a strong environmental filtering and niche packing. There were significant linear associations between the Shannon diversity and functional dispersion and between the Shannon diversity and functional evenness, suggesting that functional redundancy in these assemblages is low. In Lake Mamo, fish assemblages are filtered first by seasonality and then by habitat type. As more species are added to the assemblages, niches are more packed in the functional space, but the number of traits increases at a constant rate. This means that if a lake becomes impaired as a consequence of potential oil spills, the loss of fish species could represent also the loss of traits and functions in the ecosystem.

Amplicon-based and metagenomic approaches provide insights into toxigenic potential in understudied Atlantic Canadian lakes

Cyanobacterial blooms and their toxigenic potential threaten freshwater resources worldwide. In Atlantic Canada, despite an increase of cyanobacterial blooms in the last decade, little is known about the toxigenic potential and the taxonomic affiliation of bloom-forming cyanobacteria. In this study, we employed polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and metagenomic approaches to assess the potential for cyanotoxin and other bioactive metabolite production in Harvey Lake (oligotrophic) and Washademoak Lake (mesotrophic) in New Brunswick, Canada, during summer and early fall months. The PCR survey detected the potential for microcystin (hepatotoxin) and anatoxin-a (neurotoxin) production in both lakes, despite a cyanobacterial bloom only being visible in Washademoak. Genus-specific PCR associated microcystin production potential with the presence of Microcystis in both lakes. The metagenomic strategy provided insight into temporal variations in the microbial communities of both lakes. It also permitted the recovery of a near-complete Microcystis aeruginosa genome with the genetic complement to produce microcystin and other bioactive metabolites such as piricyclamide, micropeptin/cyanopeptolin, and aeruginosin. Our approaches demonstrate the potential for production of a diverse complement of bioactive compounds and establish important baseline data for future studies of understudied lakes, which are frequently affected by cyanobacterial blooms.

Fish Muscle Mercury Content and Bioaccumulation Have Year-Round Changes - Insights from the Whole Fish Community of a Boreal Lake

Fish Muscle Mercury Content and Bioaccumulation Have Year-Round Changes - Insights from the Whole Fish Community of a Boreal Lake

The Phytoplanktonic Diatom Community of a Mediterranean Lake Resisted Global Changes Since the 18th Century But Had Abrupt Regime Shifts in the Late 20th Century

The Phytoplanktonic Diatom Community of a Mediterranean Lake Resisted Global Changes Since the 18th Century But Had Abrupt Regime Shifts in the Late 20th Century

Fish Muscle Mercury Content and Bioaccumulation Have Year-Round Changes - Insights from the Whole Fish Community of a Boreal Lake

Fish Muscle Mercury Content and Bioaccumulation Have Year-Round Changes - Insights from the Whole Fish Community of a Boreal Lake

Количественные характеристики зообентоса бассейна озера Удыль (заказник «Удыль», Хабаровский край)

The article reports the results of the study on zoobenthos in the wetlands of Lake Udyl and its 12 tributaries (the Lower Amur, Udyl Nature Reserve) during the 2021 summer flood. Except for the Bichi River, benthic communities of the rivers and streams in the Lake Udyl basin were studied for the first time. The study found that the composition, structure and quantitative characteristics of the bottom communities of Udyl Lake and the Bichi salmon river differed from the previous results obtained in the 1930s–1940s and the 1990s. The results revealed a rich taxonomic composition of invertebrates (19 groups), low values of density and biomass in the water bodies of the reserve. The zoobenthos was dominated by amphibiotic insects (57% of the total density and 43% of the total biomass). We established that oligochaetes and chironomids in the Udyl Lake basin differed in the highest quantitative indicators. The quality of water was determined using classical (GW, TBI, IB, ND/Nex, NCh/Nex) and modified (IPM, TBIM) bioindicative indices and metrics. The results show that, in general, the ecosystem of Lake Udyl and the watercourses flowing into it is in a relatively satisfactory condition.

Contribution of plasmidome, metal resistome and integrases to the persistence of the antibiotic resistome in aquatic environments

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are among the main hotspots of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the environment. Previously, we demonstrated that, by increasing anthropogenic pollution, the antibiotic resistome persisted in the microbial community of rivers and lakes, independently by changes in community composition. In this study, we reanalysed the data to test for the relation of metal resistance genes (MRGs), plasmids, and integrons to the persistence of the antibiotic resistome. The experiment consisted in replicated co-cultures of riverine or lacustrine microbial communities and WWTP effluents in different proportions. Samples before (T0) and after a short period of incubation (TF) were collected and community metagenomic data were obtained by shotgun sequencing. The data were processed to annotate MRGs, plasmids, and integrases. The integrases stabilized in the aquatic environment following the degree of contamination with effluent water (in particular in one site), whereas MRGs and plasmids showed stochastic trajectories. These results confirm the potential correlation between integrons and anthropogenic pollution, and the reliability of intI1 as a pollution marker. Only in one site MRGs, plasmids, and ARGs were correlated, highlighting their partial contribution to the persistence of ARGs in surface waters.

Socio-economic status of fishermen community of Wular Lake in district Bandipora of Jammu and Kashmir

The present study investigates the socio-economic status of fishermen community of Wular Lake in district Bandipora of Jammu and Kashmir. Data were collected through structured interview schedule from 150 respondents from fishermen community between July and September 2020. It was found that 34.7% of the respondents fall in to the age group of 41–50 years and 56.0% were married. Majority of the respondents were illiterate (61.3%) and over half of the respondents (59.3%) earned monthly Rs.1000–5000. The study also explored that 93.3% of the respondents lived in their owned houses. The family size of fishing community was usually consisted of 7–10 members and 51.3% of them lived in a joint family system. However, most of them (54.66%) were dependent on river/canal water as drinking source and 59.3% were having dry latrine. It may be concluded that the fishermen community in the study area was the disadvantaged group of the society. Government, NGOs and respective stakeholders should come forward to take proper and necessary steps to improve their living conditions.

The impact of water quality on the Asian clam, Corbicula fluminea, distribution in Pergau Lake, Kelantan, Malaysia

In the present study described the impact of water quality on the Asian clam, Corbicula fluminea, distribution in man – made Pergau Lake was carried out. Recently, Pergau Lake was gazette as state park and any activities related to fishery and agricultural were not allowed in the park. Subsequently, the nearby lake community was affected as many of them earn a living by carrying fisheries activity in the lake especially harvesting Asian clam. 10 sampling sites were selected in the lake to monitor water quality and Asian clam distribution. Water parameters data were also subjected to cluster analysis by using Ward’s method with squared Euclidean distances as a measure of similarity and a dendrogram was successfully generated. The water quality of the lake is under good condition and suitable to carry fishery activities by referred to Malaysia National Water Quality Standards (NWQS). The dendrogram revealed that the sampling sites can be divided into 2 clusters where Location 1 alone in its own cluster. Another cluster possesses 2 sub-clusters where Location 2 and 3 shared similar sub cluster. Another sub-cluster has two groups namely Location 5, 6 and 8 in one group whereas Location 4, 7, 9 and 10 shared similar group. The findings of the present study showed most of sampled Asian clam in Pergau Lake was semi mature indicating highly exploitation of Asian clam in the Lake. Furthermore, there were no correlation was detected between the population of Asian clam and water quality of the lake. Hence, we suggest that seasonal harvesting Asian clam should be implemented in order to conserve the population of Asian clam in the lake at the mean time the community to continue earn a living through carrying fishery activities in the lake.