TY - JOUR
T1 - A mesocosm investigation of the effects of quagga mussels (Dreissena rostriformis bugensis) on Lake Michigan zooplankton assemblages.
AU - Whitten, Andrya L.
AU - Marin Jarrin, Jose R.
AU - McNaught, A. Scott
N1 - Funding Information:
We would like to thank K. Buzalski, J. Gordon, M. Hass, J. Loughner, T. Malinich, A. McGrew, H. Preston, D. Schuberg, B. Schuler, and J. Works for their support with field and laboratory work during this study. We also thank B. Murry and D. Woolnough for providing assistance with study design and comments on previous drafts of this manuscript. Additionally, funding for this study was provided by Central Michigan University Department of Biology, College of Science and Technology, and the Institute for Great Lakes Research . This is contribution number 91 of the Central Michigan University Institute for Great Lakes Research.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 International Association for Great Lakes Research.
Copyright:
Copyright 2018 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2018/2/1
Y1 - 2018/2/1
N2 - Dreissenid mussels are known to disrupt the base of the food web by filter feeding on phytoplankton; however, they may also directly ingest zooplankton thereby complicating their effects on plankton communities. The objective of this study was to quantify the effects of quagga mussel feeding on the composition and size structure of Lake Michigan zooplankton assemblages. Two mesocosm (six 946 L tanks) experiments were conducted in summer 2013, using quagga mussels and zooplankton collected near Beaver Island, MI, to examine the response of zooplankton communities to the presence and absence of mussels (experiment 1) and varying mussel density (experiment 2). Mesocosms were sampled daily and zooplankton taxa were enumerated and sized using microscopy and FlowCAM® imaging. In experiment 1, the presence of quagga mussels had a rapid negative effect on veliger and copepod nauplii abundance, and a delayed negative effect on rotifer abundance. In experiment 2, mussel density had a negative effect on veliger, nauplii, and copepodite abundance within 24 h. Multivariate analyses revealed a change in zooplankton community composition with increasing mussel density. Ten zooplankton taxa decreased in abundance and frequency as quagga mussel density increased: except for the rotifer Trichocerca sp., treatments with higher mussel densities (i.e., 1327, 3585, and 5389 mussels/m 2 ) had the greatest negative effect on small-bodied zooplankton (≤ 128 μm). This study confirms results from small-scale (≤ 1 L) experiments and demonstrates that quagga mussels can alter zooplankton communities at mesoscales (~ 1000 L), possibly through a combination of direct consumption and resource depletion.
AB - Dreissenid mussels are known to disrupt the base of the food web by filter feeding on phytoplankton; however, they may also directly ingest zooplankton thereby complicating their effects on plankton communities. The objective of this study was to quantify the effects of quagga mussel feeding on the composition and size structure of Lake Michigan zooplankton assemblages. Two mesocosm (six 946 L tanks) experiments were conducted in summer 2013, using quagga mussels and zooplankton collected near Beaver Island, MI, to examine the response of zooplankton communities to the presence and absence of mussels (experiment 1) and varying mussel density (experiment 2). Mesocosms were sampled daily and zooplankton taxa were enumerated and sized using microscopy and FlowCAM® imaging. In experiment 1, the presence of quagga mussels had a rapid negative effect on veliger and copepod nauplii abundance, and a delayed negative effect on rotifer abundance. In experiment 2, mussel density had a negative effect on veliger, nauplii, and copepodite abundance within 24 h. Multivariate analyses revealed a change in zooplankton community composition with increasing mussel density. Ten zooplankton taxa decreased in abundance and frequency as quagga mussel density increased: except for the rotifer Trichocerca sp., treatments with higher mussel densities (i.e., 1327, 3585, and 5389 mussels/m 2 ) had the greatest negative effect on small-bodied zooplankton (≤ 128 μm). This study confirms results from small-scale (≤ 1 L) experiments and demonstrates that quagga mussels can alter zooplankton communities at mesoscales (~ 1000 L), possibly through a combination of direct consumption and resource depletion.
KW - Direct consumption
KW - Lake Michigan
KW - Mesocosm
KW - Quagga mussels
KW - Zooplankton
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U2 - 10.1016/j.jglr.2017.11.005
DO - 10.1016/j.jglr.2017.11.005
M3 - Article
SN - 0380-1330
VL - 44
SP - 105
EP - 113
JO - Journal of Great Lakes Research
JF - Journal of Great Lakes Research
IS - 1
ER -