Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Zooplankton”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2004

Aquatic mesocosm assessments of a neem (azadirachtin) insecticide at environmentally realistic concentrations--2: zooplankton community responses and recovery.

A neem-based insecticide, Neemix 4.5, was applied to forest pond enclosures at environmentally realistic concentrations (i.e., below the worst-case expected environmental concentration of 35 microg L(-1)). Crustacean zooplankton communities were examined by multivariate ordination (nonmetric multidimensional scaling) and time-course analyses of population trends among indicator taxa over two field seasons to determine application effects on community structure and recovery patterns. Significant effects on zooplankton community structure were detected at all main test concentrations (n = 5) of 28, 17, and 10 microg L(-1) azadirachtin. There was also evidence of adverse effects on zooplankton communities at an auxiliary test concentration (n = 2) of 5 microg L(-1) azadirachtin. Community-level effects resulted primarily from reductions in adult copepods with short-term, reciprocal increases in cladocerans. Copepod nauplii were not significantly affected. Response patterns suggested that the reductions in adult copepods resulted from growth-regulating effects of the active ingredient azadirachtin, or other neem compounds, and not from formulation ingredients. There was no evidence of recovery among adult copepods within the season of application. At the beginning of the second sampling season, there were apparent carryover effects similar to the community responses in the previous year. By the end of the second season, there was evidence indicating recovery of community structure at the two lower test concentrations of 10 and 17 microg L(-1), but not at 28 microg L(-1). The selective toxicity to adult copepods is problematic in that this group has a relatively long life cycle (1 year), contributes a major component of zooplankton biomass and respiration, and occupies critical functional guilds within zooplankton food web structures. Mitigation measures such as reductions in application rates and efforts to avoid deposition of sprayed materials on water bodies will be required to reduce the risk of harmful effects on zooplankton communities of forest ponds and other shallow, standing-water bodies.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Effect of algal and bacterial diet on methyl mercury concentrations in zooplankton.

We studied the effect of zooplankton diet on MeHg accumulation in different zooplankton size-fractions from lakes of different trophic status. Using fatty acid biomarkers, we tested the hypotheses that (a) variations of MeHg concentrations are determined bythe taxonomic composition of zooplankton and (b) concentrations of dietary algal and bacterial compounds can predict MeHg concentrations of seston (10-64 microm), micro- (100-200 microm), meso- (200-500 microm), and macrozooplankton (>500 microm) in lakes on Vancouver Island, Canada. MeHg concentrations increased from seston (4-48 ng g dry weight(-1)) to macrozooplankton (94-240 ng g dry weight(-1)), indicating that MeHg accumulated as a function of plankton size. Results from linear regression analysis showed that MeHg concentrations were not significantly related to the taxonomic composition of zooplankton. However, using dietary lipid biomarkers, we demonstrated that bacterial diet (R2 = 0.50; p < 0.01) could better predict variations of MeHg concentrations in zooplankton than essential algal diet (R2 = 0.35; p < 0.01). Because MeHg accumulation within the planktonic food web was higher (20x) than the observed accumulation of total bacterial (6.5x) and algal (4.7x) diet biomarkers, zooplankton retained dietary MeHg more efficiently than bacterial and algal diet compounds. These results indicate that MeHg of macrozooplankton, the preferred prey size of planktivorous fish, is more efficiently transferred than essential diet compounds to organisms at higher trophic levels.

Animal Feed↗
PubMed2005

The nutritional status of zooplankton in a tropical reservoir: effects of food quality and community structure.

The temporal variability of energetic reserves of zooplankton in the eutrophic Pampulha reservoir was investigated during two successive annual cycles. The effects of dominance of large filter-feeding cladocerans (Daphnia) and the occurrence of massive blooms of the cyanobacteria Microcystis on the energetic reserves of zooplankton were tested. This study showed that phytoplankton composition has a greater effect on energetic reserves of zooplankton. Some associations between lipid levels and the specific composition of zooplankton were also found. This study also demonstrated that the elementary composition of phosphorus in zooplankton can be used as an estimator of the nutritional status of zooplankton.

Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena↗
PubMed2006

Trajectories of zooplankton recovery in the Little Rock Lake whole-lake acidification experiment.

Understanding the factors that affect biological recovery from environmental stressors such as acidification is an important challenge in ecology. Here we report on zooplankton community recovery following the experimental acidification of Little Rock Lake, Wisconsin, USA. One decade following cessation of acid additions to the northern basin of Little Rock Lake (LRL), recovery of the zooplankton community was complete. Approximately 40% of zooplankton species in the lake exhibited a recovery lag in which biological recovery to reference basin levels was delayed by 1-6 yr after pH recovered to the level at which the species originally responded. Delays in recovery such as those we observed in LRL may be attributable to "biological resistance" wherein establishment of viable populations of key acid-sensitive species following water quality improvements is prevented by other components of the community that thrived during acidification. Indeed, we observed that the recovery of species that thrived during acidification tended to precede recovery of species that declined during acidification. In addition, correspondence analysis indicated that the zooplankton community followed different pathways during acidification and recovery, suggesting that there is substantial hysteresis in zooplankton recovery from acidification. By providing an example of a relatively rapid recovery from short-term acidification, zooplankton community recovery from experimental acidification in LRL generally reinforces the positive outlook for recovery reported for other acidified lakes.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Extrinsic and intrinsic controls of zooplankton diversity in lakes.

Pelagic crustacean zooplankton were collected from 336 Norwegian lakes covering a wide range of latitude, altitude, lake area, mean depth, production (as chlorophyll a), and fish community structure. Mean zooplankton species richness during the ice-free season was generally low at high latitudes and altitudes. Further, lower species richness was recorded in western lakes, possibly reflecting constraints on migration and dispersal. However, despite obvious spatial limitations, geographic boundaries were only weak predictors of mean zooplankton richness. Similarly, lake surface area did not contribute positively to mean richness such as seen in other ecosystem surveys. Rather, intrinsic factors such as primary production and fish community (planktivore) structure were identified by regression analysis as the major predictors of zooplankton diversity, while a positive correlation was observed between species richness and total zooplankton biomass. However, in spite of a large number of variables included in this study, the predictive power of multiple regression models was modest (<50% variance explained), pointing to a major role for within-lake properties, as yet unidentified intrinsic forces, stochasticity, or dispersal as constraints on zooplankton diversity in these lakes.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Partitioning of polychlorinated biphenyls between Arctic seawater and size-fractionated zooplankton.

Concentrations of hydrophobic organic contaminants in zooplankton have been hypothesized to be governed by either near-equilibrium partitioning with surrounding water, growth dilution, or biomagnification. Concentrations of 17 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were measured in size-fractionated zooplankton, in phytoplankton (> 0.7 microm), and in the dissolved water phase (< 0.7 microm) in the surface water of the northern Barents Sea marginal ice zone east and north of Spitsbergen (Norway) and in the central Arctic Ocean at 89 degrees N. The linear partition model was used to indirectly assess if PCBs were equilibrated between water and the extractable organic matter (EOM) of zooplankton. As an independent test, the relation between the EOM-normalized partition coefficient (log K(EOM)) and trophic level (TL) of the zooplankton (based on delta 15N) was investigated. All log K-log K(OW) regressions were significant (n=18, p < 0.05, r2 = 0.65-0.95), being consistent with near-equilibrium partitioning and indirectly suggesting the absence of biomagnification. No correlation was found between log K(EOM) and TL, further supporting the apparent absence of biomagnification in zooplankton. One implication of these results is a reduced uncertainty in modeling of food web uptake, in which kinetic parameterizations of biodilution or biomagnification in zooplankton may be replaced by a simpler parameterization based on equilibrium partitioning.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Biochemical composition and fatty acid content of zooplankton from tropical lagoon for larval rearing.

Zooplankton samples were collected from the indigenous tropical brackish water lagoon during the wet monsoon (January and February 1990) and the dry monsoon (April and May 1990). The dominant copepod species in the zooplankton community comprising of Oithona sp (especially O. nana and O. robusta) accounted for more than 70% of the zooplankton in January and was gradually replaced by other zooplanktonic species later in the dry season. The lipid contents in zooplankton varied from 0.18 to 1.04% wet weight or 1.14 to 5.92% dry weight respectively. The major fatty acid contents of the zooplankton showed high concentration of 14:0, 16:0, 18:1, 20:5 omega 3 and 22:6 omega 3 especially in the wet season. It also contained high omega-3 highly unsaturated fatty acid series necessary for the growth of commercial fish larvae. It has a better food value than the normally use food organism, brine shrimp; thus reflecting its potential use as food organism for fish larval rearing.

Animal Feed↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Structure and function of pelagic zooplankton in various types of lakes (using the example of small lakes in northwestern Russia].

Changes of structure and functioning of pelagic zooplankton under lake eutrophication were studied in a group of small (without outlet) lakes in southern Karelia and Leningrad region. The lakes were morphologically similar and located within the same climatic zone. Differences in their trophic status were connected with anthropogenic eutrophication. Correlation between species number and feeding resources of a lake is determined as: Y = (8.01 +/- 3.85) + (0.29 +/- 0.07)X1 + (6.75 +/- 1.52)X2, r2 = 0.95, (1) Y--number of zooplankton species, X1--average chlorophyll concentration for the season, mg/1; X2--average value of biochemical oxygen demand (expressed in mgC/1). Average biomass of zooplankton for season also depends on food: logY = (-0.054 +/- 0.224) + (0.242 +/- 0.094)logX1 + (0.170 +/- 0.179)logX2, n = 13, r2 = 0.87, (2) Y--average zooplankton biomass for the season, kcal/m3, X1 and X2 the same as (1). Increase in species number and zooplankton bimass determined primarily by Rotatoria occur in parallel to chlorophyll concentration and activity of bacteria. In acid lakes rotifers are not important in energy balance. In mezotrophic lakes two main energy paths are formed--through rotifers and through Crustacea. The role of rotifers is extremely important in eutrophic lakes where about 80% of energy paths through them. The ratio community production to energy consumption for the growing season is also depended on the community structure (species number, equitability, connectence): Y = (2.257 +/- 0.026) - (0.368 +/- 0.031)X1 + (5.160 +/- 0.442)X2, r2 = 0.99, (3) Y--average seasonal production of zooplankton, kcal/m2; X1--maximal meaning of Shannon index (bites), calculated on biomass value; X2--connectence of the community, calculated according Briand (1983). Eutrophication changes the stability of lakes relative to external influences, while low productive lakes are very sensitive to the increase in nutrient load, high productive lakes are more influenced by changes in fish predation.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Response of microcosm zooplankton to acidification].

Zooplankton community transformation in response to soft water acidification was studied in two experimental series using the microcosm method. The dynamics of total abundance, changes in the proportions of the main zooplankton groups, stability of the dominant complex, and species diversity were evaluated. Zooplankton population proved to decrease at all studied low pH (5-6, 4-5, and 3-4) within the first two weeks relative to the control. At water pH 5-6, either Rotifera-Copepoda or Cladocera-Copepoda zooplankton complex was established depending on the initial community composition; while at pH 4-5, Copepoda predominated in the established zooplankton community. The community edificator species was replaced at pH 4-5. The lowest diversity index was also observed at this pH (1.0-1.5 bit/ind.). In addition, the proportion and absolute population of copepod nauplii and cladoceran Scapholeberis mucronata increased at low pH. A decrease in water pH to 3-4 proved to be disruptive for the zooplankton community.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed2001

Zooplankton assemblages and biomass during a 4-period survey in a northern Mediterranean coastal lagoon.

The authors proposed to examine zooplankton biomass at three stations inside (T and Z) and outside (M) a coastal lagoon of the north-western Mediterranean Sea. Station T represented the lagoon central area, and station Z was positioned in a shellfish farming sector, while the seaside station (M) served as a reference of marine environment. Analyses were designed to outline the net zooplankton assemblages (taxonomic structures and length distributions) in different environmental conditions, including the farming activity. A discriminant analysis of environmental variables determined that temperature, salinity and phytoplankton implied mainly in spatial pattern of the samples. An ordination of taxa biomasses showed two main factors which might contribute to the organisation of the zooplankton assemblages: the geographical position and the thermal period. The geographical position integrated the lagoon-sea water exchange under forcing parameters (habitat, tides and winds). The thermal period reflected both the populations development cycles and the environmental constraints (temperature, salinity, trophic resources). The resulting effects appeared in structured zooplankton assemblages in space and time. The number of 50 microns interval length classes and of taxa decreased from the seaside and the lagoon central area free of farming activity to the shallower farming zone. But the biomass-length distribution profiles did not closely follow such an expected opposition between opened and confined areas: more extended profiles were observed at station Z. Biomass dominant size classes concerned the range up to 300 microns. This size category appeared to collapse in terms of biomass from the seaside or central area of the lagoon towards the farming area, similarly to zooplankton global biomass fluctuations. Difference between biomass levels and between biomass structures suggested that net zooplankton partly acted as food competitors of macro-filtering organisms, and as preys for farming shellfish and associated epifauna. This impact mainly concerned microzooplankton populations.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Trophic transfer of cyanobacterial toxins from zooplankton to planktivores: consequences for pike larvae and mysid shrimps.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the potentially harmful effects of zooplankton preexposed to cyanobacteria on two planktivorous animals: a fish larva (pike, Esox lucius) and a mysid shrimp (Neomysis integer). The planktivores were fed zooplankton from a natural community that had been preexposed to cell-free extract or to purified toxin (nodularin) of the cyanobacterium Nodularia spumigena, and the growth, feeding, and pellet production of the planktivores, as well as the toxin content of the pellets, were measured. In addition, radiolabeled nodularin ((3)H-dihydronodularin) was used in separate experiments to measure the vector transfer of nodularin from zooplankton to their predators. During 11-day exposures, dissolved nodularin was transferred to pike larvae and N. integer via zooplankton at very low rates of accumulation. Treatment with N. spumigena extract decreased the ingestion and feces production rates of pike larvae. With purified nodularin alone, no such effect could be observed. No effect on molting cycle length, fecal pellet production, C:N ratio, or growth of N. integer was detected. The results suggest that dissolved cyanobacterial toxins released during bloom decay can have a negative impact on feeding and, hence, on the growth of fish larvae via zooplankton, even without direct contact between cyanobacteria and the fish.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Response of zooplankton and phytoplankton communities to creosote-impregnated Douglas fir pilings in freshwater microcosms.

Creosote has been used extensively as an industrial wood preservative for the protection of marine pilings, railway ties, and utility poles and is a common source of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) into aquatic environments. At present, there is little information by which to judge the potential for creosote leached from impregnated pilings to cause toxicity to biota in aquatic environments. The objective of the current study was to assess the effects of creosote on zooplankton and phytoplankton populations in freshwater microcosms in relation to changes in the concentration and composition of PAHs leached from creosote-impregnated Douglas fir pilings during an 83-day exposure period. The study consisted of single microcosms containing one half, one, two, three, four, and six treated pilings. Two microcosms that received untreated pilings were used as controls. The total surface area of pilings in each microcosm was normalized by adding the appropriate number of untreated pilings. Samples were collected periodically between -14 and 83 days pre- and postexposure to determine aqueous concentrations of 15 priority PAHs and to assess the response of zooplankton and phytoplankton communities. Plankton community response to creosote was analyzed using principle responses curves. Peak aqueous concentrations of sigmaPAH occurred at day 7, ranging from 7.3 to 97.3 microg/L. Zooplankton abundance decreased in all microcosms after introduction of the impregnated pilings, with the magnitude of response varying as a function of aqueous creosote concentration. Using inverse regression, a no-observed-effect concentration for the zooplankton community of 11.1 microg/L was estimated. In contrast, algal abundance and diversity increased in all treatments between 7 and 21 days and attained levels up to twice that in control microcosms. This trend most likely reflected decreased grazing pressure because of the decrease in zooplankton populations, but it may also have reflected growth stimulation resulting from exposure to various constituents within the creosote mixture. Our results indicate that creosote leached from impregnated pilings deployed under typical conditions (e.g., wharves) may cause transient toxicity to benthic or limnetic communities shortly after deployment, but this likely poses few long-term risks to aquatic freshwater plankton communities.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Some ecological implications of a neem (azadirachtin) insecticide disturbance to zooplankton communities in forest pond enclosures.

A neem-based insecticide, Neemix 4.5, was applied to forest pond enclosures at concentrations of 10, 17, and 28 microg l(-1) azadirachtin (the active ingredient). At these test concentrations, significant, concentration-dependent reductions in numbers of adult copepods were observed, but immature copepod and cladoceran populations were unaffected. There was no evidence of recovery of adult copepods within the sampling season (May to October). The ecological significance of this disturbance to the zooplankton community was examined by determining biomass as a measure of food availability for higher predators, plankton community respiration, dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations, and conductivity as functional indicators of ecosystem stress, and zooplankton food web stability as a measure of effects on trophic structure. The selective removal or reduction of adult copepods was sufficient to measurably reduce total zooplankton biomass for several weeks mid-season. During the period of maximal impact (about 4-9 weeks after the applications), total plankton community respiration was significantly reduced, and this appeared to contribute to significant, concentration-dependent increases in dissolved oxygen and decreases in conductivity among treated enclosures. The reductions in adult copepods resulted in negative effects on zooplankton food web stability through eliminations of a trophic link and reduced interactions and connectance. Comparing the results here to those from a previous study with tebufenozide, which was selectively toxic to cladocerans and had little effect on food web stability, indicates that differential sensitivity among taxa can influence the ecological significance of pesticide effects on zooplankton communities.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed2005

Discriminating zooplankton assemblages in neritic and oceanic waters: a case for the northeast coast of India, Bay of Bengal.

Zooplankton species distribution and abundance data at 17 locations in the inshore (10-30 m), shelf (50-200 m) and oceanic (2,500-2,800 m) regions off northeast India (Bay of Bengal) during January 1999-April 2001 revealed 112 taxa represented by 30 divergent groups. Copepods (58 species) dominated (87%) the population numerically. In general zooplankton diversity (Margalef richness d, Shannon-Wiener H', Pielou's evenness J') increased in the direction of the open sea relative to coastal locations with a concomitant decrease both in abundance (ind m(-3)) and biomass (dry mass m(-3)). Based on multivariate analyses, it was possible to distinguish the zooplankton community into different assemblages according to their location (e.g., inshore, shelf, oceanic) and seasonality. While Acrocalanus sp., Oithona sp., Corycaeus danae, Euterpina acutifrons, Paracalanus sp., and Acartia sp. were found characterizing the coastal locations, Oncaea venusta was the discriminating species for shelf waters. In oceanic areas, there was a clear dominance of Labidocera sp., Candacia sp., Euchaeta rimana, Centropages calaninus, Copilia mirabilis and Corycella gibbula. The investigations revealed that changes in zooplankton community structure across water bodies could be associated with differing salinity. During November 1999 (post-monsoon), when salinity in the coastal waters was relatively low (26-28.9 PSU), the zooplankton community consisted of mainly Acrocalanus sp., Salpa, Corycaeus danae, Oikopleura sp., Acartia sp., Evadne tergestina, and Creseis sp. In January 2000 (salinity 32.4-34.1), additionally Corycella gibbula, Labidocera sp., Centropages sp., Microsetella sp., Euterpina acutifrons, Canthocalanus pauper, and Oncaea venusta represented the population discriminating the assemblage from others. In May 2000 (pre-monsoon) when salinity was highest (34.7-35.3), Oithona sp., Paracalanus sp., and Acrocalanus gibber were found important. Chaetognaths formed a distinct group during this period. Results presented during this investigation are considered significant since no previous studies exist for this locale drawing comparisons of the kind made during this study between coastal and oceanic situations.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

The use of (14)C tracer technique to assess the functional response of zooplankton community grazing to toxic impact.

The use of functional endpoints in risk assessment of pollutants for marine pelagic communities is scarce, especially for the function of zooplankton communities. This work presents a rapid, inexpensive and ecologically relevant technique to assess the effect of toxic compounds on the grazing rates of zooplankton communities. The combination of a (14)C-tracer labelling technique with a fast (< 3 h) and representative sub-sampling and handling makes it possible to measure changes in food uptake of freshly collected natural zooplankton communities in a short-term assay. The methodology is described and its validity is determined by a full account of the fate of isotope tracers (up to 15% taken up by zooplankton). Egg production of Acartia tonsa cultures exposed to DCOI yielded EC(50) values of 118+/-33 nM DCOI after three days, where EC(50) values from grazing of natural zooplankton communities was 136+/-29 nM DCOI, indicating that grazing was the more sensitive variable. Finally the method was tested in a mesocosm experiment designed to evaluate the toxicity of the antifouling compound zinc pyrithion (ZPT) with an EC(50) value of 17 nM ZPT (SD=3.3 nM, n=3). The method was found to be reproducible both at the community (CV=8-39%) and individual level (CV=23-53%), and could detect small changes in response to a toxicant in a natural pelagic system. The use of natural communities in combination with the fast and cost-effective procedure makes this technique a powerful tool in risk assessment, where lack of ecological relevance or reproducible results often results in unwanted high uncertainties.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Sea lice treatments on salmon farms have no adverse effects on zooplankton communities: a case study.

The long-term effects of the sea lice treatment products Excis and Slice on zooplankton communities in a Scottish sea loch were investigated at a commercially operating salmon farm over 31 months. Cypermethrin and emamectin benzoate are the active ingredients in Excis and Slice respectively, which are widely used to control ectoparasitic sea lice on farmed salmon. Excis and Slice treatments did not cause basin-wide effects on the zooplankton community. For both formulations, no adverse affects on zooplankton were detected, instead observed changes in zooplankton abundance and community composition displayed natural seasonal cycles of abundance. Water column concentrations of cypermethrin and emamectin benzoate following sea lice treatments at the fish farm were predicted using models. Cypermethrin concentrations of 3000 ng/l were predicted for short periods immediately after each cage treatment assuming no particle adhesion. The 3-h and 24-h Environmental Quality Standards (EQS) were exceeded for 10 h and 32 h respectively on the second day when five cages were treated. However, cypermethrin concentrations higher than 0.5 ng/l (24-h EQS) were predicted to occur over <2% of the total basin area on each treatment day. The 3-h EQS (16 ng/l) was exceeded in <0.3% of the basin on each treatment day. The concentration of soluble emamectin benzoate present in the water column was predicted from modelled deposition footprints and sediment concentrations to be of order 10(-3) ng/l. Predicted concentrations of both chemicals were generally lower than those causing toxicity to copepods in previous laboratory studies and further support the results of this field study that environmental concentrations of Excis and Slice do not adversely impact zooplankton communities.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Effects of intensive fishing on the structure of zooplankton communities and mercury levels.

Following the impoundment of hydroelectric reservoirs, a small fraction of the mercury (Hg) in the flooded soils is transformed and released into the ecosystem. This causes an increase in the mercury level in the food chain, particularly in piscivorous fish, and represents a potential risk for human health. In 1998, Hydro-Québec carried out an intensive fishing campaign to examine the feasibility of using intensive fishing as a mitigation tool. The goal of this particular part of the project was to evaluate the impact of intensive fishing on the zooplanktonic communities' structure and mercury levels. Specifically, the effects of intensive fishing on: (1) total biomass and zooplankton size structure (>500, 200-500, 100-200 and 53-100 microm); (2) species composition; and (3) total mercury and methylmercury (MeHg) concentrations in zooplankton of different size fractions were studied. Although important decreases were observed in total zooplankton biomass or its size structure, it cannot be related to the intensive fishing. The results, however, show major changes in the dominance of macrozooplanktonic species in fished lakes as opposed to reference lakes. Similarly, in contrast to the reference lakes, mercury and MeHg concentrations in the four size fractions of the zooplanktonic communities changed from 1998 to 2000 in the fished lakes. The MeHg concentration increased from approximately 20 to 200 ng/gdw from the 53 to 500 microm mesh size fraction, showing a biomagnification in the food chain. The canonical correspondence analysis showed that lakes dominated by Holopedium gibberum presented higher concentrations of Hg and MeHg than lakes dominated by Daphnia spp.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Accumulation of microcystins by a tropical zooplankton community.

In the current study, the hepatotoxic peptide microcystins, were measured in the zooplankton community of Jacarepaguá Lagoon during a 6-month period. Concurrent phytoplankton and seston samples were obtained. Microcystins were measured in seston and phytoplankton by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), and in zooplankton by an Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbant Assay (ELISA). Zooplankton community was comprised mainly by the rotifers Brachionus angularis and B. plicatilis, the cladocerans Moina micrura and Ceriodaphnia cornuta and the copepod Metacyclops mendocinus. Phytoplankton was dominated by Microcystis aeruginosa during all the studied period. Microcystins in zooplankton ranged from 0.3 to 16.4 microg g(-1) DW, while in the sestonic samples they ranged from undetectable values to 5.8 ng g(-1) DW. Microcystins in net phytoplankton ranged from 0.3 to 3.9 mg g(-1) DW. We conclude that zooplankton from Jacarepaguá Lagoon were efficient accumulators of microcystins from seston and that these animals can be potential vectors in the transferring of such toxins to higher trophic levels in the aquatic food chain.

Animals↗