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The influence of plant-associated filter feeders on phytoplankton biomass: a mesocosm study

  • SHALLOW LAKES
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Abstract

Low phytoplankton biomass usually occurs in the presence of submerged macrophytes, possibly because submerged macrophytes enhance top-down control of phytoplankton by offering a refuge for efficient grazers like Daphnia against fish predation. However, other field studies also suggest that submerged macrophytes suppress phytoplankton in the absence of Daphnia. In order to investigate these mechanisms further, we conducted an outdoor mesocosm experiment to study the effect of submerged macrophytes (Elodea nuttallii) on phytoplankton and zooplankton biomass. The experiment combined four nutrient addition levels (0, 10, 100, and 1000 μg P l−1; N/P ratio: 16) with three macrophyte levels (no macrophytes, artificial macrophytes, and real macrophytes). We inoculated the tanks with species-rich inocula of phytoplankton and zooplankton but excluded fish or macro-invertebrates. Probably due to the lack of predators in the mesocosms, potential grazing rates of pelagic zooplankton (estimated from zooplankton biomass) did not differ between the macrophyte treatment combinations. Compared to the treatment combinations without macrophytes, lower phytoplankton biomass occurred in the treatment combinations with real macrophytes at all the nutrient addition levels and in those with artificial macrophytes at all the nutrient levels except the highest. Significantly, higher abundances of plant-associated filter feeders (Simocephalus vetulus and Ceriodaphnia spp.) occurred in the treatment combinations with real and artificial macrophytes. The estimated potential grazing rate of these plant-associated filter feeders indicated that these filter feeders could be responsible for the lower phytoplankton biomass in the presence of real and artificial macrophytes. Our results suggest that the plant-associated filter feeders may be significant grazers in vegetated shallow lakes.

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Acknowledgments

We cordially thank Marc Vanderstukken, Johan Michiels, Isabel Lopez Pla and Boudewijn Declerck for their practical help in the setup and maintenance of the experimental tanks. We acknowledge Ellen Devos for counting the zooplankton samples. We are also grateful to Eddy Holsters, Stef Usé, Rony Van Aerschot, and Roger Laermans for logistic assistance. We thank the K. U. Leuven for making the experimental outdoor facility ARENA available for carrying out tank experiments. We acknowledge the constructive comments by two anonymous reviewers and editor R. Burks. This study was financially supported by the ESF EURODIVERSITY project BIOPOOL, nationally funded by BELSPO and FWO-Flanders, and by EU-IP project ALARM (GOCE-CT-2003-506675). S. A. J. Declerck is a postdoctoral fellow of the Fund for Scientific Research-Flanders (FWO-Flanders). Even as this article was being prepared for presentation, M. Vanderstukken was supported by a grant from the Institute for the Promotion of Innovation through Science and Technology in Flanders (IWT-Vlaanderen).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Aquatic Biology, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Campus Kortrijk, Etienne Sabbelaan 53, 8500, Kortrijk, Belgium

    M. Vanderstukken & K. Muylaert

  2. Laboratory of Aquatic Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Ch. De Beriotstraat 32, 3000, Leuven, Belgium

    S. A. J. Declerck & L. De Meester

  3. Laboratory of Plant Ecology, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 31, 3001, Heverlee, Belgium

    M. Vanderstukken & A. Pals

Authors
  1. M. Vanderstukken
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  2. S. A. J. Declerck
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  3. A. Pals
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  4. L. De Meester
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  5. K. Muylaert
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Correspondence to M. Vanderstukken.

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Guest editors: M. Meerhoff, M. Beklioglu, R. Burks, F. García-Rodríguez, N. Mazzeo & B. Moss / Structure and Function of World Shallow Lakes: Proceedings from the 6th Shallow Lakes Congress, held in Punta del Este, Uruguay, 23–28 November, 2008

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Vanderstukken, M., Declerck, S.A.J., Pals, A. et al. The influence of plant-associated filter feeders on phytoplankton biomass: a mesocosm study. Hydrobiologia 646, 199–208 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-010-0189-8

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