Factors Controlling Zooplankton Dynamics in a Subtropical Lake During Cyanobacterial Bloom Events
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FACTORS CONTROLLING ZOOPLANKTON DYNAMICS IN A SUBTROPICAL LAKE DURING CYANOBACTERIAL BLOOM EVENTS By AKEAPOT SRIFA A THESIS PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2010 1 © 2010 Akeapot Srifa 2 To my parents, my role models in diligence and positive thinking 3 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First of all, I would like to express my most sincere gratitude to my supervisor, Professor Edward J. Phlips, for his ceaseless academic dedication during my graduate study in the University of Florida. He has willingly supported me from the beginning in academia and provided excellent research experiences during the past two years. I would like to express my most sincere to other supervisory committee members, Professor Karl E. Havens and Professor Mark Brenner, for sharing me their professional research excellence, and for giving me invaluable and constructive suggestions and comments to the research I made during my study. I would like to gratefully acknowledge Professor Charles E. Cichra and Mary Cichra for their generosity and dedications in the academic supports and guidance. Without the supports from them, this research would not have been completed. My special thanks also extend to Dr. Mete Yilmaz for his invaluable help and suggestions in professional laboratory skills, Dr. Lance Riley for his captaincy on the research vessel, Don O’steen and Linghan Dong for their helps in sampling sessions, Dorota Roth and Joey Chait for their help in sample analyses, Amanda Croteau and Brittany Baugher for their help in the identification of microscopic zooplankton, my colleagues Nikki Dix, Loren Mathews, and Paula Viveros for their kind help throughout my laboratory works as well as academic skills. Last but not least, I would like to express my heartiest gratitude to my parents and my brother in Thailand for their tireless encouragements and continuous support throughout my study. 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...................................................................................................... 4 LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................................ 7 LIST OF FIGURES .............................................................................................................. 8 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS .............................................................................................. 10 ABSTRACT........................................................................................................................ 11 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................ 13 2 RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY .......................................................... 16 Study Site .................................................................................................................... 16 Sampling Locations .................................................................................................... 16 Field Observation and Water Sampling ..................................................................... 17 Cyanobacterial Toxin Analysis ................................................................................... 19 Microscopic Analysis of Zooplankton ......................................................................... 19 Precipitation and River Flow Rate .............................................................................. 20 3 RESULTS.................................................................................................................... 22 Chlorophyll a Concentration ....................................................................................... 22 Cyanobacterial Toxin Levels ...................................................................................... 22 Water Chemistry and Physical Variables................................................................... 23 Overview Survey of Zooplankton ............................................................................... 26 Dynamics of Three Major Zooplankton Groups ......................................................... 26 Cladocerans ......................................................................................................... 26 Copepods ............................................................................................................. 26 Rotifers ................................................................................................................. 27 Zooplankton Dynamics in Different Functional Groups ............................................. 28 Cladocerans ......................................................................................................... 28 Copepods ............................................................................................................. 29 Rotifers ................................................................................................................. 29 Relationship between Zooplankton and Physical-Chemical Variables ..................... 30 Major Group Level................................................................................................ 30 Functional Group Level ........................................................................................ 31 5 4 DISCUSSION .............................................................................................................. 53 Cladoceran Dynamics ................................................................................................ 57 Copepod Dynamics .................................................................................................... 61 Rotifer Dynamics ........................................................................................................ 64 5 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................ 69 ZOOPLANKTON FUNCTIONAL GROUPS...................................................................... 70 LIST OF REFERENCES ................................................................................................... 71 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH................................................................................................ 76 6 LIST OF TABLES Table page 3-1 Zooplankton species list found during this study period. ...................................... 49 3-2 Correlation between water physical-chemical parameters and zooplankton absolute biovolumes in different levels of functional groups and taxa in the station of LEO ......................................................................................................... 51 3-3 Correlation between water physical-chemical parameters and zooplankton absolute biovolumes in different levels of functional groups and taxa in the station of LAG ......................................................................................................... 52 4-1 Significant differences in zooplankton abundance indices between the two sampling stations and the two sampling times among 51 zooplankton genera and 11 functional groups. ....................................................................................... 68 7 LIST OF FIGURES Figure page 2-1 Location of Lake George in Florida regional outline map and locations of the two selected sampling sites, LEO and LAG, in Lake George. .............................. 21 2-2 Total daily precipitation at the LEO station during the study period ..................... 21 3-1 Dynamics of chlorophyll a levels during the study period. .................................... 33 3-2 Dynamics of three cyanobacterial toxins: Saxitoxin, Cylindrospermopsin , and Microcystins.................................................................................................... 34 3-3 Depths at the sampling sites. ................................................................................. 35 3-4 Temperature at the water surface. ........................................................................ 35 3-5 Secchi depths in the lake. ...................................................................................... 36 3-6 Turbidity in NTU during the study period. .............................................................. 36 3-7 Water color (CDOM) during the study period. ....................................................... 37 3-8 Dissolved oxygen levels in water surface and 20 cm above the lake bottom. ..... 38 3-9 Specific conductivity during the study period. ....................................................... 39 3-10 pH at the water surface during the study period. .................................................. 39 3-11 Phosphorus content in water samples were Total Phosphorus and Soluble Reactive Phosphorus. ............................................................................................ 40 3-12 The examination of nitrogen contents in water samples included Total Nitrogen, Ammonium, Nitrate, and Nitrite.............................................................. 41 3-13 Silica levels during the study period. ..................................................................... 42 3-14 Cladoceran abundance indices included their absolute biovolume, relative biovolume, absolute abundance, and relative abundance. .................................. 43 3-15 Copepod abundance indices included their biovolume, relative biovolume, abundance, and relative