A Guide to the Zooplankton of Lake Champlain
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A Guide to the Zooplankton of Lake Champlain Item Type Article Authors Carling, Karen; Ater, Ian; Bouchard, Adam; Mihuc, Timothy Publisher Scientia Discipulorum: SUNY Plattsburgh Download date 29/09/2021 14:20:08 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12648/1251 Plattsburgh State University of New York Volume 1 (2004) A Guide to the Zooplankton of Lake Champlain Karen J. Carling, Ian M. Ater, Megan R. Pellam, Adam M. Bouchard, Timothy B. Mihuc (Faculty) Lake Champlain Research Institute, Plattsburgh State University, Plattsburgh, NY ABSTRACT This key was developed by undergraduate research students working on a project with NYDEC and the Lake Champlain Monitoring program to develop long-term data sets for Lake Champlain plankton. Funding for development of this key was provided by, the Lake Champlain Basin Program through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (NYDEC). The key contains couplet keys for the major taxa in Cladocera and Copepoda and a picture key to the major Rotifer plankton in Lake Champlain. All drawings are original by Ian M. Ater. Many thanks to the employees of the Lake Champlain Research Institute and the NYDEC for hours of excellent work in the field and in the lab: Robert Bonham, Adam Bouchard, Trevor Carpenter, Virginia Damuth, Jeff Jones, Marti Kroll, Dustin Lewis, Shannon Margrey, Tracy McGregor, Stephanie Stone and David Welch. We greatly appreciate the time and effort of Paula Woodward and Francis Dumenci in helping to put this guide together. Keywords: Lake Champlain; zooplankton; identification; key INTRODUCTION Lake Champlain is one of the largest freshwater bodies in the United States. The Lake Champlain drainage basin is bordered by the Adirondack Mountains of New York to the west and the Green Mountains of Vermont to the east. This unique ecosystem has a surface area of 1130 km2, a length of 200 km and a mean depth of 19.4 m. The lake shoreline extends from Quebec in the north, 200 km south to Whitehall, New York, where it connects to the Hudson-Champlain canal. Islands and man-made transport causeways divide the lake into several distinct parts: Main Lake, South Lake, and Northeast Arm including Missisquoi Bay, and Malletts Bay. Malletts Bay and Missisquoi Bay are nearly isolated from the Northeast Arm, Malletts Bay by a narrow, shallow channel located between North and South Hero Islands, and Missisquoi Bay by an elongated shallow region (Meyer and Gruendling, 1979). The Northeast Arm is separated from the Main Lake by large islands that result in relative isolation (Shanley and Denner, 1999). South Lake is south of Crown Point it’s described as a river-like section that represents 40% of the lakes length, but less than 1% of its volume; while the Main Lake, which occupies the area from Rouses Point to Crown Point, represents 82% of the total volume (Meyer and Gruendling, 1979; Shanley and Denner, 1999). The Lake Champlain Monitoring Program has measured water quality variables and collected biological samples for plankton at 12-14 sites throughout Lake Champlain since the early 1990’s. Zooplankton sampling procedures were based on handbooks published by Vollenweider (1969) and Edmonson (1971). All sampling, (water quality and biological) was conducted by the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (NYDEC) and the New York State Museum staff. Zooplankton samples were taken as vertical net tows; from just above the sediment to the surface, using a 30cm diameter, 38 A guide to the Zooplankton of Lake Champlain Plattsburgh State University of New York Volume 1 (2004) 153micron mesh net. Net retrieval rate was 1 meter per second. All samples were preserved using a formalin-rose Bengal solution (Carling et al., in press). Lab identification was made to the lowest possible taxon using standard taxonomic keys (Balcer et al., 1984, Grothe and Grothe, 1977, Pennak, 1989, Thorp and Covich, 1991, Smith and Fernando, 1978) with verification as needed by regional experts (Carling et al. in press). While keys to the zooplankton of the Great Lakes exist, no key has been developed specific to Lake Champlain zooplankton. All identifications were made using a compound microscope with 200-800x oculars. Rotifers were allowed to settle in Sedgwick-rafter cells prior to identification. The following is a dichotomous key developed by student researchers at the Lake Champlain Research Institute. It is representative of the zooplankton identified in the samples collected by NYDEC between 1992-2001, and historical records from (Shambaugh et al., 1999, Myer and Gruendling, 1979, and Muenscher, 1929). 39 A guide to the Zooplankton of Lake Champlain Plattsburgh State University of New York Volume 1 (2004) Helmet ANTERIOR Head length Compound eye Rostrum First Antenna Second Antenna DORSAL Dorsal ramus Carapace Ventral ramus Body length VENTRAL Brood chamber Postabdominal claw Swimming Setae Shell spine Spine length POSTERIOR Figure 1 General morphology of Cladocera 40 A guide to the Zooplankton of Lake Champlain Plattsburgh State University of New York Volume 1 (2004) ANTERIOR Ey e Second Antenna Metasome First Antenna Cep halic Segment DORSAL VENTRAL Urosome Genital Segment Thoracic Legs Caudal Rami Lateral setae Caudal setae (Terminal setae) POSTERIOR Figure 2 General morphology of Copepoda 41 A guide to the Zooplankton of Lake Champlain Plattsburgh State University of New York Volume 1 (2004) Figure 3 Juvenile Daphnia Figure 4 Copepod Nauplius 42 A guide to the Zooplankton of Lake Champlain Plattsburgh State University of New York Volume 1 (2004) CLASSIFICATION OF LAKE CHAMPLAIN ZOOPLANKTON PHYLUM ARTHROPODA Class Crustacea Subclass Branchiopoda Order Cladocera Suborder Halopoda Family Leptodoridae—Leptodora Suborder Eucladocera SUPERFAMILY SIDOIDEA Family Sididae—Sida, Diaphanosoma Family Holopedidae—Holopedium SUPERFAMILY CHYDOROIDEA Family Daphnidae—Ceriodaphnia, Daphnia Family Bosminidae—Bosmina, Eubosmina Family Chydoridae—Chydorus, Alona, Alonella, Pleuroxus Camptocercus, Acroperus, Eurycercus Subclass Copepoda Order Eucopepoda Suborder Calanoida Family Pseudocalanidae—Senecella Family Centropagidae—Limnocalanus Family Temoridae—Epischura Family Diaptomindae—Leptodiaptomus, Skistodiaptomus Suborder Cyclopoida Family Cyclopidae—Acanthocyclops, Cyclops, Diacyclops, Eucyclops, Macrocyclops, Mesocyclops, Tropocyclops Suborder Harpacticoida PHYLUM ROTIFERA Class Monogononta Order Flosculariacea Family Conochilidae—Conochilus Family Filiniidae—Filinia Order Ploimida Family Asplanchniadae—Asplanchna Family Brachionidae—Brachnoid, Keratella, Kelicottia, Nothalca, Branchionus Family Synchaetidae—Ploesoma, Polyarthra, Synchaeta Family Lecanidae—Monostyla, Lecane Family Trichocercidae—Trichocerca Family Gastropodiade—Ascomorpha, Gastropus Family Euchlanidae—Euchlanis Order Collothecacea Family Collothecidae—Collotheca Family Atrochidae—Cupelopagis 43 A guide to the Zooplankton of Lake Champlain Plattsburgh State University of New York Volume 1 (2004) SPECIES DISTRIBUTION LIST South Lake Main Lake Northeast Arm North Lake Missisquoi Bay (site 4) (site 19) (site 34) (site 36) (site 50) Cyclopoid Copepods Cyclops scutifer X X X X Diacyclops thomasi X X X X X Eucyclops serrulatus X X X X Thermocyclops crassus X X X X X Mesocyclops/Macrocyclops X X X X X Tropocyclops X X X X X Acanthocyclops X X X X X Calanoid Copepods Epischura X X X X X Leptodiaptomus/Skistodiaptomus X X X X X Senecella calanoides X X X X X Limnocalanus X X X X X Harpacticoid Copepods Harpacticoid spp. X X X Cladocerans Bosmina longirostris X X X X X Bosmina spp. X X X X X Eubosmina X X X X X Ceriodaphnia X X X X X Daphnia longiremis X X X Daphnia mendotae X X X X X Daphnia retrocurva X X X X X Daphnia spp. X X X X X Alona bicolor X Chydorinae spp. X X X Diaphanosoma birgei X X X X X Diaphanosoma spp. X X X Holopedium gibberum X X X X X Leptodora kindti X X X X X Rotifera Asplanchna X X X X X Kelicottia X X X X X Keratella cochlearis X X X X X Keratella quadrata group X X X X X Nothalca squamala X X X X X Conochilus X X X X X Polyarthra X X X X X Brachinoid spp. X X X X X Branchionus calyciflorus X Ploesoma X X X X X Monostyla X X X X Synchaeta X X X X X Trichocerca X X X X X Filinia X X X X Ascomorpha/Gastropus X X X X X Lecane X Cupelopagis X Collotheca X Euchlanis X 44 A guide to the Zooplankton of Lake Champlain Plattsburgh State University of New York Volume 1 (2004) DEC monitoring sites 45 A guide to the Zooplankton of Lake Champlain Plattsburgh State University of New York Volume 1 (2004) Cladocera 1a. Thorax, abdomen, and thoracic appendages covered by a shell-like carapace….....…3 1b. Thorax, abdomen, and thoracic appendages not covered by carapace.……………....2 2. Body long and slender (up to 18mm long); eye is small, second antennae with approximately 50 swimming seta (Fig. 5)…………………………....Leptodora kindti 3a. Humpbacked animals, often a gelatinous sheath covers the back, swimming appendages unbranched in females (Fig. 6)………………..…..Holopedium gibberum 3b. Back not humped, no gelatinous sheath, swimming appendages branched in 2……..4 nd 4a. Swimming appendages with more than 10 setae in a row on one side of the 2 antennae…..………...…………………………...……………….…Family SIDIDAE, 5 4b. Swimming appendages with 10 or fewer setae on the 2nd antenna ……….... 6 5a. Rostrum (beak) present, >14 setae on the dorsal branch of the 2nd antennae (Fig. 7)… ……………………………………………………………….… Diaphanosoma birgei 5b. Rostrum (beak) not present, <14 setae on the dorsal ramus of the 2nd antennae, large compound eye present in the center of the head near the ventral margin (Fig. 8)..…… ……………………………………………………………………….. Sida crystallina body shapes can vary from ovate to ellipsoidal 46 A guide to the Zooplankton of Lake Champlain Plattsburgh State University of New York Volume 1 (2004) Figure 5 (Leptodora kindti) Figure 6 (Holopedium gibberum) 47 A guide to the Zooplankton of Lake Champlain Plattsburgh State University of New York Volume 1 (2004) Figure 7 (Diaphanosoma birgei) Figure 8 (Sida crystalline, lateral view) 48 A guide to the Zooplankton of Lake Champlain Plattsburgh State University of New York Volume 1 (2004) 6a.