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EVALUATION OF OPTICALLY ACQUIRED ZOOPLANKTON SIZE-SPECTRUM DATA AS A POTENTIAL TOOL FOR ASSESSMENT OF CONDITION IN THE GREAT LAKES
Citation:
Yurista, P. M., J. R. Kelly, AND S E. Miller. EVALUATION OF OPTICALLY ACQUIRED ZOOPLANKTON SIZE-SPECTRUM DATA AS A POTENTIAL TOOL FOR ASSESSMENT OF CONDITION IN THE GREAT LAKES. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT. Springer Science and Business Media B.V;Formerly Kluwer Academic Publishers B.V., , Germany, 35(1):34-44, (2005).
Description:
An optical zooplankton counter (OPC) potentially provides as assessment tool for zooplankton condition in ecosystems that is rapid, economical, and spatially extensive. We collected zooplankton data with an optical zooplankton counter in 20 near-shore regions of four of the Laurentian Great Lakes. The surveys were conducted across a gradient of land use stress in the adjacent watersheds to the near-shore regions. The zooplankton size information was used to compute mean-size, biomass density, and size spectra for each location. The resulting metrics were analyzed for ability to discriminate among the Great Lakes. As a previously proposed zooplankton indicator, mean-size was found to provide discrimination among lakes while size spectra distribution parameters added resolution to the mean-size metric. Biomass density also provided similar discrimination among lakes as did mean-size. A principle components analysis (PCA) of multiple metrics (mean-size, biomass density, and distribution parameters) suggests that regional areas within lakes may be identified as distinct (e.g. Green Bay). The feasibility of using OPCs and size based metrics for zooplankton assessment was found to have potential for further development as an assessment tool for the biological condition of zooplankton communities in the Great Lakes.