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ZOOPLANKTON SIZE-SPECTRA IN GREAT LAKES COASTAL WATERS
Citation:
Yurista, P. M., J. R. Kelly, AND S E. Miller. ZOOPLANKTON SIZE-SPECTRA IN GREAT LAKES COASTAL WATERS. Presented at International Association for Great Lakes Research Meeting, Chicago IL, June 23-26, 2003.
Description:
Zooplankton mean size and size-distribution are affected by planktivore pressure and potentially reflect the condition of trophic interactions and ecosystem health. We used an optical plankton counter (OPC) to survey and assess zooplankton size-spectra for twenty locations in Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron and Erie. The surveys were conducted in near-shore regions (5m to 20m depth) and on associated transects to offshore regions.
The near-shore regions were randomly chosed across a land-use stress gradient based on seven PCA axes composed of >200 parameters. The mean size and statistical distribution of zooplankton size were determined from OPC measurements for all locations. Differences in mean size and the slope and shape of size-spectra were observed between lakes. Characteristic parameters associated with spectra shape may have potential for refining zooplankton-mean-size as a metric for a biological indicator of ecosystem health.