• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.111-115
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• 2008

Direct effects of zooplankton grazing activities on the natural assemblage of bacterioplankton and algae were evaluated at monthly intervals, from June to October of 2000, in the middle part of the River Spree, Germany. We quantified bacterioplankton, algae, zooplankton abundance and measured carbon ingestion rates (CIRs) by zooplankton according to two zooplankton size classes: (i) micro zooplankton (MICZ), ranging in size from 30 to $150{\mu}m$ and including rotifers and nauplii, excluding protozoans and (ii) macrozooplankton (MACZ), larger than $150{\mu}m$ and including cladocerans and copepods. CIRs were measured using natural bacterial and algae communities in the zooplankton density manipulation experiments. Algae biomass (average${\pm}$SD: $377{\pm}306{\mu}gC\;L^{-1}$, n=5) was always higher than bacterial biomass ($36.7{\pm}9.9{\mu}gC\;L^{-1}$, n=5). Total zooplankton biomass varied from 19.8 to $137{\mu}gC\;L^{-1}$. Total mean biomass of zooplankton was $59.9{\pm}52.5{\mu}gC\;L^{-1}$ (average${\pm}$SD, n=5). Average MICZ biomass ($40.2{\pm}47.6{\mu}gC\;L^{-1}$ n=5) was nearly twofold higher than MACZ biomass ($19.6{\pm}20.6{\mu}gC\;L^{-1}$ n=5). Total zooplankton CIRs on algae (average${\pm}$SD: $56.6{\pm}26.4{\mu}gC\;L^{-1}\;day^{-1}$) were $\sim$fourfold higher than that on bacteria $(12.7{\pm}6.0{\mu}gC\;L^{-1}\;day^{-1})$. MICZ CIRs on bacteria $(7.0{\pm}2.8{\mu}gC\;L^{-1}\;day^{-1})$ and algae $(28.6{\pm}20.6{\mu}gC\;L^{-1}\;day^{-1})$ were slightly higher than MACZ CIRs. On average, MICZ accounted for 55.6 and 50.5% of total zooplankton grazing on bacteria and algae, respectively. Considering the MICZ and MACZ CIRs, the relative role of transferring carbon to higher trophic levels were nearly similar between both communities in the lake-river ecosystem.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.33 no.3 s.91
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• pp.197-205
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• 2000

Factors most strongly related to zooplankton growth rates were studied along a lake and a river stretch in the middle part of the lowland River Spree. The study was conducted at the lake inflow (S1), the lake outflow (S2), and at the end of a 21 km stretch of the outflow (S3) from March to November of 1999. Total zooplankton biomass increased significantly at S2 and then sharply decreased at S3. The abundance of microzooplankton (rotifers and nauplii) was strongly higher than macrozooplankton (cladocerans and copepodids) at all station. However, macrozooplankton biomass (${\mu}$g dw 1$^{-1}$) was similar or much higher than microzooplankton biomass. Large-bodied cladocerans (Daphnia cucullata) dominated at S2 while small-bodied cladocerans (Bosmina longirostris) dominated at S1 and S3. Patterns in growth rates (r$_{t}$ in d$^{-1}$ of the major zooplankton community were greatly different between S1 and S2 (lake stretch) and between S2 and S3 (river stretch). In the lake, growth rates generally were positive, while values of growth rates were negative in the river stretch. Among the environmental variables considered, partial retention time (PRT, d$^{-1}$) seemed to play the most important role in determining characteristics of the zooplankton community structure in the middle part of River Spree.