Zooplankton Community Analysis

This book is based on the premise that the study of ecological communities should be a composite analysis of system properties (community structure, community energetics) and population properties (life history patterns, adaptive strategies) backed by a thorough understanding of the physical chemical environment. Too frequently community ecology takes a much narrower focus. This may partly be the result of perceived antagonisms between schools of thought in ecology. Despite their rather separate origins, the multiple theoretical and methodological tools that now exist must be applied synthetically to real communities if the progress of the past two decades is to continue into the next two. This book has a case history format, which increases the opportunity for detailed analysis, although I have attempted to maintain the general per spective of a community ecologist and to draw extensively from the literature whenever it seems profitable to do so. The case history data are for Lake Lanao, a large tropical lake. The main zooplankton data base used in the analysis is entirely original and unpublished, although the detailed support ing data on the physical-chemical environment and the phytoplankton com munity have been presented in numerous journal articles and are thus abstracted or used selectively to meet the needs of zooplankton community analysis.

This book aims at providing students and researchers an advanced integrative overview on zooplankton ecology, covering marine and freshwater organisms, from microscopic phagotrophic protists, to macro-jellyfishes and active fish larvae. The first book section addresses zooplanktonic organisms and processes, the second section is devoted to zooplankton spatial and temporal distribution patterns and trophic dynamics, and the final section is dedicated to emergent methodological approaches (e.g., omics). Book chapters include comprehensive synthesis, observational and manipulative studies, and sediment-based analysis, a vibrant imprint of benthic-pelagic coupling and ecosystem connectivity. Most chapters also address the impacts of anticipated environmental changes (e.g., warming, acidification).

Zooplankton are of key importance in the structure and functioning of aquatic food webs. They contribute to a large part of the functional and structural biodiversity of predator and prey plankton communities. Promptly responding to long-term and seasonal changes in the physical and chemical environment, they are sensitive indicators of patterns and mechanisms of impact drivers, both natural and human induced. In this volume, we aim to present evidence for both long-term and seasonal changes in zooplankton community structure and dynamics, investigating different approaches from population dynamics to advanced molecular techniques and reconstructing past communities from subfossil remains in lake sediments.

Estimates of zooplankton biomass were made by use of a LECO Carbon Analyzer. The methodology developed in this study is a rapid, precise and accurate measurement of total carbon. Casein and benzoic acid were used interchangeably as standards. The technique was further tested on Tigriopus californicus which yielded a value of 38.6% C by weight. Estimates of total, living, and dead zooplankton biomass were made in a joint experiment by carbon analysis and ATP-C measurements. Field studies in Monterey Bay demonstrated a definite seasonal trend over the period of three cruises.

The term "zooplankton" describes the community of floating, often microscopic, animals that inhabit aquatic environments. Being near the base of the food chain, they serve as food for larger animals, such as fish. The ICES (International Council for the Exploration of the Sea) Zooplankton Methodology Manual provides comprehensive coverage of modern techniques in zooplankton ecology written by a group of international experts. Chapters include sampling, acoustic and optical methods, estimation of feeding, growth, reproduction and metabolism, and up-to-date treatment of population genetics and modeling. This book will be a key reference work for marine scientists throughout the world. Sampling and experimental design Collecting zooplankton Techniques for assessing biomass and abundance Protozooplankton enumeration and biomass estimation New optical and acoustic techniques for estimating zooplankton biomass and abundance Methods for measuring zooplankton feeding, growth, reproduction and metabolism Population genetic analysis of zooplankton Modelling zooplankton dynamics This unique and comprehensive reference work will be essential reading for marine and freshwater research scientists and graduates entering the field.