Zooplankton Abundance and Diversity in Central Florida Grass Carp Ponds

91 Pages·2016·10.01 MB·English

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SSTTAARRSS
Retrospective Theses and Dissertations
1978
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Douglas Lee Fry
University of Central Florida, [email protected]
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SSTTAARRSS CCiittaattiioonn
Fry, Douglas Lee, "Zooplankton Abundance and Diversity in Central Florida Grass Carp Ponds" (1978).
Retrospective Theses and Dissertations. 287.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/rtd/287
ZQOPZANKTON ABUNDANCE AND DIVERSITY
IN CENTRAL FZORIDA GRASS PONDS
. DOUGLAS T,klk! FRY
B. S , Florida Technological University, 1 975
THESIS
Submitted in Farfial fulflhent of the requirements
for the degree of Master of Science: Biological Science
in the Graduate Studies Program of the College of Natural Sciences
of Plorida Technological U. nivezgity at Orlando, Plorida
&.-- I
,,?-3*f T97;' . . -5. -, +<:
L
ABSTRACT
-
The effect of the Asian grass carp (~tenopharyngodoni della Val. )
and aquatic vegetation upon the zooplankton in four adjacent
experimental ponds (0.139 ha each) was studied for one year.
Zooplankton were collected with a newly designed shallow-water sampler.
Pond i contained no qt~atticv egetation. Ponds 2, 3, and 4 contained
nine species of rooted aquatic plants. Gmss carp were stocked into
.
Pond 2 (65 par ha) and Pond 3 (611 per ha) Ptqysicochemical parameters
were similar among the mb.
.
Eighty-eight a ooplaakton species were enumemted The abundance
of zooplankton groups (~otifata,C ladoceza, and ~opepods)w as not
significantly different among the pan& conteinhig grass carp. No
significant differences existed between Pad 3 (high gmss carp
(a)
stocking rate) and Pond 4 (no carp) for species diversity and
(i)
species dominance. The number of species and species diversity was
found to be significantly different Fn Pond 2 (low grass carp stocking
rate) when congared t o Ponds 3 and 4; those differences probably were
not due to the grass carp. Grass carp did not appear to affect the
water quality of the ponds. In general, it was concluded that grass
carp had little, if ariy , Wect or indirect affect upon the
zoopla&ton.
2
Species cornoxmeas was among ponds containing vegetation.
Rotifars were the doerinant zooplankton group in those ponds.
Zooplankton ware moat abundant in the pond without vegetation and were
.
dominated by copepods (notably Tropocyclops psinus) That pond
contained the lowest number of species and had the larest species
(a)
diversity of the ponds. The annual mean for the Simpson Index
(species dominance) was highest in Pond 1. The lack of vegetation m y
hsve influenced the abwdsnce and diversity of the zooplankton in
Pond 1 compared to the other ponds. Those differences also may have
been due to selective predation:->-. .? ,<- , -.b. ?- ''-ysP4:d '< : &.*Z m-W'<i+ o'I,+s&:qLLi3u. --($i tofish (Gambusia affinis) ;
that fish was signllicantly less abundant in Pond 1.
Hy gxatefU appreciation is extended to Dr. John A. Osborne for
the guidcrnce and oppotunities that he provided. I thank Mr. Wayne
Boldin, Mr. JefZrey Space, Mr. Charles Padera, Mr. Claude Swindel, and
Mr. George "lsylar foz their invaluable assistance. I am -tern to
Mr. Ran Kssmaqk, Mr. Stephen Crawford, and Mr. avid Peaxce for their
time and ptience instructing me in zooplankton identification. Dr.
Carl Prophet graciously assisted with the Cladocara and Copepoda
identifications. Msqy thanks are extended to Mr. Joseph Haibach for
his technical a p r t i e e 8nd to Mr. Donald Schmitl; for his advice and
assistance. I thmk Dm. I. Jack Stout, Fkanklin F. Snelsm, Jr., and
Arthur M. Dutton for their suggestiortls and their review of the
manuscript. Finally, I am htiebted to qy p a t s for their ptience,
guidance, and support. This research was Mded by the Florida
iii
TABOLE: OF CONTENTS
Results -4 Dfs~ubafa
m-1 -LII,I-.II-II1-I-IC~111L-Id.....L-.~-~-~--------------
~ & ~ *&b pa---&-----*--*-------i-----~--
Specia Mv-iky ~-cQ------------------------------
Effect of Gram Carp m 2 0 ~ ~ ) ~int Voenget ated Ponds-------
=feet of Aquatic Vegefaflun m the ZooplanLtopl--------------
Effect of Mosquitofish P o ~ f on ith~e Zo oplanktan--------
Sapling Efficiencg of the Sbllaw-Water Zooplankton Sampler-
LIST OF TABLES
Table
1. Bathpmtric measurements for each of the four FTU
p----------------------------------------- 4
2. Cornpxbon of grass carp growth statistics between M%hl
stocking and renovation in Pond 2 and Pond 3--------------0- 7
3. -S of tmatments imposed on fouz FTU exprimental ponds 8
4. Annual mean abuadance of zooplankton species found in four
Fnr experhen- ponds, September, 1975-August, 1976-------- 16
5. Annual maarm of %aopl,anktong roum in four FTU expm3aental
lwG--------------------
pomna,. Sefiww, 1975-Am*; 20
6, A n n a- mean soopbnkfcb species diversity values for four
plnr experrWk1 p~n&, September, i97j-Augn~t, 1976-------- 9
7. The mean ahm&mm o f eo~a,laaktong mags ia three FTU
expecimm+nl pcndr, caaoaiaing a'Cpa.tic wge-ti- a , -the
eight monfhs f c U m ~th'e . introductfon of grass aarp in
Pa& 2 and 3, I.W~-AWS~,I ,9 76-----a=----------- 37
8. Mean values for eooplank~ons peclea .diversity indices
in thee Fm experimental ponds containing aquatic
vegetation during the eight math f~llowingt he
introduction of m s s cazp in Ponds 2 and 3, December,
1975-August, 1976-------------------------------------------
39
9. Meens of p~sicochemicala nd biological parameters in
Pads 2, 3, and 4 dur- the eight months followtrg the
introduction of.grass carp in Pond 2 and Pond 3,
&=em-, iW5-August, 1976-------------------------------- 41
10. Annual means of physicochemical and biological -meters
in Ponds 1 and 4, September, 1975-August, 1976------------0- 45
11. The nunbar of Gambusia affinis per trap in four FTU
experimental ponds, September, I97 5-August, 1 976,
LIST OF F'IGURES
1. Vegetatianal nmp showing the place-t of plants in
p e 2, 3, &------------------------------------------- 5
2. Sketch of 15 liter p l ~ l a s ssfi allow-mter zooplanktoq
sampler used to sanrple four FTU expesbenhJ. ponds---------- 9
3. The J a c D~zd a for species conmcmnese aslong four 3TU
ma,
experrimatal septsmber, 1975=-~mt1,. 976------------ 19
4. Annual pezmmtage of rotifers and microcrustaceans in the
total ~oqhaktoaab undance in four FTlT experimental
pa&, S e p a M , 1975Augustt, 1976----------------------- 22
9s
5. Mont hly mean sooplankton and confidence intervals in
four fill e.xper%am~t;apl onds, September, 1975-Augwt, 1976--- 23
6. Monthly percentages of rotjSars and microcrustacesns in
the zooplanitton in pond I,S eptmbex, iV+A-u8t, 1976----- 24
7. Monthly percentages oi ratiferrs and m i c r o u ~ a t a cin~
the zooplankton in ?am% 2, SeptbPlW, 1975-Augut, 1976----- 26
'
8. Monthly pemcentages of rotifem and microcrustaceans in
the zooplankton in Pond 3, September, 1975-August, 1976----- 27
9. Monthly pexcentages of rotifarra and isicrocrustaceans in
the sooplankton in Pond 4, September, 1975=August, 1976----- 28
10. Monthly mean nwnber of eooplankton species and 9%
confidence intervals in four FTU experimental ponds,
Septa-, 1975-August, 1976------------------------------- 31
11. Monthly means and 9% confidence intamaIs of the
~ m o bnde x (5) for the aoopUztkton in four FTU
experhmnb1 ponds, September, 2 975=August, 1976------------ 32
12. Monthly means and 95% confidence htemals of the
Simpson Index for the zooplankton in four FTU
emirn831h1 p o w , September, 1974-August, 196------------ 34
13. Monthly meens and 9% confidence intervals of the
Redundancy for the zooplankton in four FTU
experadAL ponds, September, 1 975-August, 19 76------------ 35
14. Honthly means and 9% confidence intervals of the
Equitability fndex for the aooplamkton in four FTU
experimental ponda, September, 1975-August, 1976----------0- 36
vii
INTRODUCTION
The influence of environmental factors upon organisms is often
difficult to assess in field studies because of variation in the
environment (~orec~ry19, 56) and differences in sampling methods
.
1957) Using uniform experimental ponds is one approach to
(~ennak,
examine relationships between variables in aquatic ecosysttems, because
the ponds can be controlled (Hall et al., 1970). The use of
experimental ponds to study zooplankton ecoloey is common (see Hasler
.
, ,
and Jones, 1*9; Armitage and Smith, 1968; Hall et a1 1970 ; Amoros
.
1973; 0 ' Brim and deHayelles, 1974) In this study, four experimental
ponds in central Florida were used to determine the abundance and
diversity of eoopLankton as affected Qy veggtstian and the Asian m s s
carp (white amur), Ctenopbsgm~odmi della (~alencie~es)T.h e
shallowness of the ponds necessitated the design of a shallow-water
sooplankton sampler.
%
The difficulties of sampling From shallow waters k v e limited the
number of littoral zooplankton studies. Conventional plankton nets are
ineffective in aquatic vegetation since they collect debris, nraking
zooplankton enuaemtion difficult (penrusk, 1962, 1966; Quade, 1969;
.
Daggett and IBvis, 1974) Zooplankton samplers for littozal regions
.
, ,
have been developed by Pennak (19 62) Andersson et a1 (1975) Ackef ors
(19 71) , van Heusden (19 72) , Icanbefiy and Richardson (19 73) , and
.
Daggett and DBvis (1974) Penaak (1966) determined with the use of a