Zooplankton community dynamics in the Trent Seven Waterway along Lake Simcoe and Lake ...

181 Pages·2017·3.18 MB·English

Zooplankton community dynamics in the Trent Seven Waterway along Lake Simcoe and Lake
Couchiching

A thesis presented to
The Faculty of Graduate Studies
of
Lakehead University
by

ANASTASIA MCCLYMONT

In partial fulfillment of requirements
for the degree of
Master of Science in Biology

September 10, 2017

© Anastasia McClymont, 2017
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Abstract
The Trent Severn Waterway (TSW) is a 386km channel that connects Lake Ontario to
Georgian Bay. There is a lack of information on the water quality in the nearshore region of the
TSW specifically in regards to the planktonic communities. Zooplankton are key components of
aquatic ecosystems since they graze on phytoplankton and are preyed upon by planktivorous
fish. Therefore, changes to their community will have significant impacts to lower and upper
trophic levels. The main objectives of this research are to (i) provide baseline data on
zooplankton community dynamics in the nearshore region of the TSW; and (ii) determine if
zooplankton can effectively be used as water quality indicators in this area.
Plankton and limnologic data sampling occurred at eight nearshore sites in Lake Simcoe
and Lake Couchiching along the TSW over ten months from 2015-2016. A deepwater transect
in Lake Couchiching was sampled over three seasons at varying depths. Environmental
variables were collected to indicate water quality and included temperature, dissolved oxygen,
chlorophyll a, pH, conductivity, total suspended load and nutrients (nitrate and total
phosphorous). This study demonstrated that nearshore regions of the TSW exhibit a range of
environmental conditions, varying from mesotrophic (N = 25.12 µg/L, TP = 10.83 µg/L, CHL a
= 1.58 mg/m3) to mesoeutrophic conditions (N = 78.92 µg/L, TP = 31.31 µg/L, CHL a = 13.29
mg/m3).
Additionally, zooplankton community composition exhibited significant variation
spatially and temporally and water quality reflected the degree of anthropogenic disturbance.
The highly disturbed sites (TR, LC, MB, PO) experienced higher nutrient concentrations,
conductivity, zooplankton biomass and density with lower dissolved oxygen concentrations
characteristic of degraded water quality. Zooplankton density ranged from 1.11x107 – 1.43
x108/L among all sites. Biomass varied from 26.09 – 221.16 µg/L with richness varying from
6.2 – 9.4. Diversity did not differ substantially (1.23 – 1.69). RDA found some species level
response to environmental variables although multiple regression explained more variance in the
data. High abundance of Bosmina longirostris in highly disturbed sites indicates more eutrophic
conditions which supports other research. Long term monitoring of zooplankton can provide
baseline data that localized effects from specific anthropogenic stressors can be compared.

ii
Lay summary
Lakehead University’s Department of Biology mission statement is “faculty and students
in the Department of Biology are bound together by a common interest in explaining diversity of
life, the fit between form and function, and the distribution and abundance of organisms”. The
main focus of this study is on zooplankton dynamics and as such contributes to one of the
principal themes in the mission statement, being the relationship between organisms and their
environmental functions. This study advances our understanding of zooplankton dynamics and
the environmental variables that influence this community along the nearshore region of the
Trent Severn Waterway. Zooplankton can be utilized as water quality indicators because they
are impacted by temporal, spatial, biological, chemical and physical processes occurring in lakes.
The major research questions explored were: 1. What is the zooplankton community composition
in this truly dynamic area of study? 2. Does the zooplankton community composition vary with
respect to season, environmental variables and sampling location? 3. Are there certain species or
groups of zooplankton that could be used as biological indicators of water quality in this area?
Results suggest that zooplankton dynamics did vary temporal, spatially and with changing
environmental conditions. Zooplankton biomass and density proved to be good indicators of
anthropogenic stress with both being substantially higher in highly disturbed sites compared to
less disturbed sites which support other research. Long term zooplankton monitoring serves as a
source to compare to localized impacts from anthropogenic disturbances and can provide useful
information about changing water quality conditions.

iii
Acknowledgments
First and foremost, I would like to thank Dr. Sreekumari Kurissery for encouraging me to
pursue a masters to begin with. It was not something I ever thought I could accomplish so that
initial push was crucial to my academic endeavors.
I am incredibly grateful to my supervisor Dr. Nandakumar Kanavillil for his unwavering
dedication, guidance and vast knowledge of aquatic ecosystems. Thank you for challenging me
throughout these past two years. Without your support this research would not have been
possible.
I want to extend a special thank you to Dr. Victoria Te Brugge for her unrelenting
support in the lab, knowledge of zooplankton analytical techniques and constructive feedback on
my research. She is an integral support pillar and I would have been utterly lost without her
technical guidance.
I am very thankful to Dr. Gerardo Reyes for his statistical guidance especially regarding
ordination analysis. Furthermore, I would to thank Hannah Hancock, Amanda Grant, Jeff Chow
and Joel Duncan for helping me safely sampling my nearshore sites. Thank you to Mark Bisset
for using his boat and navigation skills in Lake Couchiching to assist with open water sampling.
I would also like to acknowledge my committee members, Dr. Sreekumari Kurissery and
Dr. Peter Lee, and external auditor Dr. Sapna Sharma for their constructive feedback and valued
knowledge on this thesis.
I could not have completed this journey without the support and reliance of fellow
graduate students. I am grateful for all the discussions, pizza parties and lasting friendships.
Finally, I would like to send many thanks to my family and friends for their unrelenting support
iv
and confidence in my abilities. Without the guidance and support from all of these people
completion of this thesis would not have been possible.

v
Table of Contents
Abstract ........................................................................................................................................................ ii
Lay summary .............................................................................................................................................. iii
Acknowledgments ...................................................................................................................................... iv
List of Tables .............................................................................................................................................. ix
List of Figures .............................................................................................................................................. x
Chapter 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 1
1.1 Overview ............................................................................................................................................ 1
1.2 What are Zooplankton? ................................................................................................................... 2
1.2.1 Cladocerans ................................................................................................................................ 2
1.2.2 Copepods ..................................................................................................................................... 4
1.2.3 Rotifers ........................................................................................................................................ 7
1.2.4 Biotic Influences ....................................................................................................................... 10
1.2.5 Abiotic Influences ..................................................................................................................... 13
1.3 Zooplankton Community Structure Variability due to Anthropogenic Disturbances ............. 15
1.3.1 Invasive Species ........................................................................................................................ 15
1.3.2 Climate Change ........................................................................................................................ 18
1.3.3 Salinity ...................................................................................................................................... 19
1.3.4 Calcium Decline ....................................................................................................................... 20
1.3.5 Nutrient Enrichment ............................................................................................................... 21
1.4 Previous Zooplankton Studies in Lake Simcoe and Lake Couchiching ..................................... 23
1.4.1 Lake Simcoe Water Quality .................................................................................................... 23
1.4.2 Lake Couchiching Water Quality ........................................................................................... 28
1.5 Zooplankton as Biological Indicators of Water Quality .............................................................. 29
1.6 Specific Aims and Research Rationale .......................................................................................... 33
1.6.1 Research Objectives and Questions ........................................................................................ 33
1.6.2 Research Rationale .................................................................................................................. 34
Chapter 2 General Methodology ............................................................................................................. 36
2.1 Study Location ................................................................................................................................ 36
2.2 Sampling Site Descriptions ............................................................................................................. 40
2.3 Zooplankton Analysis ..................................................................................................................... 45
2.4 Phytoplankton Analysis .................................................................................................................. 46
2.5 Environmental Variables ............................................................................................................... 46
vi
2.6 Statistical Analysis .......................................................................................................................... 47
2.6.1 Temporal and Spatial Differences .......................................................................................... 47
2.6.2 Influence of Environmental Variables on Species Composition .......................................... 48
2.6.3 Detecting Species Level Changes with Ordination Analysis ................................................ 49
Chapter 3 Zooplankton Composition and Environmental Variables in the Nearshore Regions of the
Trent Severn Waterway ........................................................................................................................... 50
3.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 50
3.2 Methods ............................................................................................................................................ 57
3.2.1 Study Location ......................................................................................................................... 57
3.2.2 Zooplankton Analysis .............................................................................................................. 57
3.2.3 Environmental Variables ........................................................................................................ 58
3.2.4 Statistics .................................................................................................................................... 58
3.3 Results .............................................................................................................................................. 59
3.3.1 Environmental Variables ........................................................................................................ 59
3.3.2 Zooplankton Community Dynamics ...................................................................................... 75
3.4 Discussion ......................................................................................................................................... 94
3.4.1 Variation in Environmental Variables ................................................................................... 94
3.4.2 Zooplankton Community Dynamics ...................................................................................... 97
3.4.3 Differences between Nearshore and Open Water Sampling Locations ............................ 101
3.4.4 Lake Simcoe and Lake Couchiching Differences ................................................................ 102
3.5 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................... 103
Chapter 4 Zooplankton Community Composition as Indicators of Water Quality in Nearshore
Regions of the Trent Seven Waterway .................................................................................................. 105
4.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 105
4.2 Methods .......................................................................................................................................... 112
4.2.1 Study Location ....................................................................................................................... 112
4.2.2 Zooplankton Analysis ............................................................................................................ 112
4.2.3 Environmental Variables ...................................................................................................... 112
4.2.4 Statistics .................................................................................................................................. 113
4.3 Results ............................................................................................................................................ 113
4.3.1 All Sampling Locations .......................................................................................................... 113
4.3.2 Least Disturbed Sampling Locations ................................................................................... 121
4.3.3 Moderately Disturbed Sampling Locations ......................................................................... 124
4.3.4 Highly Disturbed Sampling Locations ................................................................................. 127
4.4 Discussion ....................................................................................................................................... 130
vii
4.4.1 All Sampling Locations .......................................................................................................... 130
4.4.2 Zooplankton Use as a Biological Indicator .......................................................................... 131
4.5 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................... 133
Chapter 5 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................. 135
References ................................................................................................................................................ 139
Appendix A Phytoplankton species presence at nearshore sites during 2015/2016 sampling ................ 167
Appendix B Phytoplankton species presence at openwater sites during 2015/2016 sampling ................ 170

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List of Tables

Chapter 1
Table 1. Zooplankton indicator species ........................................................................................ 30

Chapter 2
Table 1. Anthropogenic stressors and subsequent disturbed rating for sampling sites ................ 40

Chapter 3
Table 1. Physiochemical data, mean values and standard deviation (in parenthesis) of limnologic
parameters at nearshore and open water sampling sites during the 2015/2016 sampling period. 61
Table 2. Nutrient and chlorophyll a data, mean values and standard deviation (in parenthesis) of
limnologic parameters at nearshore and open water sampling sites during the 2015/2016
sampling period. ............................................................................................................................ 65
Table 3. Environmental variable averages for Lake Simcoe and Lake Couchiching sample sites.
....................................................................................................................................................... 74
Table 4. List of all zooplankton species identified in the nearshore sites throughout the
2015/2016 sampling period. “X’ indicates presence of the species at the site. ............................ 75
Table 5. List of all zooplankton species identified in the open water sites throughout the three
sampling periods. “X’ indicates presence of the species at the site. ............................................. 77
Table 6. List of all zooplankton species identified in the nearshore sites separated into sampling
period. “X’ indicates presence of the species at the site. .............................................................. 78
Table 7. List of all zooplankton species identified in the nearshore sites separated into sampling
period. “X’ indicates presence of the species at the site. .............................................................. 79
Table 8. Zooplankton composition averages for Lake Simcoe and Lake Couchiching sample
sites. .............................................................................................................................................. 87
Table 9. Multiple regression analysis results between zooplankton composition and
environmental variables. Significance indicated by p<0.05*, p<0.01** and p<0.001***. a and b
signify log and square root transformation, respectively. ............................................................. 93

Chapter 4
Table 1. Zooplankton species name and abbreviation used in RDA bi-plots. ........................... 112
Table 2. Weighted correlation matrix values for corresponding environmental variables in RDA
analysis of species biomass in all sites, least disturbed site (DR), moderately disturbed sites (AA,
AB, SR) and highly disturbed sites (TR, LC, MB, PO). Significance indicated by p<0.05* and
p<0.01**………………...……………………………………………..………………….……116
Table 3. Weighted correlation matrix values for corresponding environmental variables in RDA
analysis of species density in all sites, least disturbed site (DR), moderately disturbed sites (AA,
AB, SR) and highly disturbed sites (TR, LC, MB, PO). Significance indicated by p<0.05* and
p<0.01**………………...……………………………………………..………………….……118

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List of Figures

Chapter 1
Figure 1. General morphology of a cladoceran (Witty, 2004) ....................................................... 3
Figure 2. General morphology of a copepod (Witty, 2004) ........................................................... 5
Figure 3. Anatomy of a bdelliod rotifer (University of California, 2016) ..................................... 7

Chapter 2
Figure 1. Map of sampling sites in Lake Simcoe and Lake Couchiching. Map generated through
ERSI ArcGIS…………………………………………………………………………………… 36
Figure 2. The Trent Seven Waterway (Parks Canada, 2015)…………………………………... 37
Figure 3. Lake Simcoe water levels as controlled by a rule curve (Parks Canada, 2015)……... 38

Chapter 3
Figure 1. Log transformed phytoplankton density at nearshore sites and across the 2015/2016
10
sampling period. Error bars indicate standard deviation calculated from triplicate sample
analysis. ......................................................................................................................................... 68
Figure 2. Phytoplankton richness at nearshore sites and across the 2015/2016 sampling period.
Error bars indicate standard deviation calculated from triplicate sample analysis. ...................... 69
Figure 3. Log transformed phytoplankton density at nearshore sites and across the 2015/2016
10
sampling period. Error bars indicate standard deviation calculated from triplicate sample
analysis. ......................................................................................................................................... 70
Figure 4. Log transformed phytoplankton density at open water sites and across the 2015/2016
10
sampling period. Error bars indicate standard deviation calculated from triplicate sample
analysis. ......................................................................................................................................... 71
Figure 5. Phytoplankton richness at open water sites and across the 2015/2016 sampling period.
Error bars indicate standard error. ................................................................................................ 72
Figure 6. Shannon Wiever phytoplankton diversity at open water sites and across the 2015/2016
sampling period. Error bars indicate standard deviation calculated from triplicate sample
analysis. ......................................................................................................................................... 72
Figure 7. Log transformed zooplankton density at nearshore (a) and open water (b) sites and
10
across the 2015/2016 sampling period. Error bars indicate standard deviation calculated from
triplicate sample analysis. ............................................................................................................. 81
Figure 8. Zooplankton richness at nearshore (a) and open water (b) sites and across the
2015/2016 sampling period. Error bars indicate standard deviation calculated from triplicate
sample analysis. ............................................................................................................................ 82
Figure 9. Shannon Wiever diversity of zooplankton at nearshore (a) and open water (b) sites
and across the 2015/2016 sampling period. Error bars indicate standard deviation calculated
from triplicate sample analysis. .................................................................................................... 84
Figure 10. Zooplankton biomass at nearshore (a) and open water (b) sites and across the
2015/2016 sampling period. Error bars indicate standard deviation calculated from triplicate
sample analysis. ............................................................................................................................ 85
x