Predation and nutrients impacts on planktonic microbial food webs
An experimental study was conducted using large enclosures (8 m diam., 12 m depth.) set up in a humic lake on the Canadian Shield to determine the effects of nutrients and planktivorous fish on the microbial food web (protozoans, phytoplankton and zooplankton). A four treatments factorial design was applied as following: C (control), N (nutrients), P (planktivorous fish) and NP (nutrients and fish). Zooplankton, ciliate and phytoplankton abundance and biomass were measured for six weeks in the epi-, meta- and hypolimnion. In the fish enclosure, the decrease of cladoceran biomass produced an increase in ciliate abundance and phytoplankton biomass when both fish and nutrients were present. Nutrient loading increased the biomass of cladocerans, phytoplankton and ciliates. This study showed that, in humic lakes, the microbial community is regulated not only by nutrients, but top-down effects, via fish predation, must also be considered.