Littoral and limnetic zooplankton communities in Lake Mead, Nevada-Arizona, USA

Authors

Patrick J. Sollberger, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Larry J. Paulson, University of Nevada, Las VegasFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1991

Publication Title

Hydrobiologia

Publisher

Kluwer Academic Publishers

First page number:

1

Last page number:

11

Abstract

Zooplankton were collected from adjacent littoral and limnetic sites in Lake Mead, Nevada-Arizona, USA. Limnetic species dominated both littoral and limnetic zooplankton communities; littoral species rarely exceeded 2% of monthly total zooplankton densities. Low species richness of littoral taxa and high similarity in species composition between littoral and limnetic habitats appeared to result from uniform horizontal physical and chemical environments, due to horizontal mixing, and from the absence aquatic macrophytes.

Significant differences in spatial distribution occurred in phytoplankton biomass, total zooplankton density, and fish "abundances; highest concentrations of these factors occurred nearest an inflow high in nutrients and progressively declined farther below the inflow. These factors generally showed no significant difference between adjacent littoral and limnetic sites. Large variation also occurred in seasonal zooplankton community structure among some sites.

Keywords

Fish abundance; Limnetic; Littoral; Phytoplankton biomass; Species richness; Zooplankton

Disciplines

Biology | Environmental Health and Protection | Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment | Environmental Monitoring | Fresh Water Studies | Natural Resources and Conservation | Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology | Water Resource Management

Language

English

Repository Citation

Sollberger, P. J., Paulson, L. J. (1991). Littoral and limnetic zooplankton communities in Lake Mead, Nevada-Arizona, USA. Hydrobiologia 1-11.
Available at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/water_pubs/83