Abstract

In dimictic, temperate lakes little is known about the quantitative importance of trophic coupling between pelagic and profundal communities. Although it is a generally accepted paradigm that profundal secondary production is dependent on autochthonous pelagic production (primarily diatoms), the importance of interactions between phytodetrital inputs, sediment bacteria, and macroinvertebrates are still not well understood. In this study, we used theoretical models to estimate macroinvertebrate carbon requirement (production + respiration) and bacterial production for lakes of different trophic categories. Comparisons of estimates show that the importance of bacterial production as a carbon source for benthic macroinvertebrates is inversely related to lake trophic state. Assuming that infauna assimilates 50% of ingested bacterial carbon, this food source could account for between 47% (oligotrophic lakes) and 2% (hypertrophic lakes) of their carbon demand. These calculations indicate that bacterial carbon should not be an important C-resource for profundal macroinvertebrates of eutrophic and hypertrophic lakes.

Published in

Netherlands journal of aquatic ecology
1992, Volume: 26, number: 2, pages: 477-483

SLU Authors

• Goedkoop, Willem

  • Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    
  • Uppsala University

• Johnson, Richard

  • Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

UKÄ Subject classification

Ecology


Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/88292