Abstract
The zooplankton community of Lake Livingston was examined in terms of composition, abundance, distribution, and appropriateness as a food resource for paddlefish, Polyodon spathula. By comparing the range of interraker distances of paddlefish (0.06–0.08 mm) to size measurements of different zooplankton taxa, we determined that paddlefish do not consume small rotifers and copepod nauplii as efficiently as they do larger, copepods and cladocerans. All zooplankton taxa (rotifers, cladocerans, and copepods) were comprised of relatively small organisms, and community abundance and biomass were dominated by small rotifers and copepod nauplii most of the year. In fall and winter, however, the biomass was dominated by copepods. A bioenergetics model predicted the paddlefish biomass that could be supported in Lake Livingston at a density of 1.17 kg ha−1, with a range of 0.06 to 10.45 kg ha−1.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 115-128 |
| Number of pages | 14 |
| Journal | Journal of Freshwater Ecology |
| Volume | 13 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Mar 1998 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:Gene Wilde and Doug Barr assisted in zooplankton identification. This study was funded by Texas Parks and Wildlife Division (Federal Aid Sportfish Restoration Act, Project F-3 1-R). We appreciate the assistance provided by Veronica Pitman of TPWD.