Suppression of Alga Blooming by Zooplankton Filter Feeders in Small Water Bodies

Abstract

The study is focused on the ability of filterers–phytophages Daphnia longispina O.F. Mueller to suppress blooming in shallow-water bodies in Moscow oblast. The effect of phytoplankton development on the composition of daphnia populations is studied. With the predominance of small-cell (<40 μm in length) green, yellow-green, and euglena algae in the phytoplankton and, accordingly, in the nutrient budget of daphnia, the biomass of D. longispina (12 mg/L) is 1.5–6.0 times greater than that in the water bodies where the phytoplankton shows the predominance of Aphanizomenon flexuosum Komárek et Kováčik (filamentous cyanobacteria) and Volvox polychlamys Korshikov (cenobial green algae). The mean fertility of the reproducing organisms of D. longispina (the number of eggs per female reached 11) was also higher in the former case.