Trophic Dynamics of a Changing Zooplankton Community

这是密歇根湖生态系统的案例研究。 基本 该研究项目的目标是提高对 食物网关系、生产力和招聘过程 通过对大规模自然扰动的研究。 一种掠食者最近入侵劳伦五大湖 以前从未出现在新北的无脊椎动物已经改变了 处于中等营养水平的生态系统食物网。 浮游动物物种随后发生了变化 的组成，并在招聘成功的一些鱼类。 这些变化可能是相互关联的。 入侵者的到来 密歇根湖的捕食者已经被记录在案，第一个食物 网站的变化已经量化，背景，基线 可以判断变化的条件是 确立了习 密歇根湖的结果促使了一个新的 对华盛顿湖历史资料的研究， 最重要的模拟研究，并产生了发现， 营养素在生态系统中产生明显不同的结果 比食物网的变化。 %%% 密歇根湖食物网的结构已经改变 自从食肉动物的出现 拜索特里夫斯和莱普托多拉。 这个湖以前就在研究中 捕食者来了，继续检查它的食物 链动态和社区结构将提供重要的 关于调整水生生态系统， 它们食物网的扰动 的包容性， 大湖生态系统使其成为这样一个理想的网站， 调查

This is a case study of the Lake Michigan ecosystem. The basic goal of the research program has been to improve understanding of food web relations, productivity and recruitment processes through the investigation of large-scale natural perturbations. Recent invasion of the laurentian Great Lakes by a predatory invertebrate never before present in the Nearctic has altered ecosystem food webs at a middle trophic level. Changes have subsequently occurred in zooplankton species composition, and in recruitment success of some fish species. These changes may be linked. The arrival of the invading predator in Lake Michigan has been documented, the first food web changes have been quantified, and the background, baseline conditions against which changes can be judged have been established. The results from Lake Michigan prompted a new examination of historical data from Lake Washington, one of the most important analog studies, and yielded the discovery that nutrients produce distinctly different results at the ecosystem level than do food web changes. %%% The structure of the food web of Lake Michigan has changed substantially since the introduction of the predators Bythotrephes and Leptodora. The lake was under study before the predators arrived, and continued examination of its food chain dynamics and community structure will provide important insight on the adjustment of aquatic ecosystems to major perturbations in their food webs. The contained nature of the Great Lake ecosystem makes it an ideal site for such an investigation.