Collaborative Research: Effects of Seston Quantity and Quality on Zooplankton in a Mesotrophic Lake

Kreeger和Kilham合作研究：浮游动物数量和质量对中营养型湖泊浮游动物的影响浮游动物是大量存在于湖泊中的小型动物，它们是食物链的关键环节。浮游动物以微小的植物、动物和死亡的有机物质为食，这些物质被称为浮游生物。像大多数动物一样，众所周知，它们会受到食物供应和质量差的负面影响。本研究将利用微胶囊化技术生产多种含有特定生化物质的人工松茸颗粒。将通过测量消化率来分析它们作为浮游动物食物的适用性。最好的颗粒将被送到浮游动物体内，作为对不良饮食的营养补充，动物性能的任何提高都将明确归因于补充剂中特定的生化物质。这项研究的结果将有助于启动一项更广泛的研究计划，以研究自然混合的浮游动物种群如何受到营养限制，这一主题被广泛认为是提高对水生生态学理解的根本障碍。

ABSTRACT 97-08330 Kreeger and Kilham Collaborative Research: Effects of Seston Quantity and Quality on Zooplankton in a Mesotrophic Lake Zooplankton are small animals that abound in lakes where they serve as critical links in the food chain. Zooplankton feed on microscopic plant, animal and dead organic material, called seston. Like most animals, they are known to be negatively affected by poor food availability and quality. This research will use microencapsulation technology to produce a variety of artificial seston particles containing specific biochemicals. These will be analyzed for their suitability as zooplankton diets by measuring digestibility. The best particles will be delivered to zooplankton as nutritional supplements to an otherwise poor diet, and any increase in animal performance will be definitively attributed to the specific biochemical in the supplement. Results of this study will help launch a broader research program to examine how natural, mixed populations of zooplankton can be nutritionally limited, a topic widely perceived to be a fundamental hurdle to an improved understanding of aquatic ecology.