Investigation of the Impact of Mercury on Enclosed Water Columns Using a Zooplankton Simulation Model
A computer simulation model of a phytoplankton–zooplankton–salmon system is used to investigate possible causes of different Pseudocalanus minutus s.l. population dynamics in three enclosed water columns. Mercury at 1 and 5 μg/ℓ was added to two enclosures, with the third serving as a control. Repre...
| Published in: | Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada |
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| Main Authors: | , |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Canadian Science Publishing
1977
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/f77-308 http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/f77-308 |
| Summary: | A computer simulation model of a phytoplankton–zooplankton–salmon system is used to investigate possible causes of different Pseudocalanus minutus s.l. population dynamics in three enclosed water columns. Mercury at 1 and 5 μg/ℓ was added to two enclosures, with the third serving as a control. Represented in the model are diatoms, flagellates, P. minutus, and fingerling chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta). Population dynamics are represented in terms of age structure, with age-dependent feeding and survival. Real world data are used to represent the phytoplankton densities. The model results support a hypothesis that the observed Pseudocalanus populations after day 25 could have been a direct consequence of different flagellate populations in the enclosures rather than lethal effects of mercury on molting and reproduction success of the copepod. Key words: modeling, simulation, controlled ecosystems, mercury, zooplankton dynamics |
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