Investigation of the Impact of Mercury on Enclosed Water Columns Using a Zooplankton Simulation Model

• Published in: Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada
• Main Authors: Sonntag, Nicholas C., Greve, Wulf
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Canadian Science Publishing 1977
• Subjects: Keta; Pseudocalanus minutus
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/f77-308; http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/f77-308

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