Castle Lake Limnological Research Station

Overview

Zooplankton are the microscopic animals that are adapted to life in the open water. Most zooplankton are about 0.5 to 1 mm in length--just a dot to the human eye, but under a microscope they resemble tiny shrimp, a relative to zooplankton. Some are herbivorous, eating algae, or predaceous, eating other zooplankton.

Species List

Cladocera

Daphnia rosea
Holopedium gibberum
Bosmina longirostris
Daphnia middendorfiana
Polyphemus pediculus

Copepods

Diaptomus novamexicanus
Diaptomus kenai
Tropocyclops prasinus
Macrocyclops albidus

Rotifers

Asplanchna girodi
Collotheca mutablis
Conochilus unicornis
Filinia terminalis
Gastropus stylifer
Synchaeta pectinata
Polyarthra
Keratella

Zooplankton References

• Axler, R. P., G. W. Redfield and C. R. Goldman. 1981. The Importance of Regenerated Nitrogen to Phytoplankton Productivity in a Subalpine Lake. Ecology. 62:345-354.
• Carlson, J. S. 1968. Primary productivity and population dynamics of zooplankton in Castle Lake, California. Ph.D. Thesis, University of California.
• Hoenicke, R. 1984. The effects of a fungal infection of Diaptomus novamexicanus eggs on the zooplankton community structure of Castle Lake, California. Verh. Int. Ver. Theor. Angew. Limnol. 22: 573-577.
• Janik, J. J. 1988. Nutrient cycling in Castle Lake California: phytoplankton-zooplankton interactions. Ph. D. Thesis, University of California-Davis.
• Redfield, G. W. 1979. Temporal variation in diel vertical migration and the ecology of zooplankton in Castle Lake, California. Ph.D. Thesis, University of California-Davis.
• Redfield, G. W. 1980. The effect of zooplankton on phytoplankton productivity in the epilimnion of a subalpine lake. Hydrobiologia. 70:217-224.
• Redfield, G. W. and C. R. Goldman. 1978. Diel Vertical Migration and Dynamics of Zooplankton Biomass in the Epilimnion of Castle Lake, California. Verh. Int. Ver. Theor. Angew. Limnol. 20: 381-387.