Abstract
Bythotrephes cederstroemii Schoedler (Crustacea: Cladocera), a predator previously confined to the Palearctic, has successfully invaded the North American Great Lakes1–3. Bythotrephes is a voracious predator on herbivorous Cladocera, including the dominant grazers in Lake Michigan during the summer. Lake Michigan has been the source of active debate regarding the relative importance of nutrient income versus food-web relations to its trophic state and water quality4–6. The recent species invasion has directly altered the lake's food web at a middle trophic level. During summer 1987 Bythotrephes populations increased rapidly in the offshore regions of Lake Michigan and abundances of herbivorous zooplankton simultaneously declined. Despite the resulting relaxation of herbivory, participate chlorophyll concentrations, an index of algal biomass, did not increase. These results suggest that primary producers are most constrained by abiotic forces in this deep oligotrophic lake.
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Lehman, J. Algal biomass unaltered by food-web changes in Lake Michigan. Nature 332, 537–538 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1038/332537a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/332537a0
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