The Resource Status of Plankton after Stocked Protosalanx chinensis Population Collapse in a Lake of Northeastern China

In order to understand the relative strength of top-down and bottom-up control in lakes of grazing alien fish, Protosalanx chinensis, investigations were designed in Lake Longhu (Lake L, P. chinensis introduced in 2013) and Lake Qijia (Lake Q, P. chinensis free). Plankton samples were collected bimonthly through the whole life cycle of P. chinensis (from February to December in 2018). A total of 133 phytoplankton and 68 zooplankton species were recorded in the two lakes. The total density and biomass of phytoplankton and zooplankton were 991.89 x 10(4) ind/L and 9.2418 mg/L as well as 5212 ind/L and 20.2646 mg/L, respectively. This study revealed that P. chinensis grazing did not deplete the zooplankton resources in the lake where it was stocked. Biodiversity in Lake L was not significantly different from that in Lake Q based on both phytoplankton and zooplankton. Overall, the over grazing of P. chinensis was not found in Lake L. Nevertheless, compared to Lake Q, the correlation between phytoplankton and zooplankton was weakened in Lake L, which meant there were still some effects of stocking P. chinensis on the ecological equilibrium of the plankton community, although no dramatic influences were found in Lake L yet. We also found that P. chinensis and Cladocera were significantly correlated, which should account for the top-down influences. Long-term successive investigations are suggested for sustainable resource utilization and maintaining biological balance.

Automated summary

This study investigated the impact of grazing alien fish, Protosalanx chinensis, on the ecological equilibrium of lake plankton communities. The results showed that the stocking of P. chinensis did not deplete zooplankton resources and did not significantly affect biodiversity. However, there was a weakened correlation between phytoplankton and zooplankton in the lake where P. chinensis was stocked, indicating some effects on the ecological equilibrium. Long-term successive investigations are recommended for sustainable resource utilization and maintaining biological balance.