Indices of Productivity in British Columbia Lakes

The relation between physical and chemical indices of production and standard crops of plankton, bottom fauna and fish was examined in 100 British Columbia lakes. A significant increase in plankton and fish quantities with increase in total dissolved solid content of lake waters was demonstrated and a similar relationship suggested for bottom fauna. Although the general form of the relationship between mean depth and plankton, and between bottom fauna and fish quantity, suggested a hyperbolic curve with larger quantities in lakes of low mean depth, the only generalization which seemed justified was that quantities of fauna from lakes of great mean depth were never as high as those found in some lakes of low mean depth. No significant relation was found between intensity and length of growing season and quantities of plankton, bottom fauna or fish, although a significant relationship was demonstrated between summer epilimnion temperature and plankton.In a multiple regression analysis using all lakes the predominance of total dissolved solids over mean depth in affecting summed indices of lake fauna was shown. However for lakes in the southern interior plateau, one of the 9 regions distinguished in British Columbia, no significant relation could be demonstrated between mean depth or total dissolved solids and summed indices of fauna or plankton alone. Thus total dissolved solid content of the water appeared to be the most important factor in determining the general level of productivity in lakes studied throughout the province, although within a region neither total dissolved solids nor mean depth could be used either singly or together to predict plankton, bottom fauna or fish quantities.