Temperature and concentrations of oxygen, phytoplankton, zooplankton and fish were measured simultaneously on the night of 28 February-1 March 1991, in Lake Kinneret, Israel. High concentrations of oxygen, up to 19.9 mg l−1 (207% saturation), were recorded. The phytoplankton was dominated by the dinoflagellate Peridiniwn gatunense, which was horizontally and vertically unevenly distributed. We hypothesize that the oxygen supersaturation was the result of a high standing stock of Peridinium, combined with high irradiance input and mild wind-generated turbulence. The relationship between the concentration of oxygen and Peridinium density was highly significant, both above the thermocline (negative correlation) and below the thermocline (positive correlation). Zooplankton biomass was dominated by cladocerans and cyclopoid copepods. The spatial distribution of these groups was not correlated with other measured parameters. Rotifers and calanoid copepods were highly abundant in the northern part of the lake, and significantly related to oxygen concentrations. It is suggested that the distributions of rotifers and calanoid copepods are affected by the Jordan River inflow. fish abundance was not correlated with limnological parameters or other biological components. We conclude that the distribution of the dominant fish species was governed by factors other than those measured in this study.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Yacobi et al. (1993) studied this question.