Biomass of freshwater crustacean zooplankton from length-weight regressions.

Abstract

Equations are presented for calculating dry weight from body length for 14 common and widely distributed taxa of crustacean zooplankters. Regressions are provided for ovigerous and nonovigerous cladocerans, plus nauplii, early copepodites, and adult males and females for the copepods (30 length-weight relationships) and individual weights for given stages of copepods. Seasonal variation in crustacean biomass was calculated for a station in the Bay of Quinte, Lake Ontario, and for each of the 3 basins of Lake Erie. Biomass was dominated by Cladocera for both lakes, with Copepoda predominant in the spring. Mean individual dry weights varied seasonally for all taxa. -from Authors