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Suspended clay concentration controlled by filter-feeding zooplankton in a tropical reservoir

Abstract

Clay suspended in lake water may be an important factor in limiting primary production by decreasing availability of light1‐3 and of nutrients4,5. Seasonal changes in the concentration of suspended clay in a lake or a reservoir are usually attributed to the periodicity in hydrological events such as flooding, stratification and mixing6–9. From data presented here it is evident that filter–feeding Zooplankton are also important in determining the seasonal ity of clay abundance. I show that monthly, predator–induced periodicities in the density of Zooplankton are synchronized with the periodicities in the rate of decrease in the clay–induced turbidity of the surface waters of a tropical reservoir.

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Gliwicz, M. Suspended clay concentration controlled by filter-feeding zooplankton in a tropical reservoir. Nature 323, 330–332 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1038/323330a0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/323330a0

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