T. Mehner et R. Thiel, A review of predation impact by 0+fish on zooplankton in fresh and brackish waters of the temperate northern hemisphere, ENV BIOL F, 56(1), 1999, pp. 169-181
To assess potential differences in predation impact on zooplankton communit
ies by small (larva) and larger 0+ juvenile fish, 18 studies were reviewed
from fresh water and the brackish Baltic Sea of the northern hemisphere tem
perate region. These case studies were performed either in the field or in
mesocosm experiments. Larva stocks were found to exert only minor impact on
small zooplankton species such as rotifers, copepodids and small cladocera
ns. In contrast, stocks of 0+ juveniles were found to have the potential to
depress populations of large cladocerans and copepods, especially during l
ate summer and autumn. However, studies where both 0+ juvenile fish consump
tion and zooplankton dynamics and production were exactly quantified are st
ill very rare, and therefore final evaluation of this interaction cannot be
made. In addition, papers were summarized that describe differences in mor
phological and physiological performance between larva and 0+ juvenile fish
. The greater impact of 0+ juvenile fish on large zooplankton may be explai
ned by their larger mouth gape and by their better developed abilities to d
etect and consume their prey items. However, this partly is lessened by the
lower energy requirements of juvenile fish compared with identical biomass
es of fish larvae, although larva bioenergetics remains only fragmentarily
understood. Consequently, selective predation by fish larvae on particular
small zooplankton prey may be more important than has been detected so far.