1. The role of seasonal phenology in the emergence of zooplankton from diap
ause in patterns of seasonal abundance in the water column was investigated
in Oneida Lake, New York. Replicate emergence traps, placed in contact wit
h the lake sediments at two locations (one at a shallow site and one at a d
eep site), were monitored between May and August.
2. Although six rotifer taxa showed a clear seasonal succession in the wate
r column throughout the study period, all but one taxon emerged exclusively
in spring. Three cladoceran and three calanoid copepod species, also prese
nt in the water column throughout the study period, again showed predominan
tly spring emergence. In contrast, three cyclopoid copepod species had dist
inct seasonal periods of emergence that corresponded, at least in part, to
the timing of abundance peaks in the plankton.
3. These results for a single lake are largely consistent with patterns obs
erved or inferred by other investigators for other lakes: variable dependen
ce of abundance in the plankton on diapause emergence for species with long
-lived diapausing eggs (i.e. rotifers, cladocerans and calanoid copepods),
and much closer dependence for species with short-lived diapausing immature
stages (i.e. cyclopoid copepods).