Zooplankton communities and Bythotrephes longimanus in lakes of the montane region of the northern Alps.

ABSTRACT: Lakes in the Alps represent a considerable fraction of nutrient-poor lakes in Central Europe, with unique biodiversity and ecosystem properties. Although some individual lakes are well studied, less knowledge is available on large-scale patterns essential to general understanding of their functioning. Here, we aimed to describe crustacean zooplankton communities (Cladocera, Copepoda) and identify their environmental drivers in the pelagic zone of 54 oligotrophic lakes in the montane region of the Alps (400-1200 m) in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland, covering a spatial scale of 650 km. Moreover, we aimed to provide data on the distribution and ecological requirements of the North American invader Bythotrephes longimanus in its Central European native range. Communities were mainly

SUBMITTER: Horvath Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5546047 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature