The picophytoplankton in three Chinese lakes of different trophic status and its relationship to fish populations

A year-round comparison was made of the picophytoplankton populations in three lakes of different trophic status (oligotrophic, mesotrophic, and hypereutrophic), as well as in experimental enclosures stocked with various densities of fish. Picophytoplankton abundance was significantly different between the hypereutrophic lake and the oligotrophic lake (P<0.018) and between the hypereutrophic lake and the mesotrophic lake (P<0.021), whereas the difference between the mesotrophic and oligotrophic lakes was not significant (P<0.745). The effect of total nitrogen:total phosphorus ratio on the abundance of picophytoplankton was demonstrated in the oligotrophic lake, but such effect did not manifest itself in the other lakes or in the experimental enclosures. The average annual picophytoplankton population sizes in the three lakes in 1995-1998 were correlated with estimated fish abundance (r=0.824, n=9, P=0.006). The results of enclosure experiments demonstrated that the abundance of picophytoplankton increased with the stocking density of fish (r=0.619, n=8, P=0.100).