Diurnal changes of zooplankton community reduction rate at lake outlets and related environmental factors

The reduced zooplankton abundance at the outlet sections of lakes depends on the occurrence of preying fry. Therefore, light conditions can play a major role in the drift of zooplankton along river outlets. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of diurnal light conditions on the decline of zooplankton densities at lake outlets. Photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) levels were measured to determine their effect on the rate of reduced zooplankton abundance. Cladocerans and copepods showed a significantly greater reduction in abundance than rotifers and nauplii. A significant positive relationship was observed between the PAR levels and the reduced abundance of Asplanchna sp., small cladocerans, large cladocerans and Copepoda at the lake outlets. Among the rotifers, small pelagic rotifers drifted the farthest at all hours of the day. Large crustaceans, especially the large cladocerans and copepodites and adult copepods, had the lowest chance of dispersing over a wide area. Our results indicate that light conditions play an important role in the reduction of zooplankton abundance at lake outlets and have an indirect influence on the downstream food web.