Life Sciences Commons^™

Population Stability Of Three Species Of Zooplankton In Westhampton Lake, Richmond, Virginia, James Christopher Conyers

Master's Theses

Populations of zooplankton, Keratella cochlea's (Rotifera) Bosmina longirostris (Cladocera), and Mesocyclopsedax (Copepoda) were sampled in Westhampton Lake from June 30 to December 22, 1978. Population densities were estimated over time and analyzed for stability relative to the occurrence of rainfall. Two aspects of stability were used for analysis and given operational definitions as follows: Resistance - a population was resistant if its density was not more variable during periods of rain compared with periods of little or no rain; Persistence - a population was persistent if its density during periods of rain was not different from its density in periods …