The University of Notre Dame

Summer Plankton of Lake Amatitlan, Guatemala

Author(s): Richard S. Peckham and Clarence F. Dineen
Source: The American Midland Naturalist, Vol. 50, No. 2 (Oct., 1953), pp. 377-381
Published by: The University of Notre Dame
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2422095
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 Summer Plankton of Lake Amatitlan, Guatemala*

Richard S. Peckham and Clarence F. Dineen

University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana

Previous studies of plankton from Guatemala lakes, by Meek (1908);

Clark (1908); and Tilden (1908); have been purely qualitative in nature.

Juday's (19,16) limnological study of Lake Amatitlan, however, included a

single series of quantitative plankton collections at various depths. The present

paper is a report on a series of quantitative collections taken from Lake Ama-

titIan over an eight-week period during the summer of 1951.

General description of the lake.-Lake Amatitlan is of volcanic origin and

is situated at 90030' west longitude and 14025' north latitude in the Republic

of Guatemala. It is eight miles long, 21/2 miles wide and with a surface of

3870 feet above sea level. A crossing of the International Railways of Central

America divides the lake into two basins. Mountains, 4670-5170 feet above

sea level, surround the lake; those of the northwest are composed of granite;

the others are principally of volcanic ash, pumice, and other loose materials

which are easily eroded. The mountains to the north and northwest show

evidence of erosion in the form of huge cuts which are visible for several

miles. Entering the lake on the north side is the Villalobos (Lobos) River,

which is the main affluent stream during the dry season. The single outlet is

the Michatoya River which drains the northwest basin from the south. The

greater part of the lake shore is steep, especially to the east and southeast.

Half or more of the north and northeast shores consist of a broad, low plain

which 'has been built up by the LoSos River and temporary streams which

enter the lake from the north and northwest during the rainy season (May-

November).

The surface temperature of the lake throughout the period of this investi-

gation remained quite uniform, never varying more than 4.20 C during the

day, but dropping 3 or 4 degrees within a few hours after sunset. The water

was moderately clear, a white disc 91/2 inches in diameter was visible at depths

ranging from 10-13' 2 feet throughout this study.

Methods.-Collecting stations were chosen in areas which insured adequate

sampling and yet remained in the practical limits of the invetsigation. In the

southeastern part of the lake, known locally as the "Lagiuna," weekly quantita-

tive collections of surface (0-2m) plankton were made at three stations situ-

ated in areas of horizontal flow, aquatic vegetation, and deep center. All

quantitative collections (84) were made with a hand net of no. 25 mesh

bolting silk (100 liters of water being strained).

Quantitative counts were made with the aid of a Sedgewick-Rafter count-

ing chamber (1 ml) and a compound microscope. At least 1 ml of concen-

trate was examined for each plankter excepting those organisms which were

The material for this paper was taken from a thesis submitted to the University of

Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the

degree of Master of Science.

377

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378 THE AMERICAN MIDLAND NATURALIST 50 (2)

very abundant. Counts obtained from the three main stations were averaged

and the resulting values utilized in the quantitative treatment of the plankton

(table 1).

A definite quantitative value, equalling one unit, was assigned to each

plankter for purposes of enumeration and comparison. The following check

list, with quantity equalling one unit designated, includes all species collected

during this study.

CHECK LIST oF PLANKTON SPECIES

Chlorophyceae

Bulbochaete sp -1 filament Oocystis sp -1 colony

Closterium aciculare T. West 1 cell Scenedesmus bijuga (Turp.) -- 8 cells

Closterium cucumis Ehr Scenedesmus arcuatus var.

Cosmarium sp -1 cell platydiscus G. M. Smith - 8 cells

Eudorina elegans Ehr - ---------------1 colony Sirogonium sp - - 1 filament

Gloeocystis sp. - ........------2 cells Spirogyra sp -----------------..- 1 filament

Gonatozygon sp - - - - 1 cell Staurastrum lepto-

Hydrodictyon sp - .--5 cells claduti Nordst -.1 cell

Nephrocytium sp -4 cells Staurastrum spp -1 cell

Oedogonium sp -1 filament Zygnema sp -1 filament

Dinophyceae

Ceratium hirundinella Peridinium tabulatum Ehr- 1 cell

(O.F.M.) Schrank -. 1 cell

Bacillariophyceae

Cyclotella sp -1 cell Stauroneis sp -1 cell

Epithemia sp - - 1 cell Surirella guatemalensis Ehr. -. cell

Fragillaria sp - - 1 cell Surirella sp -1 cell

Melosira sp -400 micra Synedra sp -1 cell

Navicula sp -1 cell Terpsinoe musica Ehr - 1- cell

Rhopalodia sp -1 cell

Myxophyceae

Anabena sp -1 filament Gloeotrichia sp -1 trichome

Aphanocapsa sp -1 colony Gomphosphaeria aponina

Botryococcus Braunii Kutz- 1 colony Kutz- - . 1 colony

Coelosphaerium sp - - .- 1 colony Lyngbya sp - ....- 1 filament

Chroococcus limneticus Merimospedia glauca (Ehr.) 32 cells

Lemm- - . 12 cells Polycystis aeruginosa

Eucapsis alpina Kutz -10,000 sq. micra

Clement & Schantz - 32 cells

Protozoa

Arcella sp -1 individual Epipyxis sp -1 individual

Carchesium sp -1 individual Epistylis sp - - 1 individual

Centropyxis aculeata Stein 1 individual Vorticella sp -1 individual

Dinobryon sp -1 individual

Rotatoria

Asplanchna brightwellii Filinia longiseta Gosse - 1 individual

Gosse -1 individual Keratella cochlearis Gosse 1 individual

Brachionus sp -1 individual Lecane sp -1 individual

Diurella sp -1 individual Monostyla sp -1 individual

Euchlanis sp -1 individual Platyias quadricornis (Ehr.) 1 individual

Eretmia sp - - . .. I1 individual

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1953 PECKHAM ET AL.: PLANKTON OF LAKE AMATITLAN 379

Cladocera

Ceriodaphnia lacustris Birge 1 individual Daphnia longispina

Ceriodaphnia pulchella Sars 1 individual (O.F.M.) ...-..-.-..-.. 1 individual

Copepoda

Diaptomus amatitlanensis Mesocyclops inversus

Wilson -- 1 individual Kiefer --------------- 1 individual

Discussion.-The total plankton reached a maximum on August 8-9 of

1,164,465 units per 100 liters. A minimum of 157,641 units per 100 liters

occurred on June 27-28 (table 1).

Phytoplankton.-The phltoplankton consistently exceeded the zooplank-

ton, never falling below 97% of the total plankton. The phytoplankton con-

tained 38 genera representintg four classes: Chlorophyceae, Dinophyceae,

Bacillariophyceae, and Myxophyceae.

Chlorophyceae (green algae; fifteen genera) were in greatest abundance

throughout the study with an average of 188,181 units per 100 liters. Of

the desmids, the major group of green algae, Staurastrum leptodadum and

Closterium aciculare, were the most abundant species. Eudorina elegans

appeared in all samples. Autocolonies of this species were observed from

July 18 until the end of the collecting period. Oocystis sp. was common in

most of the samples, the colonies being composed of 6 or 8 cells. The genus

Scenedesmus represented by S. arcuatus var. platydiscus and S. bijuga was

present in small numbers in the majority of the collections. The other genera,

listed in the checklist, appeared intermittently in the samples and were quanti-

tatively insignificant.

Dinophyceae (dinoflagellates) were few in species but abundant in indi-

viduals. Ceratium hirundinella was the predominant member of the class.

All forms observed were of the four-horned type. Clark (1908) reported the

majority of the individuals of this species to be of the three-homed type.

Peridinium tabulatum occurred freqeuntly in all samples.

Bacillariophyceae (diatoms) usually were not prominent members of the

summer plankton although on Autgust 8-9, approximately 54%o of the total

plankton consisted of Melosira spp. No other plankter exceeded this maxi-

mum in a single sample. Nine additional genera appeared in the collections

in small numbers.

Myxophyceae (blue-green algae) were in greatest abundance during the

early part of the summer, eleven. genera being represented. Polycystis aerugi-

nosa was the predominant species with a minimum of 10,444 units per 100

liters on August 8-9 and a maximum of 41,333 units per 100 liters on June

27-28.

TABLE 1.-Weekly totals of phytoplankton and zooplankton, groups

with total plankton population (units/100 liters)

Phytoplankton Jun.20 Jun. 27-28 Jul. 4 Jul. 11

Chlorophyceae - 89297 75664 39104 71231

Dinophyceae - 241040 36477 121580 221408

Bacillariophyceae 2737 3368 799 1938

Myxophyceae - 26214 41475 12561 20358

Total - 359288 156984 174044 314930

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380 THE AMERICAN MIDLAND NATURALIST 50 (2)

TABLE 1 (continued)

Zooplankton Jun. 20 Jun. 27-28 Jul. 4 Jul. 11

Copepoda . 798 222 2420 2837

Rotatoria . 1287 413 817 583

Cladocera - 19 3 48 265

Protozoa .---- 30 19 11 42

Total . . 2134 657 3296 3727

Phytoplankton Jul. 18 Jul. 25 Jul. 31 Aug. 8-9

Chlorophyceae . . 100268 205890 497969 426028

Dinophyceae - 312932 247812 144219 96008

Bacillariophyceae 2865 18330 255665 628054

Myxophyceae - 13752 15364 16015 10632

Total - 429817 487396 913868 1160722

Zooplankton

Copepoda -9035 6989 3810 1894

Rotatoria -721 986 961 535

Cladocera -191 276 783 1301

Protozoa -38 49 22 13

Total -9985 8300 5576 3743

Zooplankton.-At no time during the study did the zooplankton exceed

31% of the total plankton. A total of twenty-one genera of Protozoa, Rota-

toria, Cladocera, and Copepoda were collected.

Protozoa. Of seven genera colletced none appeared in sufficient numbers

to allow consideration of the protozoa as an important constitutent of the

zooplankton. Centropyxis aculeata, primarily a bottem dweller, appeared

most frequently in the samples from the shallow, weedy area.

Rotatoria. Rotifers were exceeded in number of individuals only by the

copepods. Keratella cochlearis appeared most frequently with maxima and

minima at two week intervals. Asplanchna brightwellii appeared in consider-

able numbers in the latter part of July. Eight additional genera were col-

lected (see check list).

Cladocera were few in number until July 11 when 265 individuals per 100

liters were collected. The species represented were Daphnia longispina, Cerio-

daphnia lacustris, and Ceriodaphnia pulchella.

Copepoda constituted the most important group of zooplankton. Meso-

Cyclops inversus appeared in all samples with a minimum of 12 individuals

per 100( liters on June 27-28 and a maximum on July 31 of 1193 individuals

per 100 liters. Diaptomus amatitlanensis appeared regularly in the majority

of the collections. Nauplii and metanauplii were present in great numbers in

most samples throughout the summer.

Summary.-Weekly collections of surface plankton from June 20 to

August 9, 1951, were made at three stations on Lake Amatitlan, Guatemala.

Phytoplankton was predominant in the eighty-four quantitative samples exam-

ined. Thirty-eight genera comprising four classes, Chlorophyceae, Dinophy-

ceae, Bacillariophyceae, and Myxophyceae, were identified. The predominant

green alga was Staurastrum leptocladum, Ceratium hirundinella among the

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1953 PECKHAM ET AL.: PLANKTON OF LAKE AMATITLAN 381

Dinophyceae, Melosira sp. for the diatoms, and Polycystis aeruginosa among

the blue-green algae.

The zooplankton constituted twenty-one genera of Copepoda, Rotatoria,

Cladocera, and Protozoa. The predominant species of each group were Meso-

cyclops inversus, Keratella cochlearis, Dapbnia kongispina, and Centropyxis

aculeata, respectively.

The following species constitute new records for Lake Amatitlan: Chlo-

rophyceae: Closterium aciculare, Closterium cucumis, Scenedesmus arcuatus

var. platydiscus, Scenedesmus bijuga, Staurastrum leptocladum; Bacillariophy-

ceae: Terpsinoe. musica; Myxophyceae: Chroococcus limneticus, Eucapsis

alpina (?); Protozoa: Centropyxis aculeata; Rotatoria: Asplanchna brightwel-

lii, Platyias quadricornis; Copepoda: Mesocyclops inversus.

REFERENCES

CLARK, H. W. 1908-The holophytic plankton of lakes Atitlan and Amatitlan, Guate-

mala. Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 21:91-106.

JUDAY, C. 1916-Limnological studies on some lakes in Central America. Trans. Wis.

Acad. Sci. 18:214-250.

MEEK, S. E. 1908-The zoology of lakes Amatitlan and Atitlan, Guatemala, with special

reference to ichthyology. Field Col. Mus. Zool. 7:159-206.

TILDEN, J. E. 1908-Notes on a collection of algae from Guatemala. Proc. Biol. Soc.

Wash. 21:153-156.

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