FACTORS INFLUENCING DENSITIES AND DISTRIBUTIONS OF PONTOPOREIA-HOYI IN LAKE-ONTARIO

The physical and chemical characteristics of the sediment-water interface greatly influence distributions of the bottom-feeding amphipod Pontoporeia hoyi which is a major component of the Great Lakes aquatic food-webs. Sediment-water interface samples from the Great Lakes indicate that Pontoporeia densities are positively correlated with sediment concentrations of organic carbon, particularly in the upper depth range of the species. Pontoporeia is not found in anoxic sediments. Growth rates and production of Pontoporeia are influenced by the quality of food supplies and there appears to be a seasonal response to the down-flux of plankton detritus. Comparisons of numerations and distribution patterns also revealed an apparent positive relationship between Pontoporeia and sediment-associated bacteria. Interlake comparisons of population densities provide no clear evidence of any large scale impact by contaminated sediment on this species. Depending upon the extent to which organic carbon (OC) is assimilated in the water column, bottom sediments may store and buffer the quantity of OC available to Pontoporeia. Thus, if the annual down-flux of OC remains generally constant, populations of Pontoporeia should also remain constant unless influenced by changes in predation intensity. Numerations of Pontoporeia revealed that populations of this amphipod are much larger in Lake Michigan than in Lake Ontario. We suggest that much of this difference can be accounted for by different forms of predator-prey interaction near the base of the benthic food-web. Commercial fisheries data tend to support this idea. We also speculate that differences in the concentration of dissolved silica may figure prominantly among factors that affect Pontoporeia population densities.