# Changing Patterns and Driving Factors of Plankton Coupling Relationships in Lakes around the Yangtze River, China

## TL;DR

This study examines how plankton relationships in Chinese lakes have changed over time and identifies factors like eutrophication and invasive species as key drivers.

## Contribution

The study reveals new insights into the weakening coupling between phytoplankton and zooplankton in lakes due to multiple environmental stressors.

## Key findings

- Phytoplankton density increased 3156 times on average in 79% of lakes, while zooplankton density rose only twofold in 57%.
- Cyanobacteria increased from 53% to 62% of phytoplankton and showed a significant negative correlation with zooplankton.
- Eutrophication, cyanobacterialization, and altered fish communities hindered zooplankton survival and plankton coupling.

## Abstract

In recent decades, cyanobacterial blooms have intensified in many lakes in China. Algal blooms are closely linked to the predation pressure on phytoplankton, but the changes in the relationship between phytoplankton and their primary predators, zooplankton, remain unclear. To investigate the changing patterns and driving factors of the relationship between plankton, the historical data of plankton from 14 typical freshwater lakes around the Yangtze River were collected from multiple databases. By comparing the structure of plankton communities in typical lakes between the 1990s and the 2010s, it was found that the phytoplankton density was elevated in 79% of all the lakes; on average, it had increased to 3156 times higher than it had been. In contrast, the zooplankton density was elevated in only 57% of these lakes, and this value was only two times higher than it had been. In 11 out of the 14 lakes, the zooplankton density growth rate was lower than that of the phytoplankton. The percentage of cyanobacteria in these lakes increased from 53% to 62%, and the changes in cyanobacteria were significantly negatively correlated with the changes in zooplankton. Eutrophication caused this significant increase in phytoplankton, especially cyanobacteria. Cyanobacterialization, changes in fish community structures, biological invasion, and river–lake relationships impede zooplankton survival. This combination of factors hinders plankton coupling in many lakes. This study attempts to provide new insights for lake ecological management.