New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research abstracts

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Limnology of Opal Lake

D. J. FORSYTH

A. L. MacKENZIE*

Ecology Division
Department of Scientific and Industrial Research
P.O. Box 415
Taupo, New Zealand

Abstract Opal Lake, a cold, acid lake on the central volcanic plateau of the North Island, New Zealand, had an average pH of 4.3 and was highly eutrophic. The biota was less diverse than in neighbouring near-neutral waters. Macrophytes were rare; phytoplankton were mainly represented by the Chlorophyceae, and there were only 4 zooplankton species. The mean standing crop of macroinvertebrates was 6240 per square metre; this was higher than in other eutrophic lakes in the region and comprised more than 98% chironomid larvae represented by 4 species. Molluscs were absent. The fauna was more diverse than in more acid lakes of the .central volcanic plateau.

Keywords Opal Lake; limnology; macroinvertebrates; acid waters; freshwater lakes; phytoplankton.

New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research, 1981, Vol. 15: 279-283 Received 26 March 1981

PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (367K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)

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