Comprehensive community assessment of native and non-native Harpacticoid copepods of Lake Ontario

Session: Invasive Species (5)

Joseph Connolly, Cornell Biological Field Station, [email protected]
James Watkins, Cornell University, [email protected]
Brian O'Malley, USGS Great Lakes Science Center, [email protected]
Patrick Hudson, U.S. Geological Survey Great Lakes Science Center, [email protected]
Lars Rudstam, Cornell University Bio Field Station, Dept. of Natural Resources, [email protected]

Abstract

Benthic dwelling harpacticoid copepods are often neglected in biological surveys of both plankton and benthic macro-invertebrates. However, they serve as important benthic primary consumers and a food source for benthic dwelling fishes. Ballast water sediments are a particularly suitable vector for exotic Harpacticoid introductions into the Great Lakes. A survey of harpacticoid copepods was conducted in Lake Ontario in September 2018 as part of the Cooperative Science and Monitoring Initiative (CSMI). Benthic samples were collected aboard the U.S. EPA R/V Lake Guardian and the USGS R/V Lake Whitefish using Ponar® grabs at 27 locations throughout Lake Ontario. A community assessment was conducted based on relative abundance of the first 200 harpacticoid specimens identified from each sample. Lake wide species distributions and habitat preferences were developed for native and non-native taxa using coinciding environmental data. Two non-native species, previously unreported from Lake Ontario, Schizopera borutzkyi and Heteropsyllus cf nunni, were encountered at several locations in high abundance in 2018. We intend to use genetic barcoding and morphology to confirm the identity and source of potential harpacticoid invaders (e.g. Heteropsyllus cf nunni and Nitocra sp.), which at present remain largely unresolved in many of the Great Lakes.