Patterns in Phytoplankton and Zooplankton in Minnesota Lakes

The purpose of this report was to examine patterns in phytoplankton and zooplankton based on a subset of the Sentinel Lakes and to serve as a baseline for future monitoring and analysis. While zooplankton sampling has been a routine part of Sentinel Lake sample collection and was addressed in individual lake reports, phytoplankton has been sampled sporadically. This analysis provides basic descriptions of phytoplankton and zooplankton composition, seasonal cycling, and interactions in 13 Sentinel Lakes. Observations included herein can be used in future assessments as a basis for comparison and evaluating change over time. Though this analysis was limited to 13 lakes, their geographic, morphometric, and trophic ranges allow for some generalizations that may be applicable to Minnesota lakes in general. A summary of some important findings follows.