Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

This site is currently in beta, and your feedback is helping shape its ongoing development.

Rotifera in Lake Pepin in the Upper Mississippi River from 2012 to 2015: Data

Published by U.S. Geological Survey | Department of the Interior | Metadata Last Checked: January 27, 2026 | Last Modified: 2022-06-23T00:00:00Z
Limited information is known regarding the rotifer community on the Upper Mississippi River (UMR). Studies have shown that rotifers are a common prey for invasive bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis) and silver carp (H. molitrix) as well as native fishes of the UMR and there is concern these invasive carp will compete with native fishes for food resources. This study was conducted to provide baseline rotifer community data before range expansion of these invasive carps into the upper reaches of the UMR. Vertical tows were taken to collect rotifer samples over a four year period in Lake Pepin, a natural riverine lake in Pool 4 of the UMR. Four dominant genera (Keratella, Polyarthra, Trichocerca and Brachionus) comprised the samples and significant correlations between rotifer abundance and temperature, volatile suspended solids and chlorophyll-a were observed. Our results identify potential drivers of rotifer abundance and provide robust rotifer abundance and composition data. These pre-invasion data are critical to recognizing the effects invasive carp have on zooplankton communities and the UMR ecosystem.

data.gov

An official website of the GSA's Technology Transformation Services

Looking for U.S. government information and services?
Visit USA.gov