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Summary 1. An in situ enclosure experiment was conducted in a deep reservoir of southern China to examine (i) the effects of a low biomass (4 g wet weight m−3) of silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) and nutrients on the plankton community and (ii) the response of Daphnia to eutrophication. 2. In the absence of fish, Daphnia galeata dominated the zooplankton community, whereas calanoids were dominant in the fish treatments, followed by D. galeata. Silver carp stocking significantly reduced total zooplankton biomass, and that of D. galeata and Leptodorarichardi, but markedly increased the biomass of smaller cladocerans, copepod nauplii and rotifers. In contrast, nutrient enrichment had no significant effect on the plankton community except for cyclopoids. 3. Chlorophyta, Cryptophyta and Bacillariophyta were dominant phytoplankton groups during the experiment. Chlorophyta with high growth rates (mainly Chlorella vulgaris in the fish enclosures and Ankyra sp. in the fishless enclosures) eventually dominated the phytoplankton community. Total phytoplankton biomass and the biomass of edible phytoplankton [greatest axial linear dimension (GALD)

Four planktonic species of Difflugia co-occurring in a south Chinese reservoir were found to be carnivorous, but the diet was widest in the largest species (D. tuberspinifera) and narrowest in the smallest (D. hydrostatica). It included rotifers, ciliates, dinoflagellates, floating eggs, and small particles associated with organic debris. Scavenging and cannibalism were also observed. Species with a collared test (D. biwae, D. mulanensis) showed a form of suction-feeding, while species with teeth on the pseudostome used these, together with their pseudopods, as "inverted crown corks", providing leverage for opening the lorica of their (rotifer) prey. Predators of Difflugia included cyclopoid copepods. In addition, the rotifers Asplanchna priodonta, Ploesoma hudsoni and, occasionally, big ciliates (Stentor sp.) all ingested their prey as a whole.

We studied a long time series of the dynamics in space and time of four species of Difflugia (thecamoebae) that co-exist in the pelagic plankton of Liuxihe Reservoir, an oligo-mesotrophic impoundment in southern China, during 8-9 months ("summer" form March to November), and retreat to the benthos during the rest of the year ("winter"). We discuss the reasons for the winter retreat, and suggest that predator evasion may be involved, although temperature-linked physiological effects (like the rate of gas bubble production) appear more probable. Clear diel vertical migration of Difflugia was not observed, but patchiness was common. We found no evident lake edge-effects in the spatial pattern either, but the abundances were strongly influenced by trophic conditions and increased by up to one order of magnitude in the upstream, eutrophic sections of the reservoir.

An Anabaena circinalis bloom appeared in a reservoir for supplying drinking water in the south of China, in April 2006. Phytoplankton scums gathered and floated on the surface of the whole reservoir especially on the area of water intake, and the cell density of phytoplankton, cyanobacteria and Anabaena circinalis was as high as 7.3 x 10(7), 7.2 x 10(7), 4.1 x 10(7) cells x L(-1) respectively. To maintain drinking water supplying, an emergency program was initiated to control the cyanobacterial bloom. The zone immediately adjacent to the water intake was divided into two small zones by fishing nets and waterproof curtains to modify the water flow. Iron-based flocculants were then applied to control the algal bloom. As a result, the density of the phytoplankton decreased greatly, and at the first day the cell densities of phytoplankton, cyanobacterial, Anabaena circinalis decreased to 5.3 x 10(6), 4.7 x 10(6), 2 x 10(6) cells x L(-1) respectively, and the removal of them reached up to 93%, 94%, 95% respectively. The average of phytoplankton cell density was 1.2 x 10(7) cells x L(-1) and a highest density was 2.0 x 10(7) cells x L(-1) during the treatment from 22 to 30 April, while Chlorophyta and Bacillariophyta slightly increased. These encouraging results suggest that the flocculants used are efficient at removing Cyanobacteria.