Investigation of the Impact of Mercury on Enclosed Water Columns Using a Zooplankton Simulation Model

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Abstract
A computer simulation model of a phytoplankton–zooplankton–salmon system is used to investigate possible causes of different Pseudocalanus minutus s.l. population dynamics in three enclosed water columns. Mercury at 1 and 5 μg/ℓ was added to two enclosures, with the third serving as a control. Represented in the model are diatoms, flagellates, P. minutus, and fingerling chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta). Population dynamics are represented in terms of age structure, with age-dependent feeding and survival. Real world data are used to represent the phytoplankton densities. The model results support a hypothesis that the observed Pseudocalanus populations after day 25 could have been a direct consequence of different flagellate populations in the enclosures rather than lethal effects of mercury on molting and reproduction success of the copepod. Key words: modeling, simulation, controlled ecosystems, mercury, zooplankton dynamics

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