Evidence for invasive carp mediated trophic cascade in shallow lakes of western Victoria, Australia

Lakes of western Victoria are typically shallow (2-3 m), slightly saline (3-8 ppt) and eutrophic (total phosphorus 0.1-5 mg l-1 and total nitrogen 3-8 mg l-1). These lakes are prone to algal blooms in late spring and summer. We conducted experiments in ponds to determine whether lake zooplankton exert enough grazing pressure to control algal blooms and also if carp predation can regulate zooplankton communities and increase algal biomass. Zooplankton grazing (high zooplankton, low zooplankton and control) and carp predation (carp, nutrient and control) experiments had three treatments and each treatment had three replicates. Algal numbers and biomass (28C