DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.15524623
title: Conceptualization of plankton ecology – aquatic animal nutrition (PEG-Nutrition) model for temperate shallow-lake ecosystems: synthesis from experimental fishponds as living labs

description: Drawing on a whole-ecosystem study of carp-managed ponds, we demonstrate that high primary productivity and elemental nutrient supply (C, N, P) can coexist with severe deficits in essential biomolecules—particularly amino acids and lipids—leading to a breakdown in trophic transfer efficiency. This biochemical mismatch, masked by conventional ecological models, limits fish growth and contributes to nutrient accumulation and water quality degradation. The PEG-Nutrition model reveals a seasonal shift from a nutritionally supportive “clear-water” phase to a late-season state of “nutritional dysbiosis,” where ecosystem productivity no longer supports consumer biomass. The model offers a new mechanistic understanding of shallow-lake metabolism.
description: Full Title:

Conceptualization of plankton ecology – aquatic animal nutrition (PEG-Nutrition) model for temperate shallow-lake ecosystems: synthesis from experimental fishponds as living labs

Running title:

PEG-Nutrition model

Author list:

Koushik Roy1, Ales Tomcala1, Lubos Zabransky2, Eva Petraskova2, Lenka Kajgrova1, Bidipta Mandal1, Bela Urbanyi3, Jan Mraz1

Affiliation:

1University of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice, Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, South Bohemian Research Center of Aquaculture and Biodiversity of Hydrocenoses, Institute of Aquaculture and Protection of Waters, České Budějovice 370 05, Czech Republic.

2University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Faculty of Agriculture and Technology, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic.

3University of Győr, Albert Kázmér Faculty of Mosonmagyaróvár, H-9200 Mosonmagyaróvár, Hungary, Var Square 2.

*Correspondence:

Dr. Koushik Roy, Ph.D.

Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, 

University of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice

Na Sadkach 1780, Ceske Budejovice 370 05, 

Czech Republic. Email: kroy@frov.jcu.cz 

Acknowledgment

The study was supported by the Czech science foundation (project: GAČR 22-18597S).

Data availability statemen

Data is made available along with submission. 

Declaration of AI use and competing Interest: 

Generative AI (ChatGPT 4o) has been used for the abstract, and simply to achieve the final charter limitation. OpenAI “Data analyst” was used for data analysis, visualizations in tandem with RStudio. Authors declare no other competing interests. 


 

This dataset comprises comprehensive metadata for analyzing and conceptualizing the “PEG-nutrition model.” Data consists of several variables or parameters derived from “Living Lab” fishponds located in Vodňany, Czechia (49°09′24.9” N, 14°09′54.2″E; 404 m a.s.l.). A detailed column-wise description of the parameters, which includes Earth’s physical forcing, primary ecosystem nutrients and their stoichiometry, plankton community shifts, consumer’s predation, and biochemical (protein, lipid, amino acids, and fatty acids) compositions of carp gill filterable (>500 µm) plankton consortia, their bioenergetics values (respect to carp) over 5 months across six ponds are given below.

(A)  Basic Identifications:

1.      Column A “Month”: This column specifies the months (June-October 2022) when sampling was conducted.

2.      Column C “Pond code”: This column indicates the Unique identifier for each pond (legume-oilseed pellet & Cereal fed).

(B)  primary ecosystem nutrients or water quality parameters:

1.      Column D “Transparency (cm)”: This column specifies the Transparency measured by the Sachi-disk in a Centimeter unit.

2.      Column E “DIN (mg/l)”: This column contains the values of dissolved inorganic nitrogen measured in mg l-1 units. 

3.      Column F “DIN (mg/l)”: This column contains the values of dissolved reactive phosphorus measured in mg l-1 units. 

4.       Column G “DOC (mg/l)”: This column contains the values of dissolved organic carbon measured in mg l-1 units. 

5.       Column AI “Total C (mg/l)”: This column contains the values of total carbon measured in mg l-1 units. 

6.      Column AJ “Total N (mg/l)”: This column contains the values of total nitrogen measured in mg l-1 units. 

7.      Column AK “Total P (mg/l)”: This column contains the values of total phosphorus measured in mg l-1 units. 

8.      Molar stoichiometric Ratios: column-AL to column-AN includes nutrient’s molar stoichiometries, which synthesized from previous nutrient columns (AI-AK) – carbon to nitrogen ratio (column AL), carbon to phosphorus ratio (column AM) and nitrogen to phosphorus ratio (column AN). Additionally, column AU showcases Molar ratio of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus.

 

(C)  Earth’s physical forcing: 

1.      Column J “Dissolved oxygen (mg/l)”: This column contains the Value of dissolved oxygen measured in mg l-1 units. 

2.      Column AG “Temperature °C”: This column indicates water temperature measured in degrees centigrade (°C).

3.      Column AH “Light (h)”: This column indicates photoperiod or the hours of daily light exposure in corresponding months.

(D)  Consumer relevant biomolecules of gill filterable plankton consortia:

1.      Column M- Column U: This range of columns include indispensable amino acids, expressed as percentage of plankton dry matter basis.

2.      Column V “Total AA %”: This column indicates summation of amino acids also expressed in percentage dry matter basis.

3.      Column W “GLU - PHE”: This column indicates relative trophic position of gill-filterable plankton consortia (as difference/ fractionation between glutamic acid and phenylalanine).

4.      Lipid and lipid classes:

Column (X -Z) and column (AD-AF) include Lipid and different lipid classes, expressed in percentage of plankton dry matter – Total lipid (column X), Saturated fatty acid (column Y), Polyunsaturated fatty acid (column Z), Monounsaturated fatty acid (column AD), omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (column AE), Omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid (column AF).

5.      Column AA- Column AC: This range covers three essential fatty acid, expressed in percentage of plankton dry matter - Arachidonic acid (column AA), Eicosapentaenoic acid (column AB), and Docosahexaenoic acid (column AC).

(E)  Primary production and consumer dynamics 

1.       Column H “Zooplankton (>500 um)”: This column indicates the zooplankton (size >500µm) abundance or counts per liter water.

2.       Column I “Zooplankton (>200 um)”: This column indicates the zooplankton (size >200µm) abundance or counts per liter water.

3.      Column K “Chlorophyll (ug/l)”: This column indicates the abundance of Chlorophyll in pond water, measured in µgl-1 unit.

4.      Column AQ “Primary Production (mg C/m2/d)”: This column specifies the primary production or production of carbon (mg) per square meter per day.

5.      Column AP “Fish density (g/m3)”: This column informs fish density; fish’s gram weight per cubic meter pond water.

6.      Column L “TGC”: This column indicates month wise Thermal Growth Coefficient (TGC) of stocked fish (carp).

(F)  Bioenergetic value of plankton consortia relevant to consumer (fish)

1.      Column AP “Digestible energy (kcal/100 g DM)”: This column indicates digestible energy value (kcal) per 100-gram plankton dry matter basis. 

2.      Column AR “DIAAS %”: This column indicates Digestible Indispensable Amino Acid Score, expressed in percentage.

3.      Column AS “Limiting Amino Acid”: This column informs limiting amino acid of plankton consortia from corresponding months and ponds in respect to consumer’s (fish) bioenergetics.

4.      Column AT “Net Metabolizable Energy (kcal/100 g DM)”: This column indicates Net Metabolizable Energy value (kcal) per 100-gram plankton dry matter basis.