ANIMAL ASSEMBLAGE
 
I think of Lake Erie as an enormous soup of living animals, below is old but it shows the wealth of life within the Lake. The data below is taken from 1995 using the 12.5- liter plankton samples and the 5 liter benthic samples and projecting them into a 1 cubic meter area. 
                             April Plankton
Cyclopoids                        703.4
Calanoids                          263.52
Nauplius                         2016
Bosmina                             31.68
Daphnia                                0
Diaphansoma                        0
Leptodora                             0
Ostracoda                              0
Polyphemus                           0
Harpactacoida                        0
Amphipods                            0
Rotifers                             566


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May                            Plankton                Benthic
 
Cyclopoids                    4140                       520
Calanoids                      6111                       575
Nauplius                      11610                      890
Bosmina                         549                        30
Daphnia                            9                           0
Diaphansoma                   18                           0
Leptodora                          0                           0
Ostracoda                          0                           0
Polyphemus                      0                            0
Harpactacoida                   0                         185
Amphipods                        0                        125
Rotifers                       5940                          50
Annelids
Nematodes
Hydracarina
Insects
Trichoptera

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June                      Plankton                      Benthic
 
Cyclopoids             13104                          1012.4
Calanoids                4079.5                          555
Nauplius                 9319.7                        907.4
Bosmina                 7447.7                        698.4
Daphnia                   304                               0
Diaphansoma         1327.7                             0
Leptodora                 23.8
Ostracoda
Polyphemus
Harpactacoida
Rotifers                    4000

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July                       Plankton              Benthic
 
Cyclopoids              1471                    445.6
Calanoids                  175.7                   45.6
Nauplius                  2119.7                 391.4
Bosmina                    820.8                  77.4
Daphnia                     240
Diaphansoma            1087.9
Leptodora                      7.9
Ostracoda                    55.4
Polyphemus                 95.7
Harpactacoida                7.9
Rotifers                      5728

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August                 Plankton           Benthic
 
Cyclopoids             5695.9                60
Calanoids                 360                 329.8
Nauplius                 5071.7              685
Bosmina                  279.7                37.4
Daphnia                  248
Diaphansoma             0
Leptodora                47.5
Ostracoda                31.7
Polyphemus               0
Harpactacoida             0
Rotifers                1448

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September             Plankton             Benthic
 
Cyclopoids             3383.6                 290
Calanoids                 981                    290
Nauplius                2889                     375
Bosmina                 487.4                   195
Daphnia                   81
Diaphansoma         153
Leptodora                 9
Ostracoda                36
Polyphemus              0
Harpactacoida           0
Rotifers                   3411

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October                 Plankton                Benthic
 
Cyclopoids              287.3                    159.8
Calanoids                646.4                    206.6
Nauplius                  943.9                    106.6
Bosmina                  367.9                      95
Daphnia                       8
Diaphansoma               7.9
Leptodora                    0
Ostracoda                 271.4
Polyphemus                 0
Harpactacoida              0
Rotifers                        48