Effects of Eutrophication on benthic life within the littoral zone of freshwater lakes

Lakes are mainly divided into three trophic levels, oligotrophic, mesotrophic, and eutrophic. A study performed over a three month period during the summer of 2010 recorded the amounts of cladocera, copepods, and rotifers present at three lakes each with a different trophic status. The theory is that a lake with greater nutrient levels, such as a eutrophic lake, will contain higher numbers of zooplankton than a lake with lower nutrient levels, such as an oligotrophic lake The research did not show any significant difference in the abundance of these three microorganisms within the different lakes based on their trophic status.