Daphniid zooplankton assemblage shifts in response to eutrophication and metal contamination during the Anthropocene

Human activities during the Anthropocene result in habitat degradation that has been associated with biodiversity loss and taxonomic homogenization of ecological communities. Here we estimated effects of eutrophication and heavy metal contamination, separately and in combination, in explaining zooplankton species composition during the past 125–145 years using analysis of daphniid diapausing egg banks from four lakes in the northeastern USA. We then examined how these community shifts influenced patterns of diversity and homogenization. Analysis of past lake production (via subfossil pigments) and metal contamination (via sedimentary metals) demonstrated that eutrophication alone (19–39%) and in combination with metal pollution (17–54%) explained 36–79% of historical variation in daphniid species relative abundances in heavily fertilized lakes. In contrast, metal pollution alone explained the majority (72%) of historical variation in daphniid assemblages at the oligotrophic site. Severa...