Electromagnetic Field Impacts on Phytoplankton and Zooplankton Abundance, Relative Abundance and Community Compositions in In-Situ Microcosms

The study focuses on the response of a pond’s planktonic community to a low-power (< 10 W) electromagnetic field (EMF) generating device using in situ microcosms. The objective was to observe the effects of EMF on total phytoplankton and zooplankton abundance, relative abundance and community composition of major taxa. Fifteen microcosms were installed into a pond in Stony Creek, ON to isolate water columns of 1 m in depth. Samples were collected biweekly for twelve weeks. Phytoplankton and zooplankton samples were collected by towing a plankton net vertically through the water columns. Overall, the EMF treatment has resulted in a subtle but significant increase in relative abundance of green algae and diatoms. The prolonged exposure to EMFs were also shown to impact copepod abundance and the biovolume temporal trends of green algae and cyanobacteria. Therefore, EMFs have a potential to affect zooplankton and phytoplankton abundance or community composition.