The Productivity of Fish Food in Oneida Lake 121 



Before discussing the animal inhabitants of the plants it may 

 be well to ascertain the cfuantityof vegetable life in the area. 

 Animal life is dependent, in the ultimate analysis, upon plant 

 life for food and an abundant flora is in general necessary 

 before an abundant fauna is possible. 



Twenty unit areas, each 8 inches square (64 square inches, 

 determined by means of the tin frame used for measuring the 

 mussel distribution) were examined, the plants ranging from 

 two to 53 per unit. The data obtained is shown in Table No. 

 28. Fourteen species of plants are included, the total number 

 of individuals in the 20 units being 234, or an average of 11.7 

 plants per unit area. There are 25,550,444 square feet within 

 the 1 2- foot contour (measured with the planimeter) and if the 

 average given above holds good for the entire territory, there 

 are upwards of 672,615,438 plants in this portion of Lower 

 South Bay,* bordering the shore. 



The result of the examination of the plants was somewhat 

 unexpected, animal life being comparatively scarce. This may 

 have been due to the great amount of filamentous algee cover- 

 ing the bottom which provides a better forage ground than the 

 higher plants. The vegetation may be divided into two types, 

 floating and submerged (also called emergent and submerged). 



I. Floating Plants (emergent). These include the water- 

 lily leaves {Nymphcea and Castalia), the floating pond- weed 

 (Potaniogcton natans), and the filamentous alga {Qidogo- 

 nium), which was floating on the surface of the water in one 

 habitat. On the Potamogeton natans, in Habitat No. xv, a 

 single adult individual of Planorbis antrosus was observed. 

 No animal of any kind other than the Planorbis was noted on 

 this plant. In Habitat No. ex, in a lagoon east of the steam- 

 boat landing in Lower South Bay, the surface of the water 

 over an area estimated to be 150 by 50 feet (7,500 square feet) 

 was covered with the filamentous alga, Qldogoninni. A unit 

 area contained the following life: 



* The computation for this is as follows : 25,550,11.^ square feet X i4-t 

 square inches = 3,679,263,936 square inches -^ 64 square inches = 

 57,488,499 unit areas, X 11.7 plants per unit area =^672,615,438 plants. 



