This project aims to update our knowledge on the potential impacts of the January 12, 2020 volcanic eruption of Taal Volcano on an integral component of the Lake Taal ecosystem and its primary food source: the endemic and now endangered freshwater sardine, Sardinella tawilis and the zooplankton community of Lake Taal, particularly its preferred prey – the copepods.

Prior to the January 12, 2020 eruption, our studies have been able to document zooplanktivory (and therefore the preferred prey) in the endemic S.tawilis (Papa et al., 2008), the species composition, and spatio-temporal distribution of zooplankton in open water and fish cage areas in Lake Taal (Papa et al., 2011; Papa and Zafaralla, 2011, Papa et al., 2012a, Papa et al., 2013), the confirmation of the occurrence of an invasive calanoid copepod (Arctodiaptomus dorsalis) in Lake Taal (Papa et al., 2012b), the co-occurrence and morphometrics of two calanoid species in Lake Taal (Papa and Zafaralla, 2011; Papa et al., 2012a; De Leon et al., 2016; Papa et al., 2017; Guinto et al., 2018), an initial attempt to use stable isotopes in confirming the trophic position of another Lake Taal endemic species – Hydrophis semperi (Garcia et al., 2014) and a study on the archived water quality and meteorological data which recommended changes in the monitoring scheme being employed in Lake Taal (Mendoza et al., 2019). Although these publications have improved the current state of scientific knowledge on Lake Taal, the recent declaration of S. tawilis as an endangered species (Santos et al., 2018) and the increased volcanic activity in Taal Volcano starting last January 2020 together with the previously identified anthropogenic influences on the limnology of the lake (aquaculture, excessive nutrient inputs, the alteration of lake littoral zones) all justify a renewed interest to study the zooplanktivory of S. tawilis.