伊乐藻对浮游动物群落结构的影响

浮游动物是淡水生态系统的重要组成部分,一方面浮游动物主要以浮游植物作为食物^[1],同时又能摄食细菌^[2、3]、原生动物^[4、5];另一方面浮游动物又是一些鱼类优良的食物^[6、7]。国内外一些研究发现,有大量沉水植物存在的湖区,浮游动物的种类数、数量、生物量和多样性都比存在少量或没有沉水植物的湖区要高^[8-13]。     

渤海浮游动物群落生态特点Ⅲ.部分浮游动物数量分布和季节变动

用1959年全国海洋普查中网浮游动物标本,分析渤海水母类,枝角类,糠虾,毛虾和幼虫类的数量分布和季节变化,结果表明,水母类以近岸低盐种为主,主要出现在莱州湾,渤海湾和辽东湾近岸水域,冬季出现的种类较少,优势种为八斑芮氏水母;夏季种类较多,优势种为半球杯水母和嵊山多胃水母等,鸟喙尖头蚤为近岸高温低盐种,主要出现在莱州湾,数量在6月份达到最大值,箭虫是海主要肉食性种类之一,其数量高峰期出现在9月份,长住囊虫的季节变化呈双峰型变化,第1次数量高峰出现在5月份,第2次数量高峰出现在8月份。该种大部分时间主要分布在莱州湾,渤海湾和辽东湾近岸水域,渤海出现的糠虾有长额刺糠虾和漂浮囊糠虾,其中长额否则糠虾受温度的影响较小,在春,夏秋,各有一个数量高峰;漂浮囊糠虾在秋末数量明显增加,这两种糠虾主要分布在渤海湾和辽东湾近岸水域。／三叶针尾涟虫属于低温种类,主要出现在秋季和冬季,细长脚绒属夏季高温种,在6,7月份数量较高,该种的分布受盐度影响比较大,主要出现在受黄海海流影响的谪盐水域,数量较大的幼虫有桡足类的六肢幼体,多毛类海稚虫科的幼体,以壳类幼体和腹足类幼体,其中桡足类六肢幼体和海稚虫科的幼体在5月份出现较多,腹足类幼体在6．7月份数量较高,双壳类幼体在8月份数量较高。     

Towards resolving the paradox of enrichment: the impact of zooplankton vertical migrations on plankton systems stability

Eutrophication, often resulting from human activity, is a serious threat to aquatic communities. Theoretical analysis of this phenomenon, based on conceptual mathematical models, leads to controversial predictions known as Rosenzweig's paradox of enrichment. At the same time, field observations demonstrate that real plankton communities exhibit various mechanisms of self-regulation which can buffer negative effects of enrichment. In this paper, we study potential effects of zooplankton vertical migration on stability of plankton systems functioning. We consider an intrinsically unstable plankton model, which is characterized by an unlimited phytoplankton multiplication and population oscillations of increasing amplitude, and investigate whether vertical migrations of zooplankton can stabilize such a system at low plankton densities. By means of developing two different models accounting for different ecological situations, e.g. deep waters and shallow waters, we show that vertical migrations of zooplankton can result in stabilization of eutrophic plankton systems. Thus, we show that this mechanism, rarely taken into account in models of plankton dynamics, may be important for resolving the paradox of enrichment in plankton communities.     

The effects of plant dispersion and prey density on parasitism rates in a naturally patchy habitat

Despite extensive research on parasitoid-prey interactions and especially the effects of heterogeneity in parasitism on stability, sources of heterogeneity other than prey density have been little investigated. This research examines parasitism rates by three parasitoid species in relationship to prey density and habitat spatial pattern. The herbivore Itame andersoni (Geometridae) inhabits a subdivided habitat created by patches of its host plant, Dryas drummondii, in the Wrangell Mountains of Alaska. Dryas colonizes glacial moraines and spreads clonally to form distinct patches. Habitat subdivision occurs both on the patch scale and on the larger spatial scale of sites due to patchy successional patterns. Itame is attacked by three parasitoids: an ichneumonid wasp (Campoletis sp.), a braconid wasp (Aleiodes n. sp.), and the tachinid fly (Phyrxe pecosensis). I performed a large survey study at five distinct sites and censused Itame density and parasitism rates in 206 plant patches for 1–3 years. Parasitism rates varied with both plant patch size and isolation and also between sites, and the highest rates of overall parasitism were in the smallest patches. However, the effects of both small- and large-scale heterogeneity on parasitism differed for the three parasitoid species. There was weak evidence that Itame density was positively correlated with parasitism for the braconid and tachinid at the patch scale, but density effects differed for different patch sizes, patch isolations, and sites. At the site scale, there was no evidence of positive, but some indication of negative density-dependent parasitism. These patterns do not appear to be driven by negative interactions between the three parasitoid species, but reflect, rather, individual differences in habitat use and response to prey density. Finally, there was no evidence that parasitism strongly impacted the population dynamics of Itame. These results demonstrate the importance of considering habitat pattern when examining spatial heterogeneity of parasitism and the impacts of parasitoids. Received: 3 June 1999 / Accepted: 4 October 1999     

疏浚后杭州西湖浮游动物群落的变化

2003年1-12月调查了疏浚后杭州两湖(小型、浅水、富营养化湖泊)四个采样站(Ⅰ-Ⅳ)浮游动物群落的变化。研究包括优势种组成、密度和生物量,以及浮游动物生物量与水体叶绿素a、有机物耗氧量、总氮和总磷含量之间的相关分析。疏浚后,Ⅲ-Ⅳ站原生动物第一优势种由似铃壳虫(Tintinnopsis sp.)变为筒壳虫(Tintinnidium sp.);Ⅲ-Ⅳ站轮虫第一优势种由暗小异尾轮虫(Trichocerca pusilla)变为针簇多肢轮虫(Polyarthra trigla);Ⅰ站的长额象鼻溞(Bosmina longirostris)和Ⅲ站的微型裸腹溞(Moina micrura)分别取代了长肢秀体溞(Diaphanosoma leuchtenbergianum)第一优势种的地位;桡足类中,剑水蚤优势种为粗壮温剑水蚤(Thermocyclops dybowskii),哲水蚤优势种为汤匙华哲水蚤(Sinocalanus dorrii)。疏浚后,西湖浮游动物平均密度增加了80.5%,其中原生动物密度增量贡献57.3%。平均生物量增加了49.7%,其中轮虫生物量增量贡献36.5%。西湖浮游动物生物量与水体叶绿素a、有机物耗氧量和总磷含量之间均呈垃著的正相关关系。不同采样站中,以Ⅳ站环境生态因子与浮游动物生物量之间的相关程度最高,其次为Ⅲ站、Ⅰ站和Ⅱ站,水体环境生态因子对浮游动物的影响程度与其优势利演变的体现相一致。在不同浮游动物类群中,枝角类生物量与水质生态因子之间的相关程度最高,其次为轮虫、桡足类和原生动物。     

Spatial patterns on the sagebrush steppe/Western juniper ecotone

Analysis of the spatial patterns of woody plants is important to better understand the ecological processes that govern the worldwide expansion of woody plants across semi-arid ecosystems. Second-order characteristics of a marked spatial point pattern of western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis subsp. occidentalis) were analyzed using Ripley’s K-functions and the pair-correlation function g. The marked point process of crown diameters was produced via two-dimensional wavelet analysis of a fine scale aerial photograph at the woodland-steppe ecotone in the Reynolds Creek watershed in the Owyhee Mountains, southwestern Idaho. Colonization of J. occidentalis stems from mature juniper trees growing in rocky, fire resistant areas. Although these areas introduce components of natural heterogeneity within the landscape, the selected study area is situated within a single soil type, and we modeled the expansion of juniper plants into previously juniper-free sagebrush steppe as a homogeneous point process with constant intensity. Through this research we have identified two statistically significant spatial scales characteristic of J. occidentalis on the woodland/steppe ecotone: (1) We observed inhibition between J. occidentalis plants at distances <15 m, resulting in a regular pattern, rather than clumped or random. This short-distance inhibition can be attributed to competition for water and other resources. Recruitment of young J. occidentalis occurs significantly more often in a direction away from older plants, maximizing the utilization of water and light resources, and perpetuating the spread of the species into previously juniper-free shrub-steppe. (2) J. occidentalis on the ecotone exhibits significant clustering within a 30–60 m radius. Bivariate point pattern analyses provide evidence that, within a distance of 50–70 m, there is a spatial dependence in tree size such that medium trees are more likely than small trees to be close to large trees. We attribute these phenomena to the fact that juniper seeds are commonly dispersed by berry-eating birds with small territories (0.3–1 ha). Beyond a distance of 50–70 m, juniper plants are randomly distributed, suggesting that additional long-range seed dispersal processes are at work. We further acknowledge the importance of including a reference to spatial scale when formulating hypotheses in statistical analysis of spatio-temporal point patterns.     

Analysis of spatial patterns informs community assembly and sampling requirements for Collembola in forest soils

The relative importance of niche separation, non-equilibrial and neutral models of community assembly has been a theme in community ecology for many decades with none appearing to be applicable under all circumstances. In this study, Collembola species abundances were recorded over eleven consecutive years in a spatially explicit grid and used to examine (i) whether observed beta diversity differed from that expected under conditions of neutrality, (ii) whether sampling points differed in their relative contributions to overall beta diversity, and (iii) the number of samples required to provide comparable estimates of species richness across three forest sites. Neutrality could not be rejected for 26 of the forest by year combinations. However, there is a trend toward greater structure in the oldest forest, where beta diversity was greater than predicted by neutrality on five of the eleven sampling dates. The lack of difference in individual- and sample-based rarefaction curves also suggests randomness in the system at this particular scale of investigation. It seems that Collembola communities are not spatially aggregated and assembly is driven primarily by neutral processes particularly in the younger two sites. Whether this finding is due to small sample size or unaccounted for environmental variables cannot be determined. Variability between dates and sites illustrates the potential of drawing incorrect conclusions if data are collected at a single site and a single point in time.     

Biogeographical patterns of freshwater micro‐ and macroorganisms: a comparison between phytoplankton,zooplankton and fish in the eastern Mediterranean

Aim We investigated the biogeographical patterns of phytoplankton, zooplankton and fish in freshwater ecosystems. We tested whether spatial distance or environmental heterogeneity act as potential factors controlling community composition. Location Northern and central Greece, eastern Mediterranean. Method Data on 310 phytoplankton, 72 zooplankton and 37 fish species were collected from seven freshwater systems. Species occurrence data were used to generate similarity matrices describing community composition. We performed Mantel tests to compare spatial patterns in community composition of phytoplankton, zooplankton and fish. Next, we examined the correlation between geographical distance and the degree of similarity in community composition. The analysis was repeated for different taxonomic, trophic and size‐based groups of the microorganisms studied. We assessed different environmental variables (topographic and limnological) as predictors of community composition. Results Phytoplankton community composition showed a strong positive correlation with environmental heterogeneity but was not correlated with the geographical distance between systems. Zooplankton community composition was unrelated to geographical distance and was only weakly correlated with environmental variables. In contrast, fish community similarity decayed significantly with distance. We found no relationship along all pairwise comparisons of the compositional matrices of the three groups. The pairwise comparisons of the different taxonomic, trophic and size‐based groups of the microorganism communities studied were in accordance with the results for the entire microorganism community. Main conclusions Our results support the proposition that the biogeography of microorganisms does not demonstrate a distance–decay pattern and further suggest that, in reality, the drivers of distribution depend on the specific community examined. In contrast, the biogeography of macroorganisms was affected by geographical distance. These differences reflect the dispersal abilities of the different organisms. The microorganisms exhibit passive dispersal through the air, with local environmental conditions structuring their community composition. On the other hand, for macroorganisms such as fish, the terrestrial environment could pose barriers to their dispersal; with fish structuring distinctive communities over greater distances. Overall, we suggest that the biogeography of freshwater phytoplankton and zooplankton reflects contemporary environmental conditions, while the biogeographical patterns for fish inhabiting the same systems are related to factors affecting their dispersal ability.     

Vertical movements of the surface water and thermal stratification in Rutland Water

Vertical movements of the water surface in Rutland Water were examined using water level gauges. The timing and extent of the surface seiches and slopes due to wind-stress were not well correlated with wind speed and direction; this is thought to be due to the complex shape of the reservoir. Unexplainable diel oscillations of the water surface occurred, and an examination of the thermal stratification showed the presence of upwelling and downwelling.     

Anisotropy analyses of population distribution patterns

Direction-dependence, or anisotropy, of spatial distribution patterns of vegetation is rarely explored due to neglect of this ecological phenomenon and the paucity of methods dealing with this issue. This paper proposes a new approach to anisotropy analysis of spatial distribution patterns of plant populations on the basis of the data resampling technique (DRT) combined with Ripley’s L index. Using the ArcView Geographic Information System (GIS) platform, a case study was carried out by selecting the population of Pinus massoniana from a needle-and broad-leaved mixed forest community in the Heishiding Nature Reserve, Guangdong Province. Results showed that the spatial pattern of the P. massoniana population was typically anisotropic with different patterns in different directions. The DRT was found to be an effective approach to the anisotropy analysis of spatial patterns of plant populations. By employing resampling sub-datasets from the original dataset in different directions, we could overcome the difficulty in the direct use of current non-angular methods of pattern analysis. Translated from Acta Scientialrum Naturalium Universitatis Sunyatseni, 2006, 45(2): 83–87 [译自: 中山大学学报 (自然科学版)]     

水体热分层对万峰湖水环境的影响

2009年9月(秋季)和2010年1月(冬季)对南盘江流域峡谷型水库--万峰湖的水温和水化学(DO、pH、总磷)进行监测,结果表明:万峰湖水体在秋、冬季节均存在明显分层,秋季.水体分为3层,0～10 m为混匀层,10～50 m为斜温层,50 m以下为滞水层,这种温度分层阻止了水的对流混合,引起显著的水化学分层,形成底部厌氧层.冬季,水温下降,在水下50 m左右分层,表层随深度增加水温下降,下层为滞水层,水温较为均匀.相关性分析表明,万峰湖在2009年9月(秋季)和2010年1月(冬季)水温和DO、pH、总磷之间均为极显著相关,水化学分层与温度分层同步.     

Measuring the contribution of evolution to community trait structure in freshwater zooplankton

There are currently few predictions about when evolutionary processes are likely to play an important role in structuring community features. Determining predictors that indicate when evolution is expected to impact ecological processes in natural landscapes can help researchers identify eco-evolutionary ‘hotspots', where eco-evolutionary interactions are more likely to occur. Using data collected from a survey in freshwater cladoceran communities, landscape population genetic data and phenotypic trait data measured in a common garden, we applied a Bayesian linear model to assess whether the impact of local trait evolution in the keystone species Daphnia magna on cladoceran community trait values could be predicted by population genetic properties (within-population genetic diversity, genetic distance among populations), ecological properties (Simpson's diversity, phenotypic divergence) or environmental divergence. We found that the impact of local trait evolution varied among communities. Moreover, community diversity and phenotypic divergence were found to be better predictors of the contribution of evolution to community trait values than environmental features or genetic properties of the evolving species. Our results thus indicate the importance of ecological context for the impact of evolution on community features. Our study also demonstrates one way to detect signatures of eco-evolutionary interactions in communities inhabiting heterogeneous landscapes using survey data of contemporary ecological and evolutionary structure.     

Fluctuation of the zooplankton community in Lake Biwa during the 20th century: a paleolimnological analysis

Detailed zooplankton records from a 26-cm sediment core with a time resolution of approximately 3–10 years were obtained from Lake Biwa, Japan, to examine the historical variations in the zooplankton community during the 20th century. In the sediments, selected zooplankton remains have fluctuated over the years. Daphnia – large zooplankton herbivores – did not occur from 1900 to 1920, and formed a very minor component of the zooplankton community in the following 30 years, while Bosmina – small zooplankton herbivores – were common during this period. In the mid-1960s, however, when eutrophication was noticeable in this lake, Daphnia numbers increased dramatically and became the dominant zooplankton thereafter. In contrast, Difflugia brevicolla and D. biwae, two amoeboid protozoans that live in connection with the lake bottom environment, occurred abundantly until the late 1950s, but gradually decreased after the mid-1960s. In particular, D. biwae, a species peculiar to this lake, was not found in sediment dated after 1980, suggesting its extinction. These results indicate that the zooplankton community structure changed greatly in the 1960s, and suggest that the eutrophication occurring at this time altered the relative strength of top-down and bottom-up forces on the zooplankton community in Lake Biwa.     

Stable isotope analysis of the origins of zooplankton carbon in lakes of differing trophic state

Carbon stable isotope analysis was carried out on zooplankton from 24 United Kingdom lakes to examine the hypothesis that zooplankton dependence on allochthonous sources of organic carbon declines with increasing lake trophy. Stable isotope analysis was also carried out on particulate and dissolved organic matter (POM and DOM) and, in 11 of the lakes, of phytoplankton isolates. In 21 of the 24 lakes, the zooplankton were depleted in ¹³C relative to bulk POM, consistent with previous reports. δ¹³C for POM showed relatively little variation between lakes compared to high variation in values for DOM and phytoplankton. δ¹³C values for phytoplankton and POM converged with increasing lake trophy, consistent with the expected greater contribution of autochthonous production to the total organic matter pool in eutrophic lakes. The difference between δ¹³C for zooplankton and that for POM was also greatest in oligotrophic lakes and reduced in mesotrophic lakes, in accordance with the hypothesis that increasing lake trophic state leads to greater dependence of zooplankton on phytoplankton production. However, the difference increased again in hypertrophic lakes, where higher δ¹³C values for POM may have been due to greater inputs of ¹³C-enriched organic matter from the littoral zone. The very wide variation in phytoplankton δ¹³C between lakes of all trophic categories made it difficult to detect robust patterns in the variation in δ¹³C for zooplankton. Received: 2 November 1998 / Accepted: 3 December 1999     

Only the small survive: monitoring long-term changes in the zooplankton community of an Alpine lake after fish introduction

The zooplankton community of Alpine lake Seehornsee (1,779 m a.s.l.) was studied over a period of 13 years. In 1994, a typical high-altitude zooplankton community, consisting of two calanoid copepods (Mixodiaptomus laciniatus, Arctodiaptomus alpinus), one cladoceran (Daphnia rosea), and two rotifers (Keratella quadrata, Synchaeta pectinata) coexisted with infertile charr hybrids, which had been introduced in 1969 and again in 1974. When the aged fish were removed by intensive gill netting, they had fed predominantly on aquatic insects. After a fish-free period of 4 years, 2000 fertile juvenile Alpine charr (Salvelinus umbla) were stocked in 1998 and again in 1999. They preyed on benthic (chydorids, ostracods, cyclopoid copepods, chironomid larvae and pupae) and planktonic prey (diaptomid copepods, Daphnia). Between 2004 and 2006 charr successfully reproduced. Nine years after stocking of fertile charr, the two calanoids had virtually disappeared, and Daphnia rosea had notably declined in abundance. In concordance with the size efficiency hypothesis (Brooks and Dodson 1965), the newly appearing and smaller cladoceran Ceriodaphnia pulchella, together with the two resident, and two emerging species of rotifers (Polyarthra luminosa, Gastropus stylifer) dominated the zooplankton community.     

Linking isotopic and migratory patterns in a pelagic seabird

The value of stable isotope analysis in tracking animal migrations in marine environments is poorly understood, mainly due to insufficient knowledge of isotopic integration into animal tissues within distinct water masses. We investigated isotopic and moult patterns in Cory’s shearwaters to assess the integration of different stable isotopes into feathers in relation to the birds’ transoceanic movements. Specimens of Mediterranean Cory’s shearwater Calonectris diomedea diomedea caught accidentally by Catalan longliners were collected and the signatures of stable isotopes of C (δ¹³C), N (δ¹⁵N) and S (δ³⁴S) were analysed in 11 wing and two tail feathers from 20 birds, and in some breast feathers. Based on isotopic signatures and moult patterns, the feathers segregated into two groups (breeding and wintering), corresponding to those grown in the Mediterranean or Atlantic regions, respectively. In addition, feathers grown during winter, i.e. moulted in Atlantic waters, were grouped into two isotopically distinct profiles, presumably corresponding to the two main wintering areas previously identified for Mediterranean Cory’s shearwater in tracking studies. N signatures mainly indicated the Mediterranean-to-Atlantic migration, whereas C and S signatures differed according to the Atlantic wintering area. Our results indicate that isotopic signatures from distant oceanic regions can integrate the feathers of a given bird and can indicate the region in which each feather was grown. This study thus underscores how stable isotope analysis can link marine animals to specific breeding and wintering areas, and thereby shed new light on studies involving assignment, migratory connectivity and carry-over effects in the marine environment. Xavier Ruiz deceased 27 April 2008.     

Vertical-migration patterns of flagellates in a community of freshwater benthic algae

The population densities of sediment-inhabiting flagellates sampled from a shallow eutrophic lake in April 1986 were investigated at intervals of 1 or 1.5 h over a twenty hour period in the laboratory under natural irradiance and in controlled conditions. In natural irradiance the flagellates exhibited a vertical migration rhythm up onto the sediment surface after dawn and down into the sediment during the afternoon. Details of the timing of the migration movements and period of time flagellates were present on the sediment surface differed between species and five flagellate groups: trachelomonads, green euglenoids, Chamydomonads, chrysophytes and cryptomonads. During daylight, twenty-seven species maintained population maxima at the surface of the sediment on eight occasions. The species composition of these maxima differed and eight species were found to have two maxima on the surface of the sediment at different times of day. Numbers of three species of chrysophycean flagellates and Rhodomonas minuta increased again on the sediment surface after dark. Under continuous irradiance at 10°C, the migration cycle of all five groups of flagellates was affected. Some evidence for an endogenous nature of this rhythm was found for green euglenoids and Chamydomonads. Numbers of chrysophytes, particularly Synura spp. increased in constant light in the surface layers of sediment.Thus a mosaic of vertical migration patterns was described in an epipelic community of algae dominated by five groups of flagellates. The importance of this in the survival strategy and ecology of these sediment-inhabiting algae is discussed.     

Effects of spatial heterogeneity on butterfly species richness in Rocky Mountain National Park, CO, USA

We investigated butterfly responses to plot-level characteristics (plant species richness, vegetation height, and range in NDVI [normalized difference vegetation index]) and spatial heterogeneity in topography and landscape patterns (composition and configuration) at multiple spatial scales. Stratified random sampling was used to collect data on butterfly species richness from seventy-six 20 × 50 m plots. The plant species richness and average vegetation height data were collected from 76 modified-Whittaker plots overlaid on 76 butterfly plots. Spatial heterogeneity around sample plots was quantified by measuring topographic variables and landscape metrics at eight spatial extents (radii of 300, 600 to 2,400 m). The number of butterfly species recorded was strongly positively correlated with plant species richness, proportion of shrubland and mean patch size of shrubland. Patterns in butterfly species richness were negatively correlated with other variables including mean patch size, average vegetation height, elevation, and range in NDVI. The best predictive model selected using Akaike’s Information Criterion corrected for small sample size (AIC_c), explained 62% of the variation in butterfly species richness at the 2,100 m spatial extent. Average vegetation height and mean patch size were among the best predictors of butterfly species richness. The models that included plot-level information and topographic variables explained relatively less variation in butterfly species richness, and were improved significantly after including landscape metrics. Our results suggest that spatial heterogeneity greatly influences patterns in butterfly species richness, and that it should be explicitly considered in conservation and management actions.     

Small-scale spatial heterogeneity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal abundance and community composition in a wetland plant community

Although it has become increasingly clear that arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) play important roles in population, community, and ecosystem ecology, there is limited information on the spatial structure of the community composition of AMF in the field. We assessed small-scale spatial variation in the abundance and molecular diversity of AMF in a calcareous fen, where strong underlying environmental gradients such as depth to water table may influence AMF. Throughout an intensively sampled 2 × 2 m plot, we assessed AMF inoculum potential at a depth of 0–6 and 6–12 cm and molecular diversity of the AMF community using terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism of 18S rDNA. Inoculum potential was only significantly spatially autocorrelated at a depth of 6–12 cm and was significantly positively correlated with depth to water table at both depths. Molecular diversity of the AMF community was highly variable within the plot, ranging from 2–14 terminal restriction fragments (T-RFs) per core, but the number of T-RFs did not relate to water table or plant species richness. Plant community composition was spatially autocorrelated at small scales, but AMF community composition showed no significant spatial autocorrelation. Saturated soils of calcareous fens contain many infective AMF propagules and the abundance and diversity of AMF inoculum is patchy over small spatial scales. An erratum to this article can be found at     

Exploring spatio-temporal patterns of plankton diversity and community structure as correlates of water quality in a tropical stream

Ecology of plankton in the downstream reaches of Kaduna River, Zungeru, Niger state, Nigeria was investigated between April and August 2015. Plankton and surface water samples were collected monthly from three stations for analysis of plankton diversity and physico-chemical parameters respectively. Station 1 is relatively unperturbed station located at the outskirts of Zungeru town, station 2 with moderate human activity located in Zungeru town while station 3 with minimal level of anthropogenic activities was located in Wushishi town about 7 km from station 2. The result revealed that the minimum and maximum values for pH water temperature, air temperature, conductivity, dissolved oxygen (DO) biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), phosphate, Nitrate, and secchi disc transparency were 5.38–6.79, 25–31 °C, 26–31 °C, 32–72 μs/cm, 3.50–8.20 mg/l, 1.00–5.00 mg/l, 0.06–1.13 mg/l 0.44–1.31 mg/l, 39.140 cm respectively. A total of 26 species of zooplankton and 24 species of phytoplankton were encountered in the study. The highest number of plankton (20 taxa) was recorded at station 2 while station 1 with 18 taxa and station 3 with 13 representative taxa. For zooplankton, the highest number of taxa was recorded at station 1 (20 taxa), followed by station 3 (14 taxa) and 10 taxa in station 2 were identified. Copepoda of the order cyclopidae dominated all the three stations while Bacillariophyta dominated the three stations for phytoplankton diversity. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) ordination was used to determine phytoplankton and zooplankton abundance in relation to the physico-chemical parameters. Nitrate, phosphate and dissolved oxygen had over riding influence on the distribution of the plankton in the water body which indicate that the river is still very productive in terms of providing starter food organisms for higher aquatic life. However, care should be taken to protect the river from further deterioration due to various degrees of human activities.