Structure and dynamics of zooplankton communities,Alligator Rivers Region,N.T., Australia

Biological monitoring in the Alligator Rivers region, northern Australia, provides baseline ecological information to assess the impact of uranium mining and milling and settlement in the area. Spatial and temporal variations 1978–1980 in zooplankton communities of the Magela Creek, a tributary of the East Alligator River, are described. Extremely diverse plankton assemblages occur late in the wet season (Dec.–May), with up to 80 taxa of rotifers and microcrustacea in some billabongs (= ox-bows), while there is a decrease in diversity but increase in population density as the dry season progresses. Natural fluctuations in water quality may be extreme, and limiting to plankters common elsewhere in the tropics. The plankton is composed largely of littoral or epiphytic taxa, with endemic species in all groups.     

The freshwater zooplankton of Thailand (Rotifera and Crustacea)

A list is given of all zooplankton species hitherto reported from Thailand, based on the author's own observations and on the literature.From a comparison with the fauna of some neighbour countries, it appears that important gaps remain to be filled-in.     

Zooplankton species diversity in Lake St. Clair,Ontario, Canada

Zooplankton species diversity and selected chemical parameters were investigated at three stations in Lake St. Clair, Ontario, Canada, from 15 June–26 August, 1971. Primary productivity and zooplankton species diversity were greatest at stations 1 and 2 which were enriched by the Thames River drainage. No significant correlation between total zooplankton diversity and chlorophyll a was found, however, within the Cladocera and Copepoda, positive correlations with chlorophyll a, reactive silicate and nitrate were shown at stations 2 and 3. Rotifer species diversity showed negative correlation with chlorophyll a, nitrate and reactive silicate.     

Relative Sensitivity Distribution of Freshwater Planktonic Crustaceans to Trace Metals

Cladocerans and copepods are common inhabitants of ponds and lakes, but assessments of the toxic effects of chemicals on aquatic organisms are often based mainly on toxicity data for cladocerans of the genus Daphnia. The paucity of toxicity data for copepods and other species of cladocerans raised the question whether toxicity data derived primarily from daphniids can be extrapolated to protect other planktonic organisms. In this study, we address this question by systematically comparing between the sensitivities of cladocerans and copepods to the metals Cd, Cu, Pb, Ni, and Zn using the species sensitivity distributions. Our results indicate that cladocerans are consistently more sensitive than copepods to Cd and Cu. Most importantly, sensitivities of D. magna, D. pulex, and Ceriodaphnia dubia, the three most commonly tested cladocerans, to these metals are higher than those of most copepod species and fall within the range of those exhibited by other cladocerans. C. dubia, a cladoceran with relatively small body size, is more sensitive to all metals than most other cladoceran species. Our results imply that water quality criteria of trace metals derived from datasets dominated by Daphnia are likely also protective to copepods and most other cladocerans.     

Spatial and seasonal variation of the zooplankton in the coastal zone and main khors of Lake Nasser (Egypt)

A prominent feature of Lake Nasser is the presence of khors (dendritic side extensions). We studied the zooplankton of the larger khors and coastal zone of the main lake in 1996 and 1997, and found an assemblage of rotifers, cladocerans and copepods that was partly tropical, partly temperate, at relatively high biomasses. Spatial differences were weak, but the upstream khors (Toushka and Korosko) were consistently richer than the downstream khors (El-Ramla and Kalabsha), with a rather sudden transition around km 150 at El Madiq. Summer standing crops were higher than those in winter by a factor 2–3. The zooplankton of the littoral of the main channel showed the same spatial pattern as that in the khors, being more abundant in spring (average 82300 ind m^–3) than in autumn (average 72700 ind m^–3). Zooplankton dry weight increased from 4 g m^–2 at khor El-Ramla to 7 g m^–2 at khor Toushka. These rather high values had low variation. The number of species, diversity and evenness all showed a high degree of similarity among the khors and in the littoral of the main lake. The lake fish fauna is poor, lacking a pelagic planktivore. The predominance of medium-sized Copepoda (one calanoid, two cyclopoids) in the zooplankton suggests that fish predation is moderate. This is confirmed by the persistence of two Daphnia species at low abundance, although rather strong variations in time suggest that Cladocera suffer from summer predation by invertebrates (copepods) as well as vertebrates (mostly larval fish). Because the zooplankton is underutilised by higher trophic levels, we suggest to assess the benefits of introducing a pelagic zooplanktivorous fish.     

Species composition,distribution and seasonal dynamics of Rotifera in a Rift Valley lake in Ethiopia (Lake Awasa)

The species composition of rotifers in Lake Awasa was studied and 40 species recorded. Seven species appeared in large numbers in the plankton seasonally. Brachionus and Keratella species made up more than 50% of the rotifer community by numbers during the observation period (1983–1987). The standing stock numbers of rotifer species are low with a maximum of 50 individuals L^–1, and some possible reasons for this observation are discussed. Most rotifer species are distributed randomly in the lake and show 3-fold fluctuations between consecutive days.The seasonal dynamics of most rotifer species are correlated with mixing periods in the lake, and the amplitude of seasonal fluctuation may be as high as 50-fold. Clear-cut seasonal succession of rotifer species was observed during the study period, but no consistent seasonal pattern for individual species was obvious. Also, observations indicate that rotifer biomass is partly sustained by availability of carbon through the bacterial pathway and that competitive exclusion for food by nauplii and ciliates probably keeps rotifer abundance low.     

The benthic and weed-bed faunas of Lake Awasa (Rift Valley,Ethiopia)

The community structures of the benthic and weed-bed faunas of Lake Awasa, Ethiopia Rift Valley, are described and related to the various types of substratum present. L. Awasa is non-saline (conductivity 860 µS cm^-1), and lies in a shallow basin with maximum depths of 21–22 m. It supports an important commercial fishery mainly based on the tilapia Oreochromis niloticus.The large weed beds of the lake extend out to the 4 m. isobath in most places; they consist mainly of the grass Paspalidium geminatum. Below the 6–8 m isobaths the bottom is covered with a deep layer of flocculant mud, with organic matter constituting about one third of the dry weight. No benthic animals are able to colonize this mud. In shallower regions the bottom consists of hard sand covered with a thin layer of organic detritus, except for a narrow region around the 6 m isobath where the sand is covered with a layer of ostracod shells up to 25 cm deep. All this firmer bottom is colonized by a benthic community consisting mainly of cyclopoids, ostracods, Limnodrilus and chironomids; there are no prosobranch or bivalve molluscs. The weed-bed community consists mainly of Cladocera, ostracods, Ephemeroptera, Heteroptera, chironomids and pulmonate molluscs. These communities are compared with those of other Afro-tropical lakes, and are shown to have much in common with that of Lake Chad (Dejoux, 1983), specially the chironomids (Dejoux, 1976) but L. Awasa has fewer species, the most noticeable absentees being the decapod Crustacea.     

The zooplankton of a small tropical reservoir (Solomon Dam,North Queensland)

This paper examines seasonal changes in the density and taxonomic composition of the zooplankton of a small tropical impoundment, in relation to factors of water temperature, food supply and reservoir flushing. The response of the zooplankton to management techniques designed to regulate the density of cyanobacteria in the dam are also considered. Cyclopoid copepods were the dominant zooplankters, although Cladocera became much more significant following the introduction of measures to control cyanobacteria. Planktonic Rotifera were a diverse but generally unimportant fraction of the total biomass, except following seasonal or management induced environmental perturbations, when the Rotifera often recovered most rapidly.     

Zooplankton in a Danube River Arm near Rusovce (Slovakia)

Poor quantity of zooplankton was recorded in a Danube arm situated on the right side of the Danube River in Slovakia (river km 1857) in 2002 and 2003. All over the year the arm is significantly influenced by groundwater by reason of seepage. Because of low mean water temperature (12°C) and poorly developed macrovegetation in particular, the arm reminds gravel pit-like. The annual average of zooplankton biomass was low and ranged from 0.35 g m⁻³ (2002) to 1.28 g m⁻³ (2003), because of low crustacean abundance. Total cladoceran abundance was excessively low in both years and ranged from 3.5 N L⁻¹ (2002) to 16.6 N L⁻¹ (2003). Small species, Bosmina longirostris and Chydorus sphaericus were dominant. Only four adult Copepoda — Cyclops vicinus, Thermocyclops crassus, Eurytemora velox and Eudiaptomus gracilis — were recorded in quantitative samples of both years. In the zooplankton assemblage dominated rotifers (Synchaeta pectinata, Synchaeta oblonga, Polyarthra dolichoptera and Keratella cochlearis) which represented 78% and 67% of total abundance respectively. The total of 19 species of rotifers, 34 Cladocera species and 16 taxa of Copepoda were found.     

Crustacean zooplankton assemblages in freshwaters of tropical Australia

Throughout tropical Australia eulimnetic zooplankton is composed of 7 calanoid copepods, 5 cyclopoid copepods and 12 cladocerans. A further 10 cyclopoids and 9 cladocerans occur as littoral strays, making 43 species in all. Dominants include Diaptomus lumholtzi, Mesocyclops notius, Thermocyclops decipiens, Diaphanosoma excisum, Ceriodaphnia cornuta, and Moina micrura. Momentary species composition averages 1.0 calanoids, 1.3 cyclopoids and 2.0 cladocerans. These assemblages are not only less complex than in temperate Australia, but also are not as rich as in most other tropical regions. The main contributors to these differences are calanoids and cladocerans respectively. Nevertheless, as elsewhere, most zooplankters in tropical Australia are eurytropic, widely distributed and small.     

武汉三角湖浮游甲壳动物群落结构

三角湖是长江中下游地区典型的小型城市湖泊,近年来其富营养化趋势明显。2014年7月至2015年6月对湖中浮游甲壳动物群落及其影响因子进行了调查,旨在为湖泊污染防治和生态修复提供依据。在三角湖共采集浮游甲壳动物9科17属22种。浮游甲壳动物全年平均密度为(3.7±3.6)ind/L,各月密度变化范围为0.6~13.1 ind/L,夏季和秋季密度较低,密度峰值出现在2月。浮游甲壳动物全年大部分时间(5、6月除外)以桡足类及无节幼体占优势,其比例为55.2%~95.4%。浮游甲壳动物物种丰富度变化范围为6~15,平均值为10±3,夏季浮游甲壳动物物种丰富度较低。浮游甲壳动物群落Simpson指数变化范围为0.76~0.90,平均值为0.80±0.04。Pearson相关分析表明,浮游甲壳动物总密度与水深呈显著负相关(r=﹣0.636,P0.05,n=11),显示季节性的水位波动影响浮游甲壳动物密度。典范对应分析(CCA)显示,水温和透明度是影响浮游甲壳动物物种组成季节变化的主要环境因子(P0.05)。高密度的鲢(Hypophthalmichthys molitrix)、鳙(Aristichthys nobilis)放养引起的摄食压力可能是三角湖浮游甲壳动物密度较低的主要原因之一。     

Zooplankton community composition of lakes in the Yukon and Northwest Territories (Canada): relationship to physical and chemical limnology

We analysed associations between zooplankton species composition and local abiotic factors in 30 lakes located along a 900 km south-north transect from Whitehorse (Yukon Territory) to Inuvik (Northwest Territories). The lakes were situated in three broadly defined vegetation zones: (i) Boreal forest (between Whitehorse and Dawson City), (ii) alpine tundra (Ogilvie mountains north of Dawson City) and (iii) subarctic forest-tundra (near Inuvik). Lakes in the alpine tundra were characterised by lower conductivity, temperature, chlorophyll a and nutrients than those in the other two zones. Those in the forest-tundra were generally small and shallow, and had higher chlorophyll a concentrations than lakes further south. Lakes in forested catchments spanned a larger latitudinal range and exhibited a greater variety of physical and chemical characteristics. However, they were generally deeper, with higher conductivity, temperature and ionic concentrations. Forty-one zooplankton taxa were identified from the 30 lakes, of which the most frequently occurring were the rotifers Conochilus unicornis, Kellicottia longispina, Keratella cochlearis and Polyarthra vulgaris, the cladocerans Daphnia middendorffiana and Bosmina longirostris, and the copepods Leptodiaptomus pribilofensis, Heterocope septentrionalis and Cyclops spp. The lakes contained between two and fifteen species (mean = 6.9). Alpine tundra lakes contained slightly less species (mean = 5.8) than those at lower elevations; in particular the cladoceran fauna was depauperate or absent. Relationships among the lakes, species and environmental factors were examined using canonical correspondence analysis, with forward selection and associated Monte Carlo permutation tests. Chloride, silica and temperature showed statistically significant relationships with species distribution, and together these abiotic factors explained 25% of the variation in zooplankton communities within Yukon and Northwest Territories lakes.     

Colonising Strategies and Diapause of Planktonic Rotifers (Monogononta,Rotifera) during Aquatic and Terrestrial Phases in a Floodplain (Lower Oder Valley,Germany)

The floodplains of the River Oder are inundated in winter and spring and are desiccated during summer. The plankton community developing towards the end of winter is dominated by monogonont rotifers. Some species maintain populations on the flooded areas as well as in the remaining permanent waters after flooding. Other species are found during the inundation period only. These species produce drought‐resistant diapause stages, beginning at low population densities between 5 to 36 females L^–1. Experiments showed that 9 out of 10 species, which were observed to produce resting eggs during the aquatic phase, were able to survive the terrestrial phase through dormancy in the desiccated floodplain soils. Other species colonise the temporarily inundated areas from the permanent waters again during each flooding period.     

Composition,density and feeding of crustacean zooplankton community in a shallow,temperate lake (Lake Balaton,Hungary)

Composition density and filtering rates of crustacean zooplankton were studied in the open water and among the macrophytes of the oligo-mesotrophic part of Lake Balaton from 1981 to 1983. From the individual filtering rates of the different populations and the densities community grazing rates were derived.Copepoda made up 79–90% of crustacean plankton community in the open lake and 95–97% of it in littoral zone. Among them the nauplii dominated. At the end of summer 1982, when Anabaenopsis was in bloom, the filter-feeding species (Eudiaptomus, Daphnia) practically disappeared, being replaced by cyclopoids. Daphnia had the highest filtering rates followed by those of Eudiaptomus and Diaphanosoma. Among copepods, the filtering rates in decreasing order were: ovigerous > all adults > copepodites > nauplii. > . The filtering rates of the different species varied both seasonally as well as from year to year. In 1983, when the concentration of organic seston decreased, filtering rate increased compared with those in the earlier years. During the water bloom in 1982, the rates decreased by 70% on the average.The community grazing rate was very low (3% per day) in the open lake and among macrophytes, both in 1981 and 1982; also the share of crustacean zooplankton in grazing was very low. In 1983, together with the improving of water quality, the community grazing rate increased 4-fold. In 1981 and 1983 the rates were influenced by water temperature but in 1982 by seston concentration.     

Zooplankton in a quasi-stable phase in an endorheic lake (Lake Chilwa,Malawi)

Lake Chilwa, a fairly large, turbid, brackish and very shallow endorheic lake in Malawi, Central Africa, dried up completely in 1968 and filled up again in the following wet season. Compared with the zooplankton in the drying, filling and post-filling phases (1966–1971), differences in their composition, density, distribution and reproduction were found in 1975–1976, a year when the lake was 1–2 metres deeper. This situation is discussed in relation to environmental factors, fish predation and the supply of detritus from the surrounding Typha swamp, to illustrate the relative stability of the zooplankton populations in periods between lake recessions.University of Malawi     

The effect of Cyanophyta upon zooplankton in a eutrophic tropical lake (Lake Valencia,Venezuela)

The effect which Cyanophyta have upon the zooplankton varies according to the form of the alga (mucilaginous colonies or filaments) and its abundance. Periodical blooms of Microcystis aeruginosa were not detrimental for the zooplankton, in spite of the fact that copepods, cladocerans and rotifers consume small colonies. High concentrations of Lyngbya limnetica and Oscillatoria limnetica in Lake Valencia, Venezuela, proved to be inhibitory for cladocerans. A total absence of cladocerans was detected when filaments increased.     

千岛湖浮游甲壳动物垂直分布与昼夜垂直移动

2004年6月、9月、12月及2005年3月于千岛湖温馨岛站点(29°38′10.5″N,119°01′54.1″E)进行浮游甲壳动物垂直分布分层采样,分析千岛湖浮游甲壳动物的垂直分布特征及优势种昼夜垂直移动状况。结果显示,千岛湖浮游甲壳动物主要分布在10～21 m水层,不同季节中心水层分布深度12月9月6月3月;浮游动物昼夜垂直移动春(3月)、夏(6月)两季幅度较大,秋(9月)、冬(12月)季节幅度较小;浮游甲壳动物优势种在各个水层都有分布,密集区大都集中在中上水层(10～21 m),不同种类昼夜垂直移动幅度有所不同;昼夜垂直移动显著的种类有特异荡镖水蚤(Neutrodiaptanus incongruens)、近邻剑水蚤(Cyclops vicinus)、球状许水蚤(Schmackeria forbesi)、透明溞(Daphnia hyaline)、长额象鼻溞(Bosmina longirostris),不显著的种类为右突新镖水蚤(Neodiaptomus schmackeri)、短尾秀体溞(Diaphanosoma brachyurum)。光照、温度、饵料是影响千岛湖浮游甲壳动物垂直分布及昼夜垂直移动的主要因素。     

Diel migration and vertical distribution of Cladocera in Lake D. Helvecio (Minas Gerais,Brazil)

Six genera of Clad ocera (Diaphanosoma, Daphnia, Ceriodaphnia, Moina, Bosmina, Bosminopsis), each of them usually with only one species were found in Lake D. Helvecio, a natural valley lake located in the eastern part of Brazil. Diurnal migratory movements of the organisms observed in this lake showed a different pattern in different species. Closely related species, which explore the same food source, live in different layers, thus avoiding interspecific competition. The migratory behaviour of the species was studied mainly in relation to temperature and oxygen distribution in the lake. Thus, analyses were made in the summer (January, 1978) when a strong stratification occurs with the establishment of a thermocline and an oxycline. Comparisons were made also with the data obtained in winter (July, 1978), when a complete mixing of water occurs.     

Concordance of Species Composition Patterns among Microcrustaceans,Rotifers and Testate Amoebae in a Shallow Pond

In this study, spatial concordance among microcrustaceans, rotifers and testate amoebae was examined in a small pond in Central Brazil. The main goal was to test how consistently different taxonomic groups ordinate 9 sites distributed along the pond's main axis. Microcrustaceans were more abundant during the dry season, characterized by waters with high transparency and dissolved oxygen concentration. An increase in species richness and densities of rotifers and testate amoebae was detected during rainy season, with low values of Secchi disk and concentrations of dissolved oxygen. However, the ordination patterns generated by these groups were different. Concordant patterns across sites were found only between cladocerans and copepods. These results suggest that great care should be taken when ordination patterns based on some taxonomic groups are extrapolated to other groups for detecting environmental changes. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

The Species and Size Composition of Tropical Freshwater Zooplankton with Special Reference to the Oriental Region (South East Asia)

A contrast between temperate and tropical Cladocera, Copepoda and Rotifera zooplankton fauna shows a markedly different size composition and species diversity. There are fewer species, and these are generally smaller in the tropics than in either the North or South Temperate Zones. Larger species of the genera Daphnia and Simocephalus are relatively rare in the tropics, while members of Eurycerus and Saycia are absent. Members of the families Holopedidae, Leptodoridae and Polyphemidae increase in abundance toward the temperate regions. Two small cyclopoid copepods are common in tropical zooplankton, while many of the common larger species of other regions are absent or very rare. The chief rotifer components are Keratella tropica and species of Brachionus.