Zooplankton associations in Zimbabwe

The specific composition and diversity of the zooplankton in 18 impoundments in Zimbabwe were analysed on the basis of samples taken in July and August 1983. All the lakes lay at altitudes over 1200 m, with the highest at 2270 m.
Thirty species of Rotifera and 20 species of Crustacea were identified, but the mean numbers of species per lake were 5·7 rotifers and 4·5 crustaceans. Some records represent considerable extensions of known ranges. Daphnia laevis was the most widespread and frequently dominant crustacean, while among the rotifers Keratella cochlearis was most frequently dominant, particularly in the lakes at the upper part of the altitudinal range.
Ordination and cluster analysis of the associations revealed a group of lakes with closely interrelated similarities which could be attributed to their lying on tributaries of the same river system and receiving trout from the same hatchery. These analyses also picked out the lowest locality as the most divergent and the one showing the most typically tropical zooplankton association. Although all the lakes were well within the tropics, their altitudes seem to have excluded some of the widespread tropical African zooplankters.
The possibility that these associations could be formed by random colonization is discussed and dismissed.
The momentary species composition of these Zimbabwean zooplankton associations was similar to that given by Pennak (1957) for the world average, although the mean number of species of Copepoda was significantly lower than the world average. Comparisons with data from Brazil and Lake Maggiore indicate the need for a further geographical analysis.
A comparative study of the species diversity in impoundments of different sizes indicates that, over several orders of magnitude of area, the number of species of Ciadocera and Copepoda shows a small increase, but the number of species of Rotifera shows a much larger and more variable increase.     

Abundance and Community Structure of Limnetic Zooplankters in Kumaun Lakes,India

The zooplankton compositions in the limnetic zones of two subtropical lakes, the Nainital and the Bhimtal (U.P., India) were more or less similar in terms of species composition. Numerically, zooplankters were abundant during the thermal stratification (summer-autumn) period and scarce during the over-turn (winter). The density of the zooplankton population reported from the eutrophic Lake Nainital was higher than in the oligotrophic Lake Bhimtal. Among the three groups studied copepods dominated over cladocerans and rotifers in both the lakes. The Shannon Weaver diversity was higher for Lake Bhimtal than for Lake Nainital. The community structure has also been discussed on the basis of crustacean species.     

Assessing the health of a zooplankton community in a small Precambrian Shield lake during recovery from experimental acidification

Acidified lakes recover chemically relatively quickly following the reduction or cessation of acidic inputs. Although fish, invertebrate, and phytoplankton communities are reported to begin to return to preacidification states in chemically-improving lakes, the process and extent of biological recovery are not well-documented. The experimental acidification of Precambrian Shield Lake 223 (27.4 ha surface area; 14.4 m maximum depth) in the Experimental Lakes Area in northwestern Ontario, provides an opportunity to compare the zooplankton community prior to acidification with that during progressive acidification and during chemical recovery. Acidified with sulfuric acid from pH 6.47 (ice-free season mean) in 1976 to pH 5.0 (1981 to 1983), Lake 223 has been allowed to recover in steps of pH 5.5 (1984 to 1987), pH 5.8 (1988 to 1990), and pH 6.11 (1991). Total zooplankton biomass showed no trend to increase or decrease during the acidification and recovery, but species composition changed. Compared with species composition at pH 6.13 early in acidification in 1977, the recovering community at pH 6.11 in 1991 had the previously-dominant cladoceran species present in very low numbers and had two newly-appearing cladoceran species. The community had lost one species of calanoid and gained none and lost two species of cyclopoids and gained two. It appeared to lose four species of rotifiers and gain seven. In nearby unmanipulated reference Lake 239 (56.1 ha; 30.4 m), species shifts were recorded but they involved rarer species, not dominants as in Lake 223. Although the zooplankton community in 1991 is in a new state with respect to species composition, static measures of total community biomass, contribution to biomass by the four main taxonomic groups, per cent smilarity to the preacidification community (for crustaceans), and biomass of herbivores do not indicate impairment of community health. Lowered species diversity for both crustaceans and rotifers partially returned to preacidification levels. Nevertheless, the rotifer community in 1991 was more dissimilar to the preacidification community than was the crustacean community, and carnivore biomass appeared to be depressed in Lake 223. The Lake 223 zooplankton community at pH 6.11 in 1991 appears to be in a state of flux.     

Macrophytes as dispersal vectors of zooplankton resting stages in a subtropical riverine floodplain

The resting stages of freshwater zooplankton constitute a special mechanism for passive dispersal, often displaying a variety of adaptations so as to ease transport. In floodplain systems, macrophytes are one of the most representative biotic groups showing interactions with the zooplankton community. The annual fluctuations in the hydrometric level of the Paraná River favour the displacement of this aquatic vegetation in floodplain environments. This paper hypothesizes that the roots and submerged portions of different macrophytes contain zooplankton resting stages which are able to hatch when environmental conditions are favourable. In turn, this contributes to the dispersal of zooplankton by plants when they are displaced by the flood pulse. Six macrophyte species were sampled (Eichhornia crassipes, Azolla filiculoides, Limnobium spongia, Pistia stratiotes, Eichhornia azurea and Nymphoides indica) from lakes within the Paraná River floodplain. Roots and submerged portions of vegetation were stored (90 days) at 4 °C then incubated at 25 °C for 90 days. Hatchling emergence was recorded at 2-day intervals during this period. In total, 70 zooplankton taxa were recorded in all macrophyte samples; rotifers were the most representative group (69%) followed by cladocerans (28%) and copepods (3%). The roots and submerged parts of aquatic vegetation house viable zooplankton resting stages. This phenomenon allows the dispersal of resting stages and therefore colonization of new habitats during the displacement of macrophyte species.     

ZOOPLANKTON OF LAKES MUTANDA, BUNYONYI AND MULEHE

Quantitative samples of zooplankton from three lakes in the Kigezi District of Uganda have been studied. The systematics of the zooplankton are considered, and some of the identifications given by Worthington & Ricardo (1936) in a previous study of one of these lakes are revised.
Lake Mulehe is the shallowest of the three lakes and contains the largost standing crop of zooplankton. This is in agreement with chemical data which indicato that the supply of nutrient salts in Lake Mulehe is higher than in the other two lakes.
In October 1962 the zooplankton of Lake Mutanda was characterized by the relative abundance of three species of Daphnia which were not found in the samples from the other lakes, although two of these species were present in Lake Bunyonyi in 1931. Rotifers were sparse in Lako Mutands, but here dominant by Tetramastix opoliensis. Lake Bunyonyi was richer in rotifers, but here the dominant species was Keratella tropica , whilo in Lake Mulehe the dominant rotifer was Synchaeta pectinata.
The zooplankton of Lake Mutanda in October 1962 was similar in composition to that of Lake Bunyonyi in 1931, but in 1962 the zooplankton of Lake Bunyonyi was more like that of Lake Mulehe. The possible causos of this change are discussed.     

Acidification and the structure of crustacean zooplankton in mountain lakes: The Tatra Mountains (Slovakia,Poland)

Species composition of planktonic Crustacea in 102 lakes in the West and High Tatra Mountains, studied during the peak of anthropogenic acidification (1978–1996), is presented in this work. Zooplankton of the Tatra lakes have been studied since the middle of the 19^th century, which later enabled the recognition of lake acidification and the assessment of its effect on the plankton community of lake ecosystems. In the pre-acidification period, the distribution of zooplankton was determined namely by the lake altitude and orientation (north vs. south) and by the catchment character. Crustacean zooplankton in larger lakes consisted of a limited number of species, with Acanthodiaptomus denticornis and Daphnia longispina dominating lakes in the forest zone, and Arctodiaptomus alpinus, Cyclops abyssorum, Daphnia longispina, Daphnia pulicaria, and Holopedium gibberum dominating lakes in the alpine zone. Ceriodaphnia quadrangula, Daphnia obtusa, Daphnia pulex, and Mixodiaptomus tatricus occurred in lakes with high concentrations of dissolved organic matter and in strongly acidified waters. Anthropogenic acidification has caused drastic changes in both the chemistry and biology of the Tatra lakes. Based on their status during the acidification peak, lakes were divided into three categories: non-acidified (with no change in the species composition of crustacean zooplankton due to the acidification), acidified (planktonic Crustacea disappeared in lakes with meadow-rocky catchments), and strongly acidified lakes where original Crustacea in meadow-rocky catchment lakes disappeared and were replaced by populations of the acid-tolerant littoral species Acanthocyclops vernalis, Chydorus sphaericus, and Eucyclops serrulatus. The acidification-induced processes of oligotrophication and toxicity of aluminium played a key role in the extinction of species. Despite the first signs of biological recovery observed in the early 2000s, acidification remains the most important factor governing the structure of plankton in the Tatra lakes.     

Rotifer communities of floodplain lakes of the Brahmaputra basin of lower Assam (N.E. India): biodiversity, distribution and ecology

The rotifer communities of 15 acidic – alkaline and soft – marginally hard water floodplain lakes of the lower Assam valley of the Brahmaputra river basin, characterized by low ionic concentrations, reveal 164 species (178 taxa) belonging to 39 genera and 20 families and represent the richest biodiversity known to date in these ecotones of the Indian subcontinent. Nine species are new to the Indian Rotifera. Cosmopolitan (59.7%) > pantropical (15.2%) > cosmotropical (12.2%) species dominate the taxocoenosis. Biogeographically interesting elements constitute a notable component (13.4%); important members of this category include six Oriental, two Australasian and seven Palaeotropical species. The examined fauna depicts a tropical character with predominance of Lecanespp. (28.0%). Littoral or periphytic rotifers (76.2%) dominate the planktonic species. Rotifers comprise a dominant qualitative (67–103, 79.1±11.0 species) and an important quantitative (mean: 41.1–65.9%) component of zooplankton in all floodplain lakes, register a moderate diversity (mean: 2.036–2.642), low dominance (mean: 0.019–0.216) and high evenness (mean: 0.840–0.893). The examined material indicates several interesting acidophilous elements. Richness depicts significant inverse correlation with pH. Water temperature, conductivity, dissolved oxygen and alkalinity record significant direct relationships with the rotifer abundance. Diversity is influenced by abundance and is also directly correlated with water temperature and conductivity. Canonical analysis shows a notable cumulative impact of six abiotic factors on richness, density and diversity.     

Connectivity and complexity of floodplain habitats govern zooplankton dynamics in a large temperate river system

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Restoration of zooplankton in a small acidified mountain lake (Plešné Lake,Bohemian Forest) by reintroduction of key species

Atmospheric acidification brought about the extinction of several species of planktonic Crustacea in lakes of the Bohemian Forest (?umava, Böhmerwald). The recent reversal in chemical parameters of lake water towards pre-acidification values raises the question whether the return of missing species is possible. We have designed a bioassay to test water from different lakes for the survival of Daphnia longispina, which inhabited the lakes under study but disappeared from those most affected by acidification. The bioassay showed the best survival in water from Ple?né Lake, one of those where Daphnia and Cyclops became extinct. A large-scale experiment was conducted by transplanting Daphnia longispina (Crustacea, Cladocera) and Cyclops abyssorum (Crustacea, Copepoda) from Prá?ilské Lake, where they have survived until the present, to Ple?né Lake. One year later, a successful reintroduction was confirmed for Cyclops abyssorum.     

Diversity of communities and quantitative parameters of hydrobionts in lakes of the Onon-Toreisk Plain

The diversity of communities and the quantitative parameters of hydrobionts of 17 lakes of the Onon-Toreisk Plain in Northeastern Mongolia during the low-water period are analyzed. The organisms revealed in the lakes include 35 species of phytoplankton, 35 species of zoobenthos, 31 species of zooplankton, and 14 species of hydrophytes. Chara virgata, a representative of charophytes, was revealed in Mongolia for the first time. The greatest species diversity of the communities of hydrobionts is seen in oligohaline lakes. The highest quantitative parameters of communities of phytoplankton and zoobenthos are typical for Gurmiin Lake.     

Diversity and Abundance of the Planktonic Rotifers in Different Environments of the Upper Paraná River Floodplain (Paraná State – Mato Grosso do Sul State,Brazil)

This study proposes that diversity and abundance of rotifers show spatial and temporal variations in the Upper Paraná River floodplain due to heterogeneity of the environment and hydrological level fluctuations of the main river. The structure and dynamics of rotifer assemblages were investigated by samplings carried out during the rainy (February) and dry period (August) of the year 2000, in 36 environments (rivers, channels, backwaters, open and isolated floodplain lakes). The influence of phytoplankton biomass on rotifer diversity and abundance was also investigated. 104 taxa of rotifers were identified. The highest species richness was found in rivers and open floodplain lakes, the highest abundances in the isolated floodplain lakes, and the highest values of species diversity in the channels, especially during the rainy period. β₂-diversity values were higher in the channels, especially during the dry period. Flow differences and food availability were predominant factors influencing the structure and dynamics of the rotifer communities.     

Percentage of rotifers in spring zooplankton in lakes of different trophy

Studies carried out on 8 lakes in the czna-Wodawa Lakeland of eastern Poland indicated that the qualitative and quantitative structure of zooplankton was clearly correlated with the lake trophy state. In the spring zooplankton of lakes affected by gradual natural eutrophication were dominated by rotifers. In the zooplankton of lakes strongly affected by human activities, Cladocera dominated. With an increase in lake trophy there was an increase in the number of species that were indicators of eutrophy and a decrease in the number of indicators of mesotrophy. The total number of species in individual lakes tended to increase with an increase in trophy.     

Effects of catchment perturbations by logging and wildfires on zooplankton species richness and composition in Boreal Shield lakes

SUMMARY 1. Forest logging and wildfires are important perturbations of the boreal forest, but their effects on lake biota remain largely unknown. Here, we test whether zooplankton species richness and species assemblages differed among three groups of lakes in Eastern Canada characterised by different catchment conditions: logged in 1995 ( n =9); burnt in 1995 ( n =9); unperturbed ( n =20). Lakes were sampled in June, July and September 1 year after catchment perturbations.
2. Cumulative species richness in reference lakes averaged 46 (33–60) of which 63% were rotifers. Mean cumulative species richness and mean diversity in logged and burnt lakes did not differ from those in reference lakes.
3. Lake species assemblages were described by the density of 62 species (41 rotifers and 21 crustaceans). Among-group differences in species assemblages were not significant. Eighteen per cent of the total variability in species assemblages could be explained by 13 environmental factors, among which dissolved oxygen concentration and cyanobacteria biovolume were the most important. About 5% of species assemblage variability was attributed to covariation between environmental factors and time of sampling, while 4.1% was attributed to temporal variation.
4. Variations in zooplankton species richness and assemblages in Boreal Shield lakes are important, both among lakes and among sampling dates. They seem to depend on environmental factors unrelated to catchment-based perturbations, at least on the short-term of 1 year.     

Comparative analysis of plankton rotifer biomass in large Estonian lakes

The number and biomass of rotifers in large eutrophic lakes is small in winter, reaches a maximum in spring or summer and decreases to a winter minimum. The dynamics of rotifer participation as part of total zooplankton is opposite to their absolute number: the role of rotifers in zooplankton is great in winter, starts decreasing in spring, reaches a minimum in summer and increases again to its winter maximum. The number and biomass of rotifers is proportional to the trophy of the waterbody, but in the case of some species this correlation is inverse.     

湖泊富营养化对轮虫群落结构及物种多样性的影响

2005年7月至2006年6月, 我们对安徽省芜湖市境内5个湖泊中轮虫的群落结构及部分水质特征参数进行了调查, 用相关加权综合营养状态指数(TLIc)评价了各湖泊的营养水平, 分析了其中的轮虫群落结构、多样性指数及其与TLI_C之间的关系。经鉴定, 5个湖泊中共采集到轮虫79种, 隶属18科31属; 不同营养水平湖泊中出现的轮虫种类数有明显的差异(P<0.01)。除龙窝湖外, 其余4个湖泊中的轮虫种类数与TLI_C均呈显著负相关关系(r＝–0.984, P<0.05)。湖泊水体的富营养化进程显著地提高了轮虫总密度和第一优势种的优势度, 降低了轮虫群落的均匀度和物种多样性指数。     

Two types of maternal care for juveniles observed in Caprella monoceros Mayer, 1890 and Caprella decipiens Mayer, 1890 (Amphipoda: Caprellidae)

Spatial and seasonal patterns in phytoplankton and zooplankton communities of Lake St. Clair from June through September, 1984 are described. Phytoplankton biomass averages 586 µg l^-1 with the Diatomae and Chrysophyceae predominating. Zooplankton biomass averages 663 µg l^- with small bosminid Cladocera being the most abundant organisms. Lake St. Clair zooplankton biomass is second only to that of Lake Erie amongst the St. Lawrence Great Lakes. Biomass size spectra are typical in structure for mesotrophic lakes but low explained variance in the annual normalized spectrum is indicative of a perturbed system. Since 1972/1973 there appears to have been a slight decrease in zooplankton abundance in the lake accompanied by a shift from dominance of rotifers to dominance of cladocerans. We hypothesize that high flushing rate and seasonal variability coupled with contaminant loadings have resulted in a plankton community reduced in taxonomic diversity and dominated by small-bodied species.     

Structure and function of pelagic zooplankton in various types of lakes (using the example of small lakes in northwestern Russia

Changes of structure and functioning of pelagic zooplankton under lake eutrophication were studied in a group of small (without outlet) lakes in southern Karelia and Leningrad region. The lakes were morphologically similar and located within the same climatic zone. Differences in their trophic status were connected with anthropogenic eutrophication. Correlation between species number and feeding resources of a lake is determined as: Y = (8.01 +/- 3.85) + (0.29 +/- 0.07)X1 + (6.75 +/- 1.52)X2, r2 = 0.95, (1) Y--number of zooplankton species, X1--average chlorophyll concentration for the season, mg/1; X2--average value of biochemical oxygen demand (expressed in mgC/1). Average biomass of zooplankton for season also depends on food: logY = (-0.054 +/- 0.224) + (0.242 +/- 0.094)logX1 + (0.170 +/- 0.179)logX2, n = 13, r2 = 0.87, (2) Y--average zooplankton biomass for the season, kcal/m3, X1 and X2 the same as (1). Increase in species number and zooplankton bimass determined primarily by Rotatoria occur in parallel to chlorophyll concentration and activity of bacteria. In acid lakes rotifers are not important in energy balance. In mezotrophic lakes two main energy paths are formed--through rotifers and through Crustacea. The role of rotifers is extremely important in eutrophic lakes where about 80% of energy paths through them. The ratio community production to energy consumption for the growing season is also depended on the community structure (species number, equitability, connectence): Y = (2.257 +/- 0.026) - (0.368 +/- 0.031)X1 + (5.160 +/- 0.442)X2, r2 = 0.99, (3) Y--average seasonal production of zooplankton, kcal/m2; X1--maximal meaning of Shannon index (bites), calculated on biomass value; X2--connectence of the community, calculated according Briand (1983). Eutrophication changes the stability of lakes relative to external influences, while low productive lakes are very sensitive to the increase in nutrient load, high productive lakes are more influenced by changes in fish predation.     

Zooplankton composition of ten reservoirs in southern Brazil

The zooplankton of ten reservoirs of Sao Paulo State was analyzed as part of a larger project, Typology of Reservoirs of São Paulo State.Twenty-four genera of Rotifera, six species of Copepoda and at least nine species of Cladocera were found in samples collected on four occasions in 1979. In general, Rotifera dominated in most reservoirs, although fluctuations occurred during the year.The reservoirs were arranged in four groups, according to zooplankton density, whose range was 10 to 500 i 1^–1.The average composition of Crustacea, in number of species at any one time is comparable to those of other water bodies, being a little higher than that of Colorado lakes.The number of species of limnetic Cladocera in Brazil is between those of Holarctic Region and Tropical Asia. Ceriodaphnia cornuta and Bosminopsis deitersi, and a few species of Daphnia are typical of Brazilian zooplankton. Thermocyclops crassus is common in the southern reservoirs but T. minutus seems to be more widely distributed in Brazil. Calanoida occurred in relatively few reservoirs in São Paulo and usually one species at one time. Brachionus and Keratella were more abundant closer to the Equator then to the Tropics, where other genera seem to be more abundant.The range in size of the planktonic Crustacea is relatively small when compared to temperate lakes, being similar to that of other tropical lakes.     

Species composition and seasonal abundance of zooplankton in two Ethiopian Rift Valley lakes — Lakes Abiata and Langano

The composition and annual cycle of the zooplankton of two Ethiopian Rift Valley soda lakes is described. Lake Langano has a conductivity of 1 400 to 1800 µS cm^–1 and a permanent mineral turbidity. Lake Abiata is more concentrated (conductivity 19 000 to 23 000 µS cm^–1) and more alkaline but less turbid; it is characterised by dense phytoplankton blooms, mainly cyanophytes.The zooplankton assemblage is typically tropical, with relatively few species of Cladocera and Copepoda. There was a marked difference in zooplankton between the two lakes, Lake Abiata showing much higher concentrations and greater wet season/ dry season differences. The species composition was also different. Lake Abiata lacked Cladocera, and calanoid copepods occurred only during the wet season with lower conductivities. These two phenomena were attributed to high sodium bicarbonate concentration and to dense cyanophyte blooms. Eleven species of rotifers occurred in Lake Abiata, including six Brachionus spp. but B. rubens was the only rotifer found in Lake Langano. The seasonal variation of the zooplankton is discussed in relation to seasonal fluctuations in conductivity and Chl a concentration.     

Importance of temporal variability at different spatial scales for diversity of floodplain aquatic communities

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