Zooplankton dynamics in the upstream part of Stratos reservoir (Greece)

The investigation of the zooplankton community in the upstream part of Stratos reservoir during a 24 months survey (September 2004–August 2006) revealed 26 invertebrate species (14 rotifers, 6 cladocerans, 5 copepods and one mollusk larva). The mean abundance of the total zooplankton was higher in the first sampling period (2004–2005) and ranged between 8.81 and 47.74 ind. L⁻¹, than the second period (2005–2006) when fluctuated between 1.91 and 43.09 ind. L⁻¹. The seasonal variation was strongly influenced by the presence of rotifers, which accounting on average for 68.4% in total. Among them Keratella cochlearis and the order Bdelloidea were numerically the most important, while Macrocyclops albidus prevailed among the copepods and Bosmina longirostris among the cladocerans. Dreissena polymorpha was the only mollusk found in the zooplankton community. Rotifers, copepods and cladocerans showed a seasonal succession with the former preceding in the abundance having their first maximum in spring, while copepods and cladocerans followed, having peaks of abundance in early summer and in autumn, respectively. No seasonal succession among the cladoceran species was observed. The intense water flow in the upstream part of the reservoir, as well as temperature, conductivity, DO, pH, phosphates and silicates, were significant parameters controlling abiotic and biotic elements of the ecosystem and consequently influencing the seasonal variation and the dynamics of the zooplankton community.     

A study of the zooplankton community of Billings Reservoir — São Paulo

The composition of the zooplankton of the Billings Reservoir and its variation in an eutrophic environment, subject to frequent blooms of algae (chiefly Cyanophyceae) was studied during one year (from October, 1977 to September, 1978) in two stations in the littoral and in the limnetic zone.The zooplankton community in the limnetic zone was dominated by cyclopoid copepods (Thermocyclops crassus and Metacyclops mendocinus) and by rotifers (Brachionus, Polyarthra and others) which represented, respectively 38.5 and 35.5% of the total zooplankton. At the littoral zone, cyclopoids were the most abundant (42.3%).The cladocerans were the least significant group at both stations, and calanoid copepods were found only at the littoral zone.A higher production of small filtrators, such as rotifers, cyclopoid nauplii and Bosmina sp was observed.     

Quantitative development of zooplankton in waterbodies and watercourses of the Great Lakes Depression (Mongolia)

The indices of the zooplankton of various waterbodies and watercourses of the Great Lakes Depression (Mongolia) are analyzed. The maximum quantity of zooplankton is registered in freshwater bodies. Irrespective of the waterbody type, the greatest number and biomass of zooplankton are recorded in the littoral zone, where communities are characterized by a high abundance of rotifers, including the indicator species of eutrophic waters. This indicates a high degree of organic load from the catchment area. In comparison with the data obtained by the end of 1970s, the zooplankton biomass decreased with a concomitant increases in the shares of rotifers and cladocerans. These changes are most pronounced in the freshwater ecosystem. The quantitative development of the zooplankton of watercourses depends on the character of the river head, the location of sampling stations along the watercourse’s channel, and the water current velocity.     

鄱阳湖浮游动物群落结构及其与环境因子的关系

数量庞大、体积微小、高度多样化的浮游生物对淡水生态系统功能具有重要影响。为探究中国第一大淡水湖——鄱阳湖浮游动物（包括轮虫、枝角类和桡足类）群落特征及其与环境因子之间的关系,本研究在鄱阳湖设置50个采样点,分别于2017年8月（夏季）、11月（秋季）、2018年2月（冬季）和5月（春季）进行浮游动物群落与生境调查,统计分析结果表明：鄱阳湖浮游动物共记录43属99种,其中轮虫31属83种,枝角类8属11种,桡足类4属5种,春夏季节种类较为丰富。浮游动物平均丰度为1155.29 ind./L,具有极显著的季节差异（P< 0.01）,夏季（3150.37 ind./L）显著高于其他三季。四季共确定优势种14种,轮虫中优势度最高的为广布多肢轮虫（Polyarthra vulgaris）,浮游甲壳动物中仅有简弧象鼻溞（Bosmina coregoni）在秋季形成优势。优势种的季节更替明显,夏秋季节间的更替率（86.00%）高于其他季节（77.00%,66.67%）。优势种、多样性和均匀度的结果均显示鄱阳湖浮游动物群落结构较复杂,具有较好的稳定性。聚类分析（Cluster analysis）和分类回归树分析（Classification and regression trees, CART）表明,每个季节均有多种群落类型,其中春夏两季中浮游动物群落类型的划分与叶绿素a（Chlorophyll a,Chla）密切相关,化学需氧量（Chemical Oxygen Demand,COD）是影响秋季群落划分的关键环境因子。非度量多维尺度分析（Non-metric multidimensional scaling,NMDS）结果表明,温度（Water Temperature,WT）、Chla、电导率（Conductivity,Cond）是造成四季浮游动物群落显著差异的最主要环境因子。冗余分析（Redundancy analysis,RDA）显示,除Chla外,总氮（Total Nitrogen,TN）、总固体悬浮物（Total Suspended Solids,TSS）和酸碱度（Hydrogen ion concentration,pH）也是影响浮游动物群落结构和优势种分布的重要因素。     

The predator-prey relationship of perch,Perca fluviatilis,larvae and zooplankton in two Scottish lochs

Synopsis Food consumption of perch larvae and the impact of this on zooplankton were examined in two adjacent shallow Scottish lochs. Maximum annual abundance of zooplankton occurred in mid-May at L. Kinord with minimum values in mid-June. Copepods were prominent in spring but were followed by a multi-species community of cladocerans and rotifers in summer. At L. Davan zooplankton biomass remained high through summer with cladocerans dominating andDaphnia longispina the most frequent species. Availability of food items was a principal factor governing feeding behaviour of larvae. Copepodite stages were initially the most common item in the diet in L. Kinord in 1976 and 1977 and rotifers the principal food in June 1977, reflecting the dominance of these items in the zooplankton. Cladocerans were dominant in the plankton community in L. Davan and constituted the greater part of food intake. Overlying this general pattern there was an increase in the size of food items taken by larvae with time and also a definite pattern of food selection for copepods, with initially selection for smaller copepodite stages and later for larger stages and adults. On most occasions larvae selected forCyclops strenuus abyssorum andPolphemus pediculus and selected againstDaphnia longispina. The reduction in the total zooplankton biomass attributed to perch larvae was minimal, with the exception of mid-June at L. Kinord in 1976. However, predation on particular species and copepodite stages was occasionally intense and may have impacted the zooplankton populations.     

Relationship between feeding of blueback herring and the zooplankton community of a Texas reservoir

Following the introduction of blueback herring (Alosa aestivalis), we examined herring food habits and the crustacean zooplankton community in Lake Theo, a 30-hectare reservoir located on a tributary of the Red River in north Texas. Prior to the introduction in spring, 1982, the reservoir contained an established fish community dominated by centrarchids. Blueback herring stomachs and zooplankton were sampled quarterly from summer, 1982 through winter, 1985. Cladocerans accounted for 89.4% of the zooplankton consumed by herring. Median lengths of cladocerans and copepods in the herring diet were significantly greater than those in the reservoir. No appreciable changes in lengths of cladocerans and copepods in the reservoir were observed after blueback herring introduction, but the zooplankton community shifted from cladoceran to copepod domination.     

A comparison between predation effects on zooplankton communities by Neomysis and Chaoborus

Community level effects of predation by two invertebrate predators, the opossum shrimp (Neomysis intermedia), and the larva of the phantom midge (Chaoborus flavicans) were studied and compared. N. intermedia appeared abundantly in the shallow eutrophic Lake Kasumigaura and had a significant impact on the zooplankton community. The predation pressure by Neomysis was highest on cladocerans, followed by rotifers, and finally copepods. At high densities (maximum nearly 20 000 individuals m^–2), Neomysis excluded almost all cladocerans, rotifers and copepods from the lake.Zooplankton communities were established in experimental ponds, into which C. flavicans was introduced. The predator's density was around 1 individual l^–1, and was probably controled by cannibalism. Although Chaoborus larvae feed on various zooplankton species, their predation impact on zooplankton populations was markedly selective. They eliminated medium- and small-sized cladocerans and calanoid copepods from the ponds, but rotifers increased.Although the feeding selectivities of Neomysis and Chaoborus individuals were similar, the predation effects on zooplankton communities by the two predators were different.     

Effect of winter conditions on spring nutrient concentrations and plankton in a large shallow Lake Peipsi (Estonia/Russia)

During the study period 1997–2007, the duration of the ice cover of Lake Peipsi, the largest freshwater lake in Estonia, was variable. The ice-break took place in mid-April instead of generally in May. Compared with data from 1960s onwards, a trend of shortening of the duration of ice-cover period is evident. In under-ice phytoplankton, diatoms, cryptophytes and flagellated chlorophytes predominated from March to June. In zooplankton, while thermophobic rotifers dominated in densities, copepods were dominant in biomass. The monthly sum of positive water temperatures correlated with the zooplankton in the following month and duration of the ice cover correlated with the biomass of all different zooplankton groups in May and June. The sum of water temperatures in April, May and June was positively correlated with the biomass of cladocerans and copepods, and negatively with the biomass of winter rotifers. Mild winters affected nitrogen and silica concentration positively and phosphorus concentration negatively.     

Zooplankton dynamics in a gypsum karst lake and interrelation with the abiotic environment

Zooplankton species composition and abundance variation was studied in Lake Amvrakia, which is a deep, temperate, gypsum karst lake situated in the western Greece. The two year survey of zooplankton revealed 33 species (23 rotifers, five cladocerans, four copepods and one mollusc larva). The mean integrated abundance of the total zooplankton ranged between 83.6 and 442.7 ind. L⁻¹, with the higher density to be recorded in the surface 0–20 m layer. Small numbers of specimens of almost all species were found also in the hypoxic or anoxic hypolimnion. Copepods and especially the calanoid Eudiaptomus drieschi dominated the zooplankton community throughout the sampling period, followed by Dreissena polymorpha larvae, rotifers and cladocerans. Seasonal succession among the cladocerans and the most abundant rotifer species was observed. The concentration of chlorophyll-a was the most important factor for the variation of total zooplankton, as well as for the rotifers’ community. Dissolved oxygen affected copepods and cladocerans, water level correlated mainly with the molluscs larvae of D. polymorpha, while temperature influenced the variation of several rotifers, the cladoceran Diaphanosoma orghidani and the mollusc larvae. Negative correlation of conductivity with the cladoceran Daphnia cucullata and the copepods E. drieschi and Macrocyclops albidus was found. The differences in species composition found in Lake Amvrakia in comparison to the nearby lakes are probably ought to the geographical isolation and perhaps to its particular chemistry (e.g., elevated conductivity).     

The plankton community of an acid blackwater South Carolina power plant impoundment

Robinson Impoundment, an acid blackwater system in the South Carolina sandhills, serves as a cooling pond for a 854 MW power plant. It is divided by a causeway into an upper and lower impoundment. The upper impoundment is narrow, shallow, exhibits higher flow, and much more periphytic and rooted aquatic macrophyte vegetation. The lower impoundment is wide and deep with many sandy shoreline areas and little macrophyte vegetation.The zooplankton and phytoplankton communities of both the lower and upper impoundment were investigated over a three-year period (1980–1982) in an effort to determine power plant discharge effects on the plankton. Primary productivity rates were low, characteristic of an oligotrophic system. The phytoplankton community was dominated by the Bacillariophyceae and Chlorophyceae in cell density and the Chlorophyceae in species richness. The zooplankton community was dominated numerically by copepods, rotifers, and cladocerans, respectively. Principal zooplankton species includedDiaptomus mississippiensis, Bosmina longirostris, Diaphanosoma brachyurum, Keratella americana, K. cochlearis, Pompholyx sulcata, andConochiloides coenobasis. The rotifers were dominant in species richness, while crustacean zooplankton species richness was usually quite low. Statistical analyses performed using phytoplankton and zooplankton population variables indicated that in most cases upper impoundment densities were significantly lower (p < 0.05) than lower impoundment densities which were likely a function of the lotic upper impoundment habitat. No significant differences were found between the discharge area and the rest of the lower impoundment stations suggesting that localized power plant discharge effects did not occur during the study. Peak midsummer thermal discharge (36.0 ° C) may have caused temporary reductions inD. mississippiensis and several rotifers. Thermal stimulation during summer may have caused population increases for the filter-feeding cladocerans,B. longirostris andD. brachyurum.     

The influence of bird colonies on the zooplankton in the Rybinsk Reservoir overgrown shallows

This article describes the peculiarities of the structural organization of zooplankton influenced by the waste products of the black-headed gull (Larus ridibundus Linnaeus) nesting colony in the protected overgrown shallow in Rybinsk Reservoir. The bird colony facilitates a modification of the zooplankton structure that is similar to the modifications of communities at early stages of eutrophication: the number of invertebrate species increases thanks to rotifers and cladocerans and the number and biomass of community increases due to cladocerans and copepods.     

淡水排放对杭州湾湿地浮游动物群落分布的影响

于2010年4月至2011年1月对杭州湾南岸滩涂湿地5个断面(S1-S3为排水区, S4-S5为非排水区)的高潮位和中潮位分别进行浮游动物群落结构的周年调查, 共发现浮游动物38种(轮虫15种, 枝角类4种, 桡足类19种)。排水区浮游动物年平均密度88.89 ind./L, 生物量0.41 mg/L, 非排水区平均密度仅4.21 ind./L, 生物量0.10 mg/L。排水区轮虫和桡足类的第一优势种分别为萼花臂尾轮虫(Brachionus calyciflorus)和汤匙华哲水蚤(Sinocalanus dorrii), 而非排水区第一优势种为中华哲水蚤(Calanus sinicus)。S2-S3断面中潮位的水体营养盐浓度、浮游动物密度和生物量均明显大于高潮位。淡水排放、潮沟径流和潮汐决定了滩涂湿地群落的时空格局, 后两者还解释了排水区中、高潮位间群落结构组成的差异。       

Seasonal changes in zooplankton abundance in the lower Rhine during 1987–1991

Zooplankton in the River Rhine was surveyed for five years at the Dutch sampling stations, Lobith (German/Dutch border) and Maassluis (at the point of discharge of the river into the North Sea). The zooplankton abundance showed an apparent seasonal pattern at both stations, characterized by low densities during the winter period, and higher densities during the summer period, with a spring peak. Zooplankton was dominated by rotifers at both stations, although during the winter periods the contribution of copepods was considerable. The rotifers were dominated byBrachionus angularis, B. calyciflorus, Keratella cochlearis andK. quadrata; the copepods by cyclopoid nauplii; the cladocerans by small-sized species mainly belonging toBosmina. At Maassluis the relative contribution of copepods was higher than at Lobith. Furthermore, the zooplankton at Maassluis included the speciesEurytemora affinis, characteristic for estuarine conditions. In spring, the rotifer density and water temperature and rotifer density and chlorophylla concentration were positively correlated. Furthermore, both rotifer density and chlorophylla were inversely correlated with discharge. The possible role of environmental factors (water temperature, chlorophyll content, discharge and biotic factors) controlling the river zooplankton dynamics is indicated.     

Seven Decades of Change in the Zooplankton (s.l.) of the Nile Delta Lakes (Egypt), with Particular Reference to Lake Borullus

Around the 1930s, the zooplankton (and benthos) of the Nile delta lakes, and Lake Borullus in particular, had a mixed, eutrophic facies, with marine and mesohaline elements dominant for about eight months per year, and freshwater species taking over during the four months of the Nile flood. After the Aswan dam became operational, this regime changed: a steady supply of agricultural drainage water of Nilotic origin consistently freshened the delta. Thus, except in the immediate vicinity of their outlet to the sea, the lakes became almost fresh. Only during the rare and short‐lived (one‐three weeks) occasions when Aswan closes in winter, marine water is sucked in, and along with it, a saline fauna temporarily becomes re‐established in the east and centre of lake Borullus, and presumably of the other delta lakes as well. This marine fauna remained the same over 70+ years of observations. The freshwater component, in contrast, partly nilotic, partly mediterranean, changed deeply over time. First, the fraction of species from temporary waters disappeared, as well as (among copepods and cladocerans) all large‐bodied species. Several cladocerans and copepods with a euro‐mediterranean range appeared and diluted the pre‐existing Afrotropical fauna. The abundance of small cladocerans and, especially, rotifers increased by a factor ten or more. This latter change is believed to reflect two pressures. In a first phase, a re‐arrangement of the lake's fish fauna (a top down force) occurred. Freshwater fish replaced marine diadromic species, and their predation pressure on the zooplankton preferentially removed large‐bodied prey. In a second phase, increased agricultural drainage caused eutrophication (a bottom‐up force) and larger filtrators (cladocerans, some copepods) began to be replaced by small filtrators (rotifers). (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Trophic role of rotifers in the plankton of lake Kozjak (Plitvice Lakes)

The trophic role of rotifers in the zooplankton community of dimictic, oligotrophic lake Kozjak, the largest lake of the Plitvice Lakes, NW Dinarid Mountains, is analyzed. Their spatial and temporal biomass distribution in relation to that of protozoans, cladocerans and copepods shows that they form a significant part of the non-predatory zooplankton of this karstic standing water.     

Effects of flood on the functioning of the Dobczyce reservoir ecosystem

The effects of two summer floods, in 1997 and 2001 on phytoplankton, zooplankton and fish in the Dobczyce reservoir are presented. Shifts in phytoplankton distribution (from hypolimnion into the whole water column) and species composition (domination of diatoms after the flood) were observed. High water flow eliminated large species of cladocerans and copepods (the most effective filtrators) and favoured development of rotifers. Both, the total zooplankton biomass and chlorophyll a concentration after the flood dropped considerably. In the case of fish, the observed changes in their distribution and decrease in concentration were attributed to their behaviour. During the flood, fish were avoiding open water also during the night, but two weeks following the flood they returned to their usual migratory behaviour. The Dobczyce reservoir ecosystem showed great regeneration abilities to recover after the flood.     

The effect of products of the vital activity of semi-aquatic birds on zooplankton in the littoral of small lakes (Oka River basin)

The zooplankton structure in the littoral of two small lakes that were subjected to the effect of products of the vital activity of birds is described. In the area of birds?? nesting in the zooplankton of the larger lake, the abundance and biomass of copepods reliably increased and the abundance of rotifers decreased, whereas in the smaller lake, a tendency toward the dominant development of rotifers and cladocerans was found. It is suggested that the differences in the zooplankton structure in the littoral of both lakes are determined by the area and the number of nesting birds.     

轮虫和枝角类的种间竞争及其影响因子研究进展

轮虫和枝角类是浮游动物群落的重要组成部分和优势类群,它们之间的竞争互作是调节水生态系统结构和功能的主要动力之一。普遍的观点认为,轮虫和大型枝角类难以共存,往往被竞争排斥,而和小型枝角类可以共存;实际上,轮虫和枝角类的种间竞争结局存在一定的不确定性。介绍了轮虫和枝角类的种间竞争方式及其相对重要性,对影响轮虫和枝角类种间竞争结局的因素,包括温度、食物、相对起始密度、个体大小、食物临点、耐饥饿能力、捕食及竞争者和捕食者释放的化感物质等,进行了系统的梳理和分析,并提出了今后亟待解决的科学问题和研究切入点。     

Top-down control of a meiobenthic community by two juvenile freshwater fish species

Top-down control of prey assemblages by fish predation has been clearly demonstrated for zooplankton and macroinvertebrates. However, in the benthic communities of freshwater ecosystems, the impact of fish predation on meiofaunal assemblages is nearly unknown. In this study, the predation effects of juvenile carp (Cyprinus carpio) and gudgeon (Gobio gobio) on meiofaunal abundance, biomass, community structure, and the diversity of nematodes were examined using microcosms that were sampled repeatedly over 64 days. Significant differences in abundance and biomass were found between the two fish treatments (carp and gudgeon) and their respective controls for nematodes, oligochaetes, and crustaceans (copepods, harpacticoids, ostracods, and cladocerans), but not for rotifers. These changes were consistent with top-down control of the freshwater meiofaunal assemblages in the microcosms over time. By contrast, small-bodied meiofauna was more abundant, suggesting indirect facilitation. Neither the species richness nor the diversity of the nematode community was affected by fish predation. The results indicate that predation by juvenile freshwater fish depresses the overall abundance and biomass of meiofaunal assemblages, except for rotifers, and alters the size structure of the meiofaunal community. Therefore, the meiofaunal assemblages of freshwater ecosystems may be influenced by bottom-feeding juvenile fish, e.g., carp and gudgeon, through top-down control of meiofaunal populations.     

鄱阳湖丰水期水位波动对浮游动物群落演替的影响

为了解鄱阳湖夏季丰水期水位剧烈波动过程中浮游动物的群落演替特征,2012年夏季鄱阳湖水位剧烈波动期间,于6月24日、7月7日和8月27日当水位下降且接近17.6 m时,在江西鄱阳湖国家级自然保护区内的1个浅水碟形湖泊设置4个采样点进行采样调查。共发现浮游动物65种,其中轮虫52种,枝角类7种,桡足类6种,多为营浮游生活的广温性和嗜温性种类。单因子方差分析(one-way ANOVA)显示3个月之间浮游动物的密度和生物量均具有显著差异(P0.05),7月份浮游动物密度(1030.17±68.18个/L)显著高于6月份(325.16±41.60个/L)和8月份(203.79±24.91个/L);6月份浮游动物的生物量(0.56±0.04 mg/L)显著低于7月份(1.22±0.11 mg/L)和8月份(0.99±0.11 mg/L)。基于浮游动物多度的聚类分析和自组织映射神经网络图均揭示夏季3个月份的浮游动物可区分为明显的3个群落:6月群落、7月群落和8月群落。蒙特卡罗检验发现水温、电导率、浊度和溶氧与浮游动物群落结构变化显著相关(P0.05)。典型相关分析显示,6月份浮游动物群落与叶绿素a含量呈显著正相关关系,7月份浮游动物群落与水体温度呈显著正相关关系,8月份浮游动物群落与水深和电导率、浊度和溶氧呈显著正相关关系(P0.05)。在3个月均为优势物种的盖氏精囊轮虫与叶绿素a含量呈正相关关系(P0.05),与水温、pH、溶氧呈负相关(P0.05)。夏季水位波动过程中浮游动物的群落结构在时间上(月份之间)发生明显演替,呈现轮虫密度逐渐降低,枝角类和桡足类密度逐渐增加的变化规律。水位波动引起环境因子的改变,从而对浮游动物的群落演替产生了重要影响。