Restoration of Tropical Peat Swamp Rotifer Communities after Perturbation: an Experimental Study of Recovery of Rotifers from the Resting Egg Bank

In order to assess the recovery potential of tropical freshwater communities after disturbance, we performed an experimental study on the effects of exposure conditions and durations of storage on hatching of rotifer resting eggs in sediment. Well-mixed surface sediment samples from Mai Khao peat swamp on Phuket Island, Thailand, were stored under three conditions (cold –4 °C & dark: CD; ambient –32–42 °C & dark: AD; and ambient & daylight conditions: AL), for different periods of time (1, 2, 4, 6, 12, 18 and 24 months).The number of species hatching from the sediment was significantly affected by treatment for both short- (1–6 months) and long-term (6–20 months) exposure. Significant effects of short- and long-term exposure within treatments were also present. Both factors interacted significantly. Regarding numbers of specimens hatching, no short-term effects of differences in treatment condition were found, but increasing the duration did have an effect. Significant effects of treatment occurred after 6 months, in addition to prolonged effects of duration. Again, both factors interacted significantly. These experiments indicate that exposure time has a strong impact on the viability of resting eggs, whereas, an effect of exposure condition appears only after 6 months. So, recovery of rotifer communities from resident sediment egg banks in disturbed peat swamps can only be effectively attained when restoration occurs within a relatively short period after perturbation.