Urban aquatic ecosystems are important sources of fresh water for multiple uses, but often receive a point or diffuse anthropic contamination. Benthic and zooplankton invertebrates are sensitive to water quality, being good indicators of ecosystem health. In this study, the composition and structure of benthic and zooplankton communities and environmental variables were analyzed seasonally in six urban wetlands of Santa Fe City (Argentina). We present the effect of water quality on both communities as bioindicators of ecological conditions, using different community attributes, functional feeding groups, and biotic indices. For the benthic community, the Macroinvertebrate Index for Pampean Rivers (IMRP) and the Benthic Community Index (BCI) were selected. For the zooplankton community, abundance of rotifers/abundance of total zooplankters, microcrustaceans/total zooplankters, cladocerans/total zooplankters, and macrozooplankton/microzooplankton ratios were applied. A functional feeding groups (FFGs) classification, adapted from the literature, is proposed for zooplankters. The urban wetlands showed a gradient from the most to the least disturbed sites. Some benthic and zooplankton species were identified as excellent bioindicators of pollution, and the FFGs and biotic indices revealed the ecological condition of each urban wetland. The present study contributes to the enhancement of management practices in urban landscapes aiming to maintain ecosystem services in sustainable cities.

parameters, nutrients, chemical oxygen demand (COD), biological oxygen demand (BOD 5 ), and concentrations of potentially toxic metals (Cu, Cr, Pb, and Cd) in water and benthic sediments were analyzed in four sampling sites. The heavy metal geo-accumulation index (Igeo) was also calculated. Quali-quantitative analysis of phytoplankton and zooplankton samples was performed and summarized in ecological attributes and indices: Total density, specific richness, Shannon's diversity index, Simpsons' dominance index, and evenness index, as well as phytoplanktonic biovolume and functional groups. Except Cu, metal concentrations in water exceeded recommended limits for freshwaters in 37.5% (Cr), 31.3% (Pb), and 18.8% (Cd) of samples. Igeo revealed that sediments were moderately, highly, and very seriously polluted with Cu, Cr, and Pb, respectively. Phytoplankton showed the predominance of functional groups typical of eutrophic and low-flow environments, with high concentrations of nutrients. Cyanobacterial blooms occurred in 75% of the samples, considered high-risk events for the aquatic life and users of the urban reserve. The zooplankton community was dominated by microzooplankton, characterized by smaller species, more tolerant to polluted and eutrophic waters. This survey evidences the urgent need to develop a comprehensive management plan for the area.