Diversity and Community Structure of Zooplankton in Homestead Ponds of a Tropical Coastal Area

Abstract

As an intermediary connection between primary producers and higher trophic levels, zooplankton are an important component of the aquatic food chain, contributing significantly to aquatic biological productivity. This study describes the zooplankton diversity and community structure, as well as their relationships with ecological factors, in homestead ponds of a coastal district along the northern Bay of Bengal region. Significant differences (p < 0.05) were detected in the mean values of temperature, pH, DO, TDS, transparency, and phosphates from the ponds during December 2020, but no significant differences were found in the nitrate levels. However, no significant variances in the ecological parameters between months were found due to the study taking place in the same season. Sixteen zooplankton species, representing four groups, were found in the study area, with the highest mean abundance of 301.19 ± 40.55 ind./L recorded in February 2021 and the lowest of 293.02 ± 21.13 ind./L recorded in December 2020. The diversity (H’), evenness (e), richness (J), and dominance (D) ranged from 2.49 to 2.12, from 0.93 to 0.84, from 2.05 to 1.56, and from 0.13 to 0.09, respectively. Based on the SIMPER analysis, Diaptomus gracilis and Brachionus calyciflorus were found to be significant contributors (>10%) to the zooplankton community structure in different months. The ANOSIM results revealed that 10 species of zooplankton were significant contributors based on their average dissimilarity. The canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) identified that pH, transparency, nitrates, and phosphates have a significant impact on the abundance of zooplankton species in the homestead ponds in the study area.

Zooplankton Biomass in Ponds - Determination of Biovolume and Dry Weight

“…Our results show an increase in zooplankton biomass with increasing nutrient content. This is confirmed by the results of other authors who describe an increase in zooplankton abundance when phosphate and nitrate levels increase (Aubakirova et al, 2021;Karmakar et al, 2022). On the other hand, higher zooplankton abundance does not necessarily mean an increase in zooplankton biomass.…”

Seasonal dynamics of zooplankton in a eutrophic fish pond of Bangladesh in relation to environmental factors

“…Only 11 zooplankton genera of three groups in different seasons indicated the moderate ecological condition of the eutrophic fish ponds in Bangladesh. 41 The highest abundance of zooplankton was found in spring and winter, and the lowest was in autumn in the studied pond. A similar abundance of total zooplankton in spring and winter was found by Islam et al 42 and Shi et al, 43 which was different from that of the other studies, 18,44,45 where they recorded a higher abundance of zooplankton in the summer season in aquaculture ponds.…”

Investigating the Plankton Diversity and Physicochemical Properties in a Temple Pond in Tamil Nadu, India: Taxonomic Composition, Seasonal Variations, and Ecological Implications

“…Thus, the mixed composition of zooplankton species, ranging from mesotrophic to eutrophic, reflects the resilience of the ecosystem to varying physicochemical conditions. In corroboration with the earlier findings, various researchers have delved into the diversity of zooplankton, exploring the biodiversity of zooplankton [32], conducting investigations on the ecological variations of Rotifers [33], and scrutinizing the composition and population dynamics of phytoplankton, zooplankton, and productivity in association with seasonal changes in the physicochemical attributes of water [34]. The interplay between these parameters and the planktonic community dynamics underscores the complexity of the aquatic ecosystem.…”