Ecological value of macrophyte cover in creating habitat for microalgae (diatoms) and zooplankton (rotifers and crustaceans) in small field and forest water bodies

Abstract

Due to their small area and shallow depth ponds are usually treated as a single sampling unit, while various microhabitats offer different environmental conditions. Thus, we tested the effect of different habitat types typically found within small ponds on the microalgae and zooplankton communities. We found that submerged macrophytes have the strongest impact on microalgae and zooplankton communities out of all the analysed habitats. Some epontic diatoms (e.g. Fragilaria dilatata, Cymbella affinis) and littoral-associated zooplankton species (e.g. Simocephalus vetulus, Lecane bulla) were significantly related to elodeids. However, pelagic species (e.g. bosminids) preferred less complex helophytes, which suggests that the most heterogeneous elodeid habitats were not an anti-predator shelter for cladocerans. Selection of different macrophyte types by taxonomically various organisms suggests that it is not only macrophyte cover that is desired for healthy aquatic environment but that a level of habitat mosaic is required to ensure the well-being of aquatic food webs. Species-specific preferences for different types of macrophytes indicate the high ecological value of macrophyte cover in ponds and a potential direction for the management of small water bodies towards maintaining a great variation of aquatic plants. Moreover, the type of surrounding landscape, reflecting human-induced disturbance (28 field ponds) and natural catchment (26 forest ponds), significantly influenced only zooplankton, while diatoms were affected indirectly through the level of conductivity. Nutrient overload (higher content of TRP) and increased conductivity in the field landscape contributed to a rise in microalgae (e.g. Amphora pediculus, Gomphonema parvulum) and zooplankton (e.g. Thermocyclops oithonoides, Eubosmina coregoni) abundance. An awareness of the responses of both components of plankton communities to environmental factors is necessary for maintaining the good state of small water bodies in various types of landscape.

Effects of Water Quality Adjusted by Submerged Macrophytes on the Richness of the Epiphytic Algal Community

“…Changes in the macrophyte community can be an important cause of changes in the epiphytic algal community structure (Souza et al, 2015). Increasing macrophyte coverage could increase the species richness of epiphytic algae by providing more diverse and heterogeneous habitats for epiphytic algae (Cattaneo et al, 1998; Toporowska et al, 2008; Celewicz-Gołdyn and Kuczyńska-Kippen, 2017). Liangzi Lake had a high abundance of aquatic macrophytes, especially P. crispus during winter to early summer, and the abundance varied over this period (Qian et al, 2014).…”

Phytoplankton Communities of Temporary Ponds Under Different Climate Scenarios: Experiments on Vernal Pool Microcosms

“…Moreover, the functioning of such ecosystems to a large degree depends on the labile structure and function of phytoplankton communities, being an important component and primary producer group 20 . Any changes at the base of the aquatic foodweb are instantly translated into the shape of the whole ecosystem 21.…”

“…Their course of succession is thus possible to trace over a relatively short period of time since the core of the phytoplankton community should be established shortly after inundation. Its structure is subsequently altered by the response of particular species to biotic factors, e.g., macrophytes 21,24 and filtrators 20 , as well as by abiotic factors, like temperature, light, pH, and nutrients 24,25 .…”

Rotifera of various aquatic environments of Costa Rica in reference toCentral American rotifer fauna

“…Their success is related to several factors. They frequently build more diverse communities compared to crustaceans in freshwater and they may also dominate in densities over other groups of zooplankton, e.g., cladocerans and copepods (Chick et al, 2010;Celewicz-Gołdyn and Kuczyńska-Kippen, 2017). Rotifers are known as opportunistic or colonising pioneer organisms, characterized by short life cycles and rapid reproduction.…”