engleski

Drivers of zooplankton assemblages in temporary ponds between different latitude and climate

Temporary ponds are characterised by seasonal and interannual water level fluctuation, and are often exposed to anthropogenic impacts i.e. nutrient leaching, fish invading, waste deponia, and landfill caused by tourism expansion. Due to their small depth, area and volume, succession of these aquatic ecosystems leads to terrestrification. However, these ponds increase landscape heterogeneity and are known to be hotspots of species diversity, especially of aquatic invertebrates. Zooplankton is a significant part of invertebrate biodiversity in these habitats, and plays a pivotal role in the trophic network between primary producers and higher-level consumers. We assessed zooplankton assemblages in temporary ponds of different European latitudinal and climatic regions: Poland versus Croatia, and continental versus Mediterranean, respectively. The main goals were: (i) to analyse the impact of macrophyte coverage, fish and length of hydroperiod and (ii) to distinguish regional or climate specific environmental factors affecting zooplankton. The results indicated that biotic drivers mainly influenced zooplankton assemblages: phytoplankton biomass and macrophytes positively, while the presence of fish affected animals negatively. Rotifers, otherwise often neglected in zooplankton studies, in both groups of ponds, significantly supported zooplankton diversity, especially semiplanktonic species in macrophyte-covered ponds. Salinity is indicated as a regional specific driver, i.e. in the Mediterranean region it negatively impacted species diversity. Cladocera and Copepoda were the most vulnerable to fish predation whilst Rotifera were less affected. The results suggested the significant importance of zooplankton for the essential preservation of these specific ecosystems, supporting sustainable development and the conservation of species and landscape diversity.

macrophyte ; fish ; Rotifera ; Cladocera ; Copeoda

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