scholarly journals Historical Zooplankton Composition Indicates Eutrophication Stages in a Neotropical Aquatic System: The Case of Lake Amatitlán, Central America

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 432
Author(s):  
Sarahi Jaime ◽  
Adrián Cervantes-Martínez ◽  
Martha A. Gutiérrez-Aguirre ◽  
Eduardo Suárez-Morales ◽  
Julio R. Juárez-Pernillo ◽  
...  

This paper presents a study of freshwater zooplankton biodiversity, deemed as a reliable indicator of water quality. The Guatemalan Lake Amatitlán, currently used as a water source, has shown signs of progressive eutrophication, with perceptible variations of the local zooplankton diversity. Biotic and abiotic parameters were determined at four sites of Lake Amatitlán (Este Centro, Oeste Centro, Bahía Playa de Oro, and Michatoya) in 2016 and 2017. The local composition, the species richness and abundance of zooplankton, and the system environmental parameters were analyzed during both years surveyed. Biological data suggesting eutrophication of this tropical system were obtained, including a high rotifer abundance (11 species: the rotifers Brachionushavanaensis (109 ind L−1) and Keratellaamericana (304 ind L−1) were the most abundant species in this lake). The presumably endemic diaptomid copepod species, Mastigodiaptomusamatitlanensis, was absent in our samples, but we report the unprecedented occurrence of two Asian cyclopoid copepods (i.e., Thermocyclopscrassus and Mesocyclops thermocyclopoides) for Lake Amatitlán and Guatemala. The presence of larger zooplankters like adults and immature copepods (i.e., Arctodiaptomusdorsalis) and cladocerans (Ceriodaphnia sp.) at site “Este Centro” indicates a relatively healthy zooplankton community and represents a focal point for managing the conservation of this lake.

Author(s):  
Y. Guo ◽  
M.-N. Helleouet ◽  
G. Boucher

Meiofauna assemblages were investigated at 15 stations on triplicated samples in the Uvea Atoll (Loyalty Islands) in relation to 9 selected environmental parameters. Spatial patterns and variability of meiofauna density were quantified according to location, macrofauna and nematode species assemblages. Meiofauna was dominated by ciliates and nematodes. Densities of total meiofauna and of most of the meiofauna taxa were significantly higher in the back reef North Pléiades stations than the leeward side of the Island. The highest correlation between biotic patterns and environmental parameters that best explains the pattern was with sediment thickness and to a lesser extent organic matter, C/N ratio and depth. One hundred and thirty-four nematode species were identified with four dominant species Chromadora macrolaimoides, an undescribed species of Bolbonema, Daptonema svalbardense and Prochromadorella septempapillata. Three significantly different nematode species assemblages were detected in two of the previously described macrofauna assemblages by cluster analysis and multidimensional scaling methods suggesting that nematodes are more sensible ecological indicators than macrofauna. Diversity indices based on dominance were not significantly different among the three nematode species assemblages but indices based on species richness and rarefaction were significantly higher leeward of Uvea Island. Estimates of total species richness showed no sign of stabilizing with sample size. However, rare species stabilized very quickly, whereas abundant species were added with increasing sampling coverage, indicating a high spatial variability of the local composition of nematodes.


Crustaceana ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 87 (7) ◽  
pp. 769-783 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tuba Terbiyik Kurt ◽  
Sevi°m Polat

The purpose of this study was to describe temporal variations in the abundance of cladocerans in the Mediterranean Sea in relation to environmental parameters. The study was conducted between 2008 and 2011 at five sampling stations located in the coastal waters of İskenderun Bay. Zooplankton samples were seasonally collected for four years using a 200-μm mesh WP-2 zooplankton net. The contribution of cladocerans to the total zooplankton community was 22.8% in 2008 and 9.3% in 2009. In 2010 (59.4%) and 2011 (63.4%), the annual mean abundance of cladocerans increased markedly from 473 ind. m−3 to 3917 ind. m−3 and accounted for more than half of the zooplankton population. A total of five species of Cladocera were found: Penilia avirostris Dana, 1849, Pseudevadne tergestina (Claus, 1877), Evadne spinifera P. E. Müller, 1867, Pleopis polyphaemoides (Leuckart, 1859) and Podon intermedius Lilljeborg, 1853. Penilia avirostris was the most abundant species during all seasons, especially in April and July, for all four years of the study. The abundance of total cladocerans and P. avirostris was negatively correlated with salinity () and picoplankton abundance (). P. avirostris also exhibited a positive correlation with phytoplankton abundance (), as well as with E. spinifera. In addition, the abundance of E. spinifera and P. tergestina was positively correlated with temperature (), but P. tergestina correlated negatively with chlorophyll a. In conclusion, species composition and abundance of cladocerans seems to be greatly affected by the amount of available food and other environmental factors, such as temperature and salinity.


2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 2295-2308 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. T. Horigome ◽  
P. Ziveri ◽  
M. Grelaud ◽  
K.-H. Baumann ◽  
G. Marino ◽  
...  

Abstract. Although ocean acidification is expected to impact (bio) calcification by decreasing the seawater carbonate ion concentration, [CO32−], there is evidence of nonuniform response of marine calcifying plankton to low seawater [CO32−]. This raises questions about the role of environmental factors other than acidification and about the complex physiological responses behind calcification. Here we investigate the synergistic effect of multiple environmental parameters, including seawater temperature, nutrient (nitrate and phosphate) availability, and carbonate chemistry on the coccolith calcite mass of the cosmopolitan coccolithophore Emiliania huxleyi, the most abundant species in the world ocean. We use a suite of surface (late Holocene) sediment samples from the South Atlantic and southwestern Indian Ocean taken from depths lying above the modern lysocline (with the exception of eight samples that are located at or below the lysocline). The coccolith calcite mass in our results presents a latitudinal distribution pattern that mimics the main oceanographic features, thereby pointing to the potential importance of seawater nutrient availability (phosphate and nitrate) and carbonate chemistry (pH and pCO2) in determining coccolith mass by affecting primary calcification and/or the geographic distribution of E. huxleyi morphotypes. Our study highlights the importance of evaluating the combined effect of several environmental stressors on calcifying organisms to project their physiological response(s) in a high-CO2 world and improve interpretation of paleorecords.


2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 275-288 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olívia Penatti Pinese ◽  
José Fernando Pinese ◽  
Kleber Del Claro

Abstract Aims: Vereda wetlands are among the most important aquatic habitats in Brazilian savannah (Cerrado) because of their association with river springs and its relevancy for biodiversity conservation. This study aimed to determine and compare the biodiversity of zooplankton in vereda lakes, differentiated by the presence or absence of aquatic macrophytes at an environmental reserve in Uberlândia, Minas Geais, Southeastern Brazil. Zooplanctonic abundance patterns and their relation with environmental parameters were also discussed and presented through multivariate statistics. Methods Twelve samples were taken at water surface, at 15-day intervals in 2006. It was observed a total richness of 75 species, including 12 genera, 29 species and one sub-species as new records for Minas Gerais State. Results Rotifers were the predominant group and Lecanidae was the most diverse family. Among cladocerans, Chydoridae showed the greatest richness and Bosminidae the highest abundance. Few adult copepods were sampled in this study, but nauplii were very frequent. Cyclopidae was the most common family among copepods and there was no record of Calanoida. Conclusions The difference in composition among the studied lakes was remarkable. The lake with macrophytes showed the greatest richness but the lowest density, and the opposite situation occurred in the other lake. This can be explained by the fact that aquatic macrophytes, as primary producers, exert a bottom-up effect on zooplankton community, sustaining a high local diversity in contrast with a low numeric abundance of these microorganisms. Therefore, this pattern may have been created by the surround heterogeneity and, at the same time, by the reduction of available minerals of the system caused by macrophyte matter fixation. Many studies on zooplankton need to be developed in palm swamp communities in order to better comprehend the biological diversity and the energy balance in different habitats for the conservation of aquatic ecosystems.


Author(s):  
Francisco Andres Rivera-Quiroz ◽  
Jeremy Miller

Traditional taxonomic publications have served as a biological data repository accumulating vast amounts of data on species diversity, geographical and temporal distributions, ecological interactions, taxonomic relations, among many other types of information. However, the fragmented nature of taxonomic literature has made this data difficult to access and use to its full potential. Current anthropogenic impact on biodiversity demands faster knowledge generation, but also making better use of what we already have. This could help us make better-informed decisions about conservation and resources management. In past years, several efforts have been made to make taxonomic literature more mobilized and accessible. These include online publications, open access journals, the digitization of old paper literature and improved availability through online specialized repositories such as the Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL) and the World Spider Catalog (WSC), among others. Although easy to share, PDF publications still have most of their biodiversity data embedded in strings of text making them less dynamic and more difficult or impossible to read and analyze without a human interpreter. Recently developed tools as GoldenGATE-Imagine (GGI) allow transforming PDFs in XML files that extract and categorize taxonomically relevant data. These data can then be aggregated in databases such as Plazi TreatmentBank, where it can be re-explored, queried and analyzed. Here we combined several of these cybertaxonomic tools to test the data extraction process for one potential application: the design and planning of an expedition to collect fresh material in the field. We targeted the ground spider Teutamus politus and other related species from the Teutamus group (TG) (Araneae; Liocranidae). These spiders are known from South East Asia and have been cataloged in the family Liocranidae; however, their relations, biology and evolution are still poorly understood. We marked-up 56 publications that contained taxonomic treatments with specimen records for the Liocranidae. Of these publications, 20 contained information on members of the TG. Geographical distributions and occurrences of 90 TG species were analyzed based on 1,309 specimen records. These data were used to design our field collection in a way that allowed us to optimize the collection of adult specimens of our target taxa. The TG genera were most common in Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia. From these, Thailand was the second richest but had the most records of T. politus. Seasonal distribution of TG specimens in Thailand suggested June and July as the best time for collecting adults. Based on these analyses, we decided to sample from mid-July to mid-August 2018 in the three Thai provinces that combined most records of TG species and T. politus. Relying on the results of our literature analyses and using standard collection methods for ground spiders, we captured at least one specimen of every TG genus reported for Thailand. Our one-month expedition captured 231 TG spiders; from these, T. politus was the most abundant species with 188 specimens (95 adults). By comparison, a total of 196 specimens of the TG and 66 of T. politus had been reported for the same provinces in the last 40 years. Our sampling greatly increased the number of available specimens, especially for the genera Teutamus and Oedignatha. Also, we extended the known distribution of Oedignatha and Sesieutes within Thailand. These results illustrate the relevance of making biodiversity data contained within taxonomic treatments accessible and reusable. It also exemplifies one potential use of taxonomic legacy data: to more efficiently use existing biodiversity data to fill knowledge gaps. A similar approach can be used to study neglected or interesting taxa and geographic areas, generating a better biodiversity documentation that could aid in decision making, management and conservation.


Author(s):  
Muhammet Turkoglu

This study focuses on the synchronous blooms of the coccolithophore Emiliania huxleyi and three dinoflagellates Prorocentrum micans, Ceratium furca var. furca and Ceratium fusus var. seta observed between 7 June and 11 July 2003 in the Dardanelles. An analysis of the vertical distribution of the E. huxleyi population size with respect to various environmental parameters was discussed. Additionally, inorganic nutrients and phytoplankton interactions were investigated in relation to the bloom conditions and hydrography of the Dardanelles. The algal bloom started in nearby Izmit Bay (eastern end of the Sea of Marmara) in early June, then quickly spread through the Sea of Marmara and continued until mid-July. Thermal stratification was observed between different water masses at the time of sampling. During the bloom period, cell density of E. huxleyi ranged from 3.58 × 107 to 2.55 × 108 cells l−1 in the superficial layer. Prorocentrum micans was the second most-abundant species and the cell numbers ranged from 1.0 × 106 cells l−1 to 3.3 × 106 cells l−1. Other abundant species in this area included C. furca var. furca and C. fusus var. seta.


2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Reinaldo José de Castro ◽  
Raoul Henry ◽  
Carla Ferragut ◽  
Mayara Casartelli

Abstract Aim Fish diversity in two lentic environments: a lake connected (Barbosa lake) to a river and an artificial reservoir (Ninfeias reservoir) were determined in the dry and rainy periods in 2015. We expected to find more diversity in the connected lake and greater abundance in the reservoir. Methods Specimens were caught using gill nets. Moreover, environmental parameters such as temperature, electrical conductivity, pH, dissolved oxygen and water transparency were measured during the two periods. Results 546 specimens were collected from 9 families, 12 genera and 15 species of the orders Characiformes, Siluriformes, Cichliformes and Gymnotiformes. Pimelodus maculatus was the most abundant species in the connected lake. Two species were caught from the reservoir: Geophagus brasiliensis and Hoplias malabaricus, the former being predominant. The dominant species in the studied environments corresponded to 48.71% of the total number of specimens. The ichthyofaunal composition from the lake showed a high richness of the order Characiformes (66.7%). Siluriformes and Gymnotiformes represented 13.3% each and the order Cichliformes only 6.7% of the total number of species. In the artificial reservoir, there was an equivalent contribution of Cichliformes and Characiformes. The diversity was higher in the lake (H' = 2.05) and lower in the reservoir (H' = 0.34). Significant differences (p<0.05) of diversity were found between the connected lake and the reservoir. The catch of fish was lower in the dry season (24.7%) than the rainy season (62.3%). The principal component analysis (PCA) showed segregation between the two environments and periods, which was due to the difference in water electrical conductivity. The prevalence of species of the orders Characiformes and Siluriformes follows the pattern found for the ichthyofauna in the Neotropical region. Conclusions The analysis of distinct patterns of diversity and abundance of the ichthyofauna from the studied environments showed that the environment connected to the river has a high diversity when compared to the reservoir. The presence of aquatic macrophytes of different species may be a regulating factor in structuring the fish community of the lake connected to the river.


Biologia ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 69 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chryssa Anastasiadou ◽  
Christos Gkenas ◽  
Ifigenia Kagalou ◽  
Ioannis Leonardos

AbstractIn order to have a comprehensive evaluation and classification of the natural biota of Lake Pamvotis, the present study aims at investigating shrimps’ bionomic traits. Information on shrimps’ habitat preferences, abundances, and syntopic species in relation to the physicochemical profile of the lake’s water are investigated for the first time. The study was carried out on a bi-monthly base, at six littoral sites of the lake. Samples’ study from different habitats and seasons revealed that the freshwater shrimp Atyaephyra thyamisensis was the most abundant species, accounting for 44.76% of the total taxa catch, while the grass shrimp Palaemonetes antennarius was less abundant (7.54%). Syntopic fish species in the littoral zone of Lake Pamvotis such as Economidichthys pygmaeus, Gambusia holbrooki, Knipowitschia caucasica and Rutillus panosi showed interannual differences with abundances of 24.12%, 19.13%, 4.26% and 0.20%, respectively. Correspondence analysis revealed clear patterns between species and stations. A. thyamisensis was predominant in shallow, well oxygenated water bodies rich with aquatic vegetation, but it was absent from deeper habitats. P. antennarius was found mainly in lentic water bodies, rocky substratum and deeper habitats. Taking into account the high ecological importance of the freshwater shrimps in ecosystems’ energy flow, ecological and biological data of lake’s shrimps are discussed and presented thoroughly. Threats and conservation measures for both shrimp species are debated also in detail.


Biologia ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 68 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paweł Napiórkowski ◽  
Teresa Napiórkowska

AbstractThe diversity and longitudinal variation of zooplankton in the lower Vistula River were analyzed. Samples were taken from 40 stations located along a 272-km long section of the lower river course. During the study the unique technique of taking samples from “the same water” was used. The zooplankton community was dominated by rotifers and nauplii — larval stages of copepods. The most abundant species were: Brachionus angularis, Brachionus calyciflorus and Brachionus budapestiensis. The zooplankton species diversity in the main channel of the lower Vistula River was similar to other large European rivers; however, its abundance was lower. The diversity, abundance and biomass of potamoplankton steadily decreased downstream. This could be related both to scarcity of storage zones for potamoplankton development in the river due to the extensive regulation processes, and changes in hydrological conditions of the main channel (by the straightening of riverbed) where the samples were collected.


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