Zooplankton communities and their relationship with water quality in eight reservoirs from the midwestern and southeastern regions of Brazil

Abstract

Zooplankton are widely recognised as being regulated primarily by predators and food availability. In reservoirs, the quantity and quality of food resources are generally affected by the characteristics of the water, which in turn are controlled by the flow pulse generated by operation of the dams. In this study, we investigated the relationship between zooplankton, water quality and food availability (phytoplankton) in eight hydroelectric reservoirs located in Brazil. Samples were collected during the rainy and dry periods between 2008 and 2009. In general, the reservoirs exhibited mesotrophic conditions and Cyanobacteria were the predominant phytoplankton. The results showed that the rotifers Kellicottia bostoniensis, Hexarthra mira, Keratella spp., and Polyarthra vulgaris were present, indicating nutrient-rich environments. In addition, the copepod Thermocyclops decipiens occurred in eutrophic environments. In contrast, the cladoceran Daphnia gessneri and copepod Notodiaptomus henseni were considered indicators of more desirable water quality, owing to their relationship with waters with lower levels of nutrients and suspended solids. The results support the use of these organisms as a useful tool for understanding changes in water quality and in the ecosystem processes involved.

Can zooplankton species be used as indicators of trophic status and ecological potential of reservoirs?

“…In contrast, large filtering microcrustacean such as calanoid copepods and large Daphnia species are found worldwide in low production waters, as in Europe (Ejsmont-Karabin and Karabin 2013;Stamou et al 2019;Montagud et al 2019), North America (Pinto-Coelho et al 2005Muñoz-Colmenares et al 2017) and South America (Brito et al 2011;Picapedra et al 2020) together with the rotifers A. ovalis and A. saltans (Montagud et al 2019;Duggan et al 2020) that are present in the current research.…”

Testate amoebae (Amorphea, Amoebozoa, Cercozoa) as bioindicators: a scientometric review

“…Thus, biomonitoring strategies are increasingly being put into practice. Among aquatic communities, both benthic and zooplankton communities present favorable characteristics to be utilized as bioindicator tools of water conditions (Picapedra et al, 2021), this including testate amoeba (2013,2016). In lakes, most of the studies involving testaceans purposed them as tools for studying contaminants in this biotope (Reinhardt et al, 1998;Neville et al, 2013;Nasser et al, 2016Nasser et al, , 2020.…”

Interacciones e inestabilidad del plancton en cuatro embalses tropicales con diferente estado trófico

“…Diferentes investigaciones en embalses (Colina et al, 2016;Meichtry de Zaburlín et al, 2013;Perbiche-Neves et al, 2016), se han enfocado en analizar la relación entre la densidad total y la diversidad de las comunidades planctónicas con variables ambientales. Sin embargo, pocas han evaluado estas interacciones a una escala poblacional, considerando la influencia de dichas variables en la dinámica de cada taxón encontrado (Muñoz-Colmenares et al, 2021;Picapedra et al, 2021;Quesada, 2018). Esto es un conocimiento necesario e importante, debido al efecto particular que pueden tener estas variables en cada población planctónica de ambientes con diferente grado de enriquecimiento, lo cual también permitiría evidenciar respuestas de taxones con metabolitos secundarios que pueden modular la comunidad.…”