Does the size structure of the littoral community reflect water level fluctuations in shallow waterbodies?

Gastropod Assemblages Associated with Habitat Heterogeneity and Hydrological Shifts in Two Shallow Waterbodies

“…In this study, we analyzed gastropod assemblages and their role in food webs in two SWB (S1 with submerged macrophytes and S2 without macrophytes) during summer in two consecutive years (2012, 2013) that differed in hydrological regime. According to Špoljar et al [7], lower precipitation and lower water levels (LWL) were recorded in 2012, while higher water levels (HWL) were measured in both SWB in 2013. The primary objectives of this study were to assess gastropod assemblages during periods of LWL and HWL, considering: (i) habitat heterogeneity of the littoral zone, (ii) epiphyton as a food source, and (iii) fish as predators.…”

“…Shallow water bodies (SWB) are unique freshwater ecosystems that have long been neglected in limnological research, despite their great contribution to overall biodiversity, including phyto-and zooplankton, macrophytes, benthos, nekton, amphibians, and waterbirds [1][2][3][4]. These ecosystems, regardless of their poor morphological features, are particularly vulnerable to global climate changes, including hydrological regimes that cause frequent and significant fluctuations in water levels [2,[5][6][7], which is one of the most important aspects of limnology research in our time. The fluctuations in water level and occasional lack of water may alter several environmental conditions such as light availability, but they can also affect the occurrence and distribution of aquatic organisms, including submerged macrophytes [8][9][10] or various animals [11].…”

“…The littoral zone of the SWB is of critical ecological importance for aquatic food webs, being the main site for secondary production [12], enhancing habitat complexity and thus providing high diversity and abundance of invertebrates that support specific ecosystem functions, e.g., nutrient retention and water cycling [13,14]. The littoral zone is subjected to frequent and extreme water level fluctuations that often result in changes in the functioning of shallow ecosystems, such as modifications in water transparency [15][16][17], macrophyte cover [7], nutrient levels [7], and food resources [18,19]. All these shifts will influence habitat function, nutrition quality and availability, reproduction, and general life cycle conditions for littoral communities [5,7,20].…”

“…The littoral zone is subjected to frequent and extreme water level fluctuations that often result in changes in the functioning of shallow ecosystems, such as modifications in water transparency [15][16][17], macrophyte cover [7], nutrient levels [7], and food resources [18,19]. All these shifts will influence habitat function, nutrition quality and availability, reproduction, and general life cycle conditions for littoral communities [5,7,20].…”

“…Among the macroinvertebrates inhabiting the benthal area of SWB, there are more records of the occurrence of insect larvae [7,[21][22][23] and crustaceans [2,24,25] than of gastropod mollusks, although they play a significant role in the macroinvertebrate community in the SWB [26] and are a particularly important element in the production and transformation of detritus [27]. When sufficient calcium ions are available, gastropod assemblages in lakes are regulated primarily by fish and crayfish predation; assemblages in shallow, fishless ponds are mainly regulated by competition, whereas gastropod assemblages in temporary ponds are largely influenced by the frequency and extent of desiccation [28,29].…”