Oligochaete Assemblages Associated with Macrophytes in the Liangzi Lake District, China

Abstract

The assemblage of oligochaetes in the Liangzi Lake District, located in middle reaches of the Changjiang River, was studied from May to August, 2001. To establish species composition, richness, and abundance and detect the influence of environmental variables on oligochaete distributional patterns, 45 localities were sampled. All total, 20 species belonging to the families Naididae (eight species), Tubificidae (1 1 species), and Lumbriculidae (one species) were found. Branchiura sowerbyi, Tubifex sp. 1, and Aulodrilus pluriseta were the dominant species and contributed nearly 70% of the total abundance. The 45 sampling sites were separated into three groups based on composition and relative abundance of benthic oligochaete communities using two-way indictor species analysis associated with detrended correspondence analysis. Canonical correspondence analysis indicated that two plant variables (total plant cover and total submersed macrophyte biomass) were strongly correlated with the faunal gradient (p<0.05). Other predicator variables were water depth and total nitrogen.

Colonization by oligochaetes (Annelida: Clitellata) in decomposing leaves ofEichhornia azurea(SW.) Kunth (Pontederiaceae) in a neotropical lentic system

“…Unlike in other reports, in which Aulodrilus, Nais and Pristina were the most abundant oligochaetes (Smock and Stoneburner, 1980;Chauvet et al, 1993;Capello et al, 2004), in this study D. (D.) sawayai was the species with the greatest density. The environmental characteristics of aquatic systems (sediment particle size and oxygen concentration) and of the leaves (degree of protection against predators and availability of food resources) influence the species and density of the oligochaetes that colonize decomposing material (Xie et al, 2008;Ohtaka et al, 2010).…”

Leeches Predate on Fast-Escaping and Entangling Blackworms by Spiral Entombment

“…These plants provide physical shelter and enhanced nutrient conditions, potentially as a defensive adaptation against predators (Ohtaka et al 2011(Ohtaka et al , 2014Xie et al 2008;Vanamala Naidu et al 1981;Cheruvelil et al 2002). This "interrhizon" or the rhizosphere around plant roots facilitates better oxygenation, supporting dense worm populations that are less likely to be preyed upon by predators, such as Helobdella, which are less frequently found in vegetated areas (Ohtaka et al 2011;Jab lońska-Barna 2007;Waters and San Giovanni 2002;Talbot and Ward 1987).…”

An Annotated Checklist of the Main Representatives of Meiobenthos from Inland Water Bodies of Central and Southern Vietnam—II—Annelid Worms (Oligochaeta and Aeolosomatidae)

“…Ecology and distribution: This is a widespread and well-known species. It lives in a variety of fresh and, occasionally, in slightly brackish waterbodies, mainly on silty enriched with organic material sediments, in open and overgrown areas, including heavily polluted and anaerobic [9,38,45,93]. The worm is cosmopolitan, not noted only in Antarctica.…”