Structure and biodiversity of zooplankton communities in freshwater habitats of a Vereda Wetland Region, Minas Gerais, Brazil

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.

Composição Da Comunidade Zooplanctônica Em Um Pequeno Corpo D’água Raso No Sul De Minas Gerais

“…Aumento nos valores de condutividade elétrica registrado no período chuvoso pode ser consequência da pluviosidade, que promove o carreamento de parte do material alóctone, constituído de matéria orgânica e parte de outros íons, oriundas de áreas adjacentes ao corpo d'água. A riqueza zooplanctônica encontrada neste estudo é inferior à registrada em outros corpos d'água do estado de Minas Gerais para rotíferos e cladóceros (COELHO et al, 2014;BARBOSA et al, 2014;PINESE et al, 2015). O pequeno número de espécies zooplanctônicas pode ser consequência da ausência de macrófitas aquáticas no corpo d'água que pode contribuir com maior riqueza de espécies ( VAN ONSEM et al, 2010).…”

Seasonal dynamics of Zooplankton functional groups in relation to environmental variables in Xiquanyan Reservoir, Northeast China

“…In fact G. stylifer was not found in summer or autumn when the temperature was relatively higher. Note, however, that, in their study, Pinese et al (2015) and Yin et al (2017) cautions that the concept of rotifer seasonal occurrence should be separated from the great dependence of changes in temperature since these processes among the zooplankton species are difficult to systematize due to the variety of interactions involved. Therefore, it is possible that other factors such as lack of exploitive competition from other filter feeders such as SCF and MCF and predation from MCC and LCC lead to the general high biomass of RF in spring (Fussmann, 1996;Brandl, 2005;Gilbert, 2014).…”

Rotifera De Reservatórios Com Diferentes Exposições Antrópicas Em Um Fragmento Protegido De Mata Atlântica

“…A família Lecanidae apresentou maior número de espécies para as duas condições de exposição antrópica. A maior riqueza e densidade dessa família frequentemente está associada a regiões litorâneas, rasas e com rica vegetação (Neumann-Leitão & Nogueira 1986, Almeida et al 2006, Pinese et al 2015, condições observadas nos reservatórios do PEDI. As espécies R. rotatoria e L. bulla foram as que mais contribuíram em termos numéricos na condição Expostos.…”