JPR Advance Access originally published online on February 28, 2008
Journal of Plankton Research 2008 30(6):699-708; doi:10.1093/plankt/fbn032
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The response of zooplankton assemblages to variations in the water quality of four man-made lakes in semi-arid northeastern Brazil
1 Departamento de Botânica, Ecologia e Zoologia, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Campus Universitário, 59072-970 Natal, RN, Brazil 2 Departamento de Oceanografia e Limnologia, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Praia de Mãe Luiza, 59014-100 Natal, RN, Brazil
* CORRESPONDING AUTHOR: attayde{at}cb.ufrn.br
Received on November 12, 2007; revised on February 18, 2008; accepted on February 26, 2008
| Abstract |
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The response of zooplankton assemblages to variations in the water quality of four man-made lakes, caused by eutrophication and siltation, was investigated by means of canonical correspondence analysis. Monte Carlo simulations using the CCA eigenvalues as test statistics revealed that changes in zooplankton species composition along the environmental gradients of trophic state and abiogenic turbidity were highly significant. Brachionus calyciflorus, Thermocyclops sp. and Argyrodiaptomus sp. were good indicators of eutrophic conditions, whereas B. dolabratus, Keratella tropica and Hexarthra mira were good indicators of high turbidity due to suspended sediments. Overall, our results showed that changes in the water quality of man-made lakes in a tropical semi-arid region have significant effects on the structure of zooplankton assemblages that can potentially affect the functioning of these ecosystems.
Corresponding editor: Roger Harris