Abstract
The rotifer assemblages of 26 urban ponds have been compared with the preliminary English national classification of small water bodies. It was found that similar TWINSPAN indicator species occurred in both classifications and that the urban ponds were classified appropriately as permanent, lowland sites, with intermediate conductivity. The factors responsible for shaping these urban rotifer assemblages were associated with cadmium (p < 0.01), lead (p < 0.01), zinc (p < 0.05), phosphate (p < 0.05), pH (p < 0.01) and macrophyte richness (p < 0.01). The conservation value of these sites (in terms of species richness) was found to be similar to relatively undamaged sites upon comparable geology, indeed mean values were higher from urban sites. The size of the buffer zone around the pond was highly correlated with species richness (p < 0.01) and negatively correlated with lead (p < 0.05) and phosphate (p < 0.05). It is suggested that conservation management may be better targeted if more attention is paid to the maintenance and enhancement of the buffer zone.
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Langley, J.M., Kett, S., Al-Khalili, R.S. et al. The conservation value of English urban ponds in terms of their rotifer fauna. Hydrobiologia 313, 259–266 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00025958
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00025958