Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Spatial dynamics of rotifers in a large lowland river, the Elbe, Germany: How important are retentive shoreline habitats for the plankton community?

  • ADVANCES IN ROTIFIER RESEARCH
  • Published:
Hydrobiologia Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The longitudinal dynamics of Rotifers in the Potamal region of the River Elbe between Dresden, km 46, and Geesthacht, km 583, was investigated on a Lagrangian survey in 2000 which included transversal sampling (left bank, main channel, right bank) and sampling of five major tributaries and backwaters to evaluate lateral impacts on the zooplankton community. A simple model of longitudinal development for the dominant species Trichocerca pusilla was calculated, based on the results of an in situ incubation in Dresden and on literature data and compared with the dynamics observed on the Lagrangian survey. To characterize the influence of groyne fields on the main channel zooplankton community, an additional lateral sampling was conducted in August 2000 at Havelberg, km 423. Zooplankton community was clearly dominated by rotifers. A distinct downstream-directed increase of rotifers was observed. Longitudinal development of rotifers could be explained predominantly by reproduction during downstream transport.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Adams, M. S., H. Kausch, T. Gaumert & K. E. Krueger, 1996. The effect of the reunification of Germany on the water chemistry and ecology of selected rivers. Environmental Conservation 23(1): 35–43.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Akopain, M., J. Garnier & R. Pourriot, 1999. A large reservoir as a source of zooplankton for the river: structure of the populations and influence of fish predation. Journal of Plankton Research 21(2): 285–298.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • ARGE Elbe Wassergütedaten 1999, 2000. http//www.arge-elbe.de.

  • Baranyi, C., T. Hein, C. Holarek, S. Keckeis & F. Schiemer, 2002. Zooplankton biomass and community structure in a Danube River floodplain. Freshwater Biology 47: 473–482.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bass, J. A. B., L. C. V. Pinder & D. V. Leach, 1997. Temporal and spatial variation in zooplankton populations in the River Great Ouse: An ephemeral food resource for larval and juvenil fish. Regulated Rivers-Research & Management 13(3): 245–258.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Basu, B. K. & F. R. Pick, 1996. Factors regulating phytoplankton and zooplankton biomass in temperate rivers. Limnology and. Oceanography, 41: 1572–1577.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Basu, B. K. & F. R. Pick, 1997. Phytoplankton and zooplankton development in a lowland temperate river. Journal of Plankton Research 19: 237–235.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Basu, B. K., J. Kalff & B. Pinel-Alloul, 2000a. Midsummer plankton development along a large temperate river: The St. Lawrence River. Canadian Journal of Aquatic Science 57: 7–15.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Basu, B. K., J. Kalff & B. Pinel-Alloul, 2000b. The influence of macrophyte beds on plankton communities and their export from fluvial lakes in the St Lawrence River. Freshwater Biology 45: 373–382.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • de Ruyter van Steveninck E. D., W. Admiraal, L. Breebart, G. M. J. Tubbing, B. van Zanten, 1992. Plankton in the River Rhine: Structural and functional changes observed during downstream transport. Journal of Plankton Research 14(10): 1351–1368.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Desertovà, B., A. Prange & P. Punčochàř, 1996. Chlorophyll a concentrations along the River Elbe. Archives of Hydrobiology, Suppl. 113, Large Rivers, 10: 203–210.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ferrari, I., A. Farabegoli & R. Mazzoni, 1989. Abundance and diversity of plankton rotifers in the Po River. Hydrobiologia, 186/187: 201–208.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guhr, H., U. Dreyer & D. Spott, 1996. Changes in the water quality and macrozoobenthos in the River Elbe since 1989. Archives of Hydrobiology, Suppl. 113, Large Rivers 10: 1–4, 293–298.

  • Hein, T., G. Baranyi, C. Heiler, C. Holarek, P. Riedler & F. Schiemer, 1999. Hydrology as a major factor determining plankton development in two floodplain segments and the river Danube, Austria. Archives of Hydrobiology, Suppl. 115 (3), Large Rivers, 3: 439–452.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holst, H., H. Zimmermann, H. Kausch & W. Koste, 1998. Temporal and spatial dynamics of planktonic rotifers in the Elbe Estuary during Spring. Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science 47: 261–273.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holst, H., H. Zimmermann-Timm & H. Kausch, 2002. Longitudinal and transverse distribution of plankton rotifers in the Potamal of the River Elbe (Germany) during late Summer. International Review of Hydrobiology 87: 267–280.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jack, J. D. & J. H. Thorp, 2002. Impacts of fish predation on an Ohio River zooplankton community. Journal of Plankton Research 24(2): 119–127.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Karrasch, B., M. Mehrens, Y. Rosenlöcher & K. Peters, 2001. The dynamics of phytoplankton, bacteria and heterotrophic flagellates at two banks near Magdeburg in the River Elbe (Germany). Limnologica 31: 93–107.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kim, H. W. & G. J. Joo, 2000. The longitudinal distribution and community dynamics of zooplankton in a regulated large river: a case study of the Nakdong River (Korea). Hydrobiologia 438: 171–184.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kirk, K. L., 1991. Inorganic particles alter competition in grazing plankton: the role of selektive feeding. Ecology 71: 1741–1755.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kirk, K. L. & J. J. Gilbert, 1990. Suspended clay and the population dynamics of planktonic rotifers and cladocerans. Ecology 7(5): 1741–1755.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Koste, W., 1978. Die Rädertiere Mitteleuropas. Begründet von Max Voigt. Gebrüder Bornträger Verlagsbuchhandlung Berlin, Stuttgart. Textband 1-8 and 1-673, Tafelband 1-234.

  • Lair, N., 2005. Abiotic vs. biotic factors: Lessons drawn from rotifers in the Middle Loire, a meandering river monitored from 1995 to 2002, during low flow periods. Hydrobiologia 546: 457–472.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lair, N., V. Jaquet & P. Reyes-Marchant, 1999. Factors related to autotrophic potamoplankton, heterotrophic protists and micrometazoan abundance, at two sites in a lowland temperate river during low water flow. Hydrobiologia, 394: 13–28.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lair, N. & P. Reyes-Marchant, 1997. The potamoplankton of the Middle Loire and the role of the ´moving littoral´ in downstream transfer of algae and rotifers. Hydrobiologia 356: 33–52.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • May, L., & J. A. B. Bass, 1998. A study of rotifers in the River Thames, England, April–October, 1996. Hydrobiologia 387/388: 251–257.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meister, A., 1994. Untersuchungen zum Plankton der Elbe und ihrer größeren Nebenflüsse. Limnologica 24(2): 153–214.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miquelis, A., C. Rougier & R. Pourriot, 1998. Impact of turbulence and turbidity on the grazing rate of the rotifer Brachionus calyciflorus (Pallas). Hydrobiologia 386: 203–211.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nusch, E. A., 1980. Comparison of different methods for chlorophyll and phaeopigment determination. Archives of Hydrobiology, Ergebnisse der Limnologie 14: 14–36.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pejler, B. & B. Bērzinš, 1993. On the ecology of Trichocercidae (Rotifera). Hydrobiologia 263: 55–59.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pourriot, R., C. Rougier & A. Miquelis, 1997. Origin and development of river zooplankton: Example of the Marne. Hydrobiologia 345: 143–148.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reckendorfer, W., H. Keckeis, G. Winkler & F. Schiemer, 1999. Zooplankton abundance in the River Danube, Austria: The significance of inshore retention. Freshwater Biology 41: 583–591.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reynolds, C. S., P. A. Carling & K. J. Beven, 1991. Flow in river channels: New insights into hydraulic retention. Archives of Hydrobiology 121(2): 171–179.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reynolds, C. S. & M. S. Glaister, 1993. Spatial and temporal changes in phytoplankton abundance in the upper and middle reaches of the River Severn. Archives of Hydrobiology, Suppl. 101, Large Rivers 9: 1–22.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schiemer, F., H. Keckeis, W. Reckendorfer & G. Winkler, 2001. The “inshore retention concept” and its significance for large rivers. Archives of Hydrobiology, Suppl. 135, Large Rivers 2–4: 509–516.

    Google Scholar 

  • Spaink, P. A., T. Ietswaart & R. Roijackers, 1998. Plankton dynamics in a dead arm of the River Waal: A comparison with the main channel. Journal of Plankton Research 20(10): 1997–2007.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sukhodolov, A., C. Engelhardt, H. Bungartz & A. Krüger, 2001. Flow structure in groyne fields: Case study on the River Elbe. Jahresforschungsbericht 2000 des IGB, Heft, Vol. 13, 27–34.

  • Thorp, J. H., A. R. Black, K. H. Haag & J. D. Wehr, 1994. Zooplankton assemblages in the Ohio River: Seasonal, tributary and navigation dam effects. Canadian Journal of Aquatic Science 51: 1634–1643.

    Google Scholar 

  • Utermöhl, H., 1958. Zur Vervollkommnung der quantitativen Phytoplankton-Methodik. Mitteilungen der International Association of Theoretical and Applied Limnology 9: 1–38.

  • Van den Brink, F. W. B., M. M. Van Katwijk & G. Van der Velde, 1994. Impact of hydrology on phyto- and zooplankton community composition in floodplain lakes along the Lower River Rhine and Meuse. Journal of Plankton Research 16(4): 351–373.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van Dijk, G. M. & B. Van Zanten, 1995. Seasonal changes in zooplankton abundance in the lower Rhine during 1987–1991. Hydrobiologia 304: 29–38.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vannote, R. L., G. W. Minshall, K. W. Cummins, J. R. Sedell & C. E. Cushing, 1980. The River continuum concept. Canadian Journal of Aquatic Science 37: 130–137.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Viroux, L., 1997. Zooplankton development in two large lowland rivers, the Moselle (France) and the Meuse (Belgium), in 1993. Journal of Plankton Research 19(11): 1743–1762.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Viroux, L., 2002. Seasonal and longitudinal aspects of microcrustacean (Cladocera, Copepoda) dynamics in a lowland river. Journal of Plankton Research 24(4): 281–292.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walz, N. & M. Welker, 1998. Plankton development in a rapidly flushed lake in the River Spree system (Neundörfer See, Northeast Germany). Journal of Plankton Research 20(11): 2071–2087.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wehr, J. D. & J. H. Thorp, 1997. Effects of navigation dams, tributaries, and littoral zones on phytoplankton communities in the Ohio River. Canadian Journal of Aquatic Science 54: 378–395.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Welker, M. & N. Walz, 1999. Plankton dynamics in a river-lake system-on continuity and discontinuity. Hydrobiologia, 408/409: 233–239.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zankai, N, 1989. Horizontal distribution of rotifer plankton along a trophic gradient in Lake Balaton: Changes in community structure and abundance during the past 20 years. Archives of Hydrobiology 115(1): 111–123.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We wish to thank U. Wörner, M. Steenbuck, S. Cummerow, A. Kakuschke (Hamburg) and S. Bühring (Bremen) for assistance in the field and laboratory, as well as J. Weiss (Jena) for analyzing phytoplankton samples. The authors greatly acknowledge the help of T. Hildebrandt (Hamburg) and M. Scholten (Berlin) for statistical assistance. We are also indebted to R. Eidner (BfG Berlin) for calculation of water transport time (QSIM, BfG Koblenz) and the ARGE Elbe for discharge and water temperature data. Thanks are due to A. Schlums (Potsdam) for linguistic improvements and two anonymous reviewers for helpful comments on the manuscript. The present study was supported by the federal BMBF-project TP0339606 “Stoffdynamik”of the research project “Elbe Ökologie”.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Potsdam-Institute for Climate Impact Research, Telegrafenberg A31, 14467, Potsdam, Germany

    Heike Zimmermann-Timm

  2. Institute of Hydrobiology and Fishery Science, University Hamburg, Zeiseweg 9, 22765, Hamburg, Germany

    Heike Zimmermann-Timm, Henry Holst & Hartmut Kausch

Authors
  1. Heike Zimmermann-Timm
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Henry Holst
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Hartmut Kausch
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Heike Zimmermann-Timm.

Additional information

Guest editors: S. S. S. Sarma, R. D. Gulati, R. L. Wallace, S. Nandini, H. J. Dumont & R. Rico-Martinez

Advances in Rotifer Research

This paper is dedicated to Alois Herzig, a colleague and friend, on the occasion of his 60th birthday on May 24th, 2006.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Zimmermann-Timm, H., Holst, H. & Kausch, H. Spatial dynamics of rotifers in a large lowland river, the Elbe, Germany: How important are retentive shoreline habitats for the plankton community?. Hydrobiologia 593, 49–58 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-007-9046-9

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-007-9046-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation