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Land Use and Basin Characteristics Determine the Composition and Abundance of the Microzooplankton

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Abstract

The influence of watershed land use on microzooplankton was examined. Six rivers and a shallow lake located in rural (agriculture, livestock) and urban areas were sampled during 4 weeks at low water, low temperatures and 3 weeks at high water, high temperatures. The major aim of this study was to analyze the composition, richness and abundance of the microzooplankton in relation to land use, taking into account nutrient concentration, biological oxygen demand (BOD5), conductivity, pH, transparency, dissolved oxygen, and chlorophyll-a. Redundancy analysis was used to assess microzooplankton response to environmental gradients. The composition and abundance can be considered good indicators of the land used and characteristic of the basin (broad range of conductivity water). The species composition show a gradient along the conductivity, pH and chlorophyll-a. Brachionus spp. were associated with saline waters on rural area and Keratella spp. (except Keratella tropica) were associated with urban water bodies. The microzooplankton abundance diminished by a factor of ten from the rivers in livestock–agriculture-dominated watersheds to those located in strictly urban areas. Urban rivers had low abundances of chlorophyll-a and microzooplankton despite the high concentration of nutrients. However, the effect of urbanization (mesotrophic/mesosaprobious state and lead presence) cannot be analyzed alone due to the potential effect of a filter-feeding invasive mollusk that colonizes the hard surfaces of harbor buildings and bridge pillars.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by a grant from ANPCyT and UNL, (PICTO 01–13232) and by the Universidad Nacional del Litoral (CAI + D 6–44). We would like to thank the following people who assisted in different stages of this study: Dr. P. Collins, Tec. C. Debonis, Lic. E. Peruchet, Lic. E. Houret and Dr. M. Leira (Universidad de la Coruña, España). Thank you also to Midrul Thomas (Michigan State University, USA) for improving the English of the manuscript.

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  1. Instituto Nacional de Limnología (CONICET-UNL), 3000, Santa Fe, Argentina

    Susana B. José de Paggi & Melina Devercelli

  2. Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas (UNL), Ciudad Universitaria, 3000, Santa Fe, Argentina

    Susana B. José de Paggi

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  1. Susana B. José de Paggi
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Correspondence to Susana B. José de Paggi.

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José de Paggi, S.B., Devercelli, M. Land Use and Basin Characteristics Determine the Composition and Abundance of the Microzooplankton. Water Air Soil Pollut 218, 93–108 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-010-0626-3

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