Abstract
The occurrence and abundance of testate amoebae in the zooplankton of the floodplain of the Upper Paraná River was studied and compared with other zooplankton groups. Results showed that testate amoebae were dominant zooplankters in littoral zones of lentic and lotic environments. Species of Arcellidae were most abundant, followed by Difflugidae and Centropyxidae. The influence of environmental heterogeneity (lakes or river, littoral or pelagic zones and abiotic variables) on testate amoebae abundance was significant. Although significant differences were observed between different months, the patterns of abundance variation did not appear to be synchronously related to hydrological cycle. The results suggest that the high abundance of testate amoebae in the planktonic environment of Upper Paraná River floodplain is not determined only by stochastic process (washing out from the bottom and from the shoreline vegetation).
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Arndt, H., 1993. A critical review of the importance of Rhizopods (naked and testate amoebae) and actinopods (Heliozoa) in lake plankton. Mar. Microb. Food Webs 7: 3-29.
Bles, E. J., 1929. Arcella. A study in cell physiology. J. Micros. Sci. 72: 527-648.
Bonecker, C. C. & F. A. Lansac-Tôha, 1996. Community structure of rotifers in two environments of the high River Paraná floodplain (MS), Brazil. Hydrobiologia 325: 137-150.
Bonecker, C. C., S. L. C. Bonecker, R. L Bozelli, F. A. Lansac-Tôha & L. F. M. Velho, 1996. Zooplankton composition under the influence of liquid wastes from a pulp mill in middle Doce river (Belo Oriente, MG, Brazil). Arq. Biol. Tecnol. 39: 893-901.
Bozelli, R. L., 1994. Zooplankton comunity density in relation to water level flutuation and inorganic turbity in an Amozonian lake, 'Lago Batata', State of Paraná, Brazil. Amazoniana 13: 17-32.
Chardez, D., 1968. Etudes statistiques sur l'ecologie et la morphologie des thécamoebiens. Hydrobiologia 22: 271-287.
Goltermann, H. L., R. S. Clymos & M. A. M. Ohmstad, 1978. Methods for physical and chemical analysis of fresh water. Blackwel Scientific Publication, Oxford: 241pp.
Green, J., 1963. Zooplankton of the River Sokoto, the Rhizopoda Testacea. Proc. zool. Soc. Lond. 141: 497-514.
Green, J., 1975. Freshwater ecology in the Mato Grosso, central Brazil. IV. Associations of testate Rhizopoda. J. Nat. Hist. 9: 545-560.
Green, J., 1994. The temperate tropical gradient of planktonic Protozoa and Rotifera. Hydrobiologia 272: 13-26.
Hardy, E. R., 1980. Composição do zooplâncton em cinco lagos da Amazônia Central. Acta Amazonica 10: 577-609.
Hardy, E. R., B. Robertson & W. Koste, 1984. About the relationship between the zooplankton and fluctuating water levels of Lago Camaleão, a Central Amazonian varzea lake. Amazoniana 9: 43-52.
Hunt, G. W. & S. M. Chein, 1983. Seasonal distribution, composition and abundance of the planktonic Ciliata and Testacea of Cayuga Lake. Hydrobiologia 98: 257-266.
Lansac-Tôha, F. A., A. F. Lima, S. M. Thomaz & M. C. Roberto, 1993. Zooplâncton de uma planície de inundação do rio Paraná. II. Variação sazonal e influência dos níveis fluviométricos sobre a comunidade. Acta Limnol. Brasil 6: 42-55.
Lansac-Tôha, F. A., C. C. Bonecker, L. F. M. Velho & A. F. Lima, 1997. Composição, distribuição e abundância da comunidade zooplanctônica. In Vazzoler, A. E. A. M., A. A. Agostinho & N. S. Hahn (eds), A Planície de Inundação do Alto Rio Paraná: Aspectos Limnológicos e Sócio-Econômicos. Eduem, Maringá: 115-153.
Lena, H. & S. J. Zaidenwerg, 1975. Tecamebas del delta del Paraná (Argentina). Rev. Esp. Micropaleont. 7: 519-537.
Modenutti, B. E. & M. C. Vucetich, 1987. Variacion espacial de los tecamebianos del zooplancton del arroyo Rodriguez (Prov. De Buenos Aires). Limnobios 2: 671-675.
Paggi, J. C. & S. José De Paggi, 1990. Zooplâncton de ambientes lóticos e lênticos do rio Paraná médio. Acta Limnol. Brasil. 3: 685-719.
Schonborn, W. 1962. Ñber planktismus und ziklomorphose bei Difflugia limnetica (Levander) Pènard. Limnologica 1: 21-34.
Stepanek, M. & J. Jiri, 1958. Difflugia gramen Pènard, Difflugia gramen var. anchora Pènard and Difflugia gramen f. glomulosa f. n. Hydrobiologia 10:138-156.
Thomaz, S. M., F. A. Lansac-Tôha, M. C. Roberto, F. A. Esteves & A. F. Lima, 1991. Dinâmica temporal dos principais fatores limnológicos em um ambiente semi-lêntico (rio Baía) da planície de inundação do alto rio Paraná-MS, Brasil. Revista Unimar 13: 299-312.
Velho, L. F. M., F. A. Lansac-Tôha & M. Serafim-Junior, 1996. Testate amoebae (Rhizopodea-Sarcodina) from zooplankton of the high Paraná river floodplain, State of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. I. Families Arcellidae and Difflugidae. Stud. Neotrop. Fauna Envir. 31: 135-150.
Velho L. F. M. & F. A. Lansac Tôha, 1996. Testate amoebae (Rhizopodea-Sarcodina) from zooplankton of the high Paraná river floodplain, State of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil: II. Family Difflugidae. Stud. Neotrop. Fauna Envir. 31: 179-192.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Velho, L., Lansac-Tôha, F. & Bini, L. Spatial and temporal variation in densities of testate amoebae in the plankton of the Upper Paraná River floodplain, Brazil. Hydrobiologia 411, 103–113 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1003889331767
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1003889331767