Skip to main content

Hydrology and local environmental factors influencing zooplankton communities in floodplain ponds

Wetlands volume 27, pages 864–872 (2007)Cite this article

Abstract

Wetlands in the floodplains of flood-control impoundments are exposed to different hydrologic conditions than those in natural systems. To gain insight into the impact of hydrology on wetland communities, we examined associations between crustacean zooplankton community structure and hydrologic and local environmental characteristics in 29 ponds surrounding a flood-control reservoir. Fifty-eight species of zooplankton were detected among all ponds, and local species richness ranged from 3–16. Depth and distance from the lake were the most important predictors of species richness and provided 31% of the explanation for variation among ponds. Non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) provided visualization of factors important to community structure. Analysis of similarities revealed hydroperiod and flood frequency were significant factors structuring communities. These results suggest that hydrology has a significant effect on both species richness and community structure of zooplankton communities in floodplain ponds. Elucidating the importance of hydrology to wetlands residing in managed floodplains should assist reservoir managers in understanding the impacts of different management regimes on regional ecology.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

USD 39.95

Price includes VAT (Canada)

Literature Cited

  • Amott, S. E., J. J. Magnuson, and N. D. Yan. 1998. Crustacean zooplankton species richness: single- and multiple-year estimates. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 55: 1573–82.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arnott, S. E. and N. D. Yan. 2002. The influence of drought and re-acidification on zooplankton emergence from resting stages. Ecological Applications 12: 138–53.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baranyi, C., T. Hein, C. Holarek, S. Keckeis, and F. Schiemer. 2002. Zooplankton biomass and community structure in a Danube River floodplain system: effects of hydrology. Freshwater Biology 47: 473–82.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bohonak, A. J. and H. H. Whiteman. 1999. Dispersal of the fairy shrimp Bvanchinecta colovadensis (Anostraca): effects of hydroperiod and salamanders. Limnology and Oceanography 44: 487–93.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brooks, J. L. 1959. Cladocera. p. 587–656. In W. T. Edmondson (ed.) Freshwater Biology. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, NY, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brooks, J. L. and S. I. Dodson. 1965. Predation, body size, and composition of plankton. Science 150: 28–35.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cáceres, C. E. and A. J. Tessier. 2003. How long to rest: the ecology of optimal dormancy and environmental constraint. Ecology 84: 1189–98.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clarke, K. R. and R. M. Warwick. 2001. Change in Marine Communities: An Approach to Statistical Analysis and Interpretation, second edition. Primer-E Ltd., Plymouth, UK.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cottenie, K. and L. DeMeester. 2005. Local interactions and local dispersal in a zooplankton metacommunity. p. 189–211. In M. Holyoak, M. A. Leibold, and R. D. Holt (eds.) Metacommunities: Spatial Dynamics and Ecological Communities. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cottenie, K., E. Michels, N. Nuytten, and L. DeMeester. 2003. Zooplankton metacommunity structure: regional vs. local processes in highly interconnected ponds. Ecology 84: 991–1000.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Figuerola, J. and A. J. Green. 2005. Dispersal of aquatic organisms by waterbirds: a review of past research and priorities for future studies. Freshwater Biology 47: 483–94.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Galat, D. L., L. H. Fredrickson, D. D. Humberg, K. J. Bataille, J. R. Bodie, J. Dohrenwend, G. T. Gelwicks, J. E. Havel, D. L. Helmers, J. B. Hooker, J. R. Jones, M. F. Knowlton, J. Kubisiak, J. Mazourek, A. C. McColpin, R. B. Renken, and R. D. Semlitsch. 1998. Flooding to restore connectivity of regulated, large-river wetlands. BioScience 48: 721–33.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hairston, N. G., Jr. 1996. Zooplankton egg banks as biotic reservoirs in changing environments. Limnology and Oceanography 41: 1087–92.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Havel, J. E., E. M. Eisenbacher, and A. A. Black. 2000. Diversity of crustacean zooplankton in riparian wetlands: colonization and egg banks. Aquatic Ecology 34: 63–76.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Havel, J. E., J. B. Shurin, and J. R. Jones. 2002. Estimating dispersal from patterns of spread: spatial and local control of invasion by Daphnia lumholtzi in Missouri lakes. Ecology 83: 3306–18.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holyoak, M., M. A. Leibold, N. Mouquet, R. D. Holt, and M. F. Hoopes. 2005. Metacommunities: a framework for large-scale community ecology. p. 1–31. In M. Holyoak, M. A. Leibold, and R. D. Holt (eds.) Metacommunities: Spatial Dynamics and Ecological Communities. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hurtubise, R., J. Havel, and E. Little. 1998. The effects of ultraviolet-B radiation on freshwater invertebrates: experiments with a solar simulator. Limnology and Oceanography 43: 1082–88.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jenkins, D. G. 1995. Dispersal-limited zooplankton distribution and community composition in new ponds. Hydrobiologia 313/ 314: 15–20.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leibold, M. A., M. Holyoak, N. Mouquet, P. Amarasekare, J. M. Chase, M. F. Hoopes, R. D. Holt, J. B. Shurin, R. Law, D. Tilman, M. Loreau, and A. Gonzalez. 2004. The metacommunity concept: a framework for multi-scale community ecology. Ecology Letters 7: 601–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Levins, R. 1969. Some demographic and genetic consequences of environmental heterogeneity for biological control. Bulletin of the Entomological Society of America 15: 237–40.

    Google Scholar 

  • MacArthur, R. H. and E. O. Wilson. 1967. The Theory of Island Biogeography. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Manatunge, J., T. Asaeda, and T. Priyadarshana. 2000. The influence of structural complexity on fishzooplankton interactions: a study using artificial submerged macrophytes. Environmental Biology of Fishes 58: 425–38.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tressler, W. L. 1959. Ostracoda. p. 657–734. In W. T. Edmondson (ed.) Freshwater Biology. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, NY, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • USACE. 2005. US Army Corps of Engineers, Harry S. Truman Dam and Reservoir. http://www.nwk.usace.army.mil/harryst/ hst_home.htm. Last Accessed 2 July 2005.

  • Wilson, M. S. and H. C. Yeatman. 1959. Free-living copepoda. p. 735–861. In W. T. Edmondson (ed.) Freshwater Biology. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, NY, USA.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Author notes

  1. Kim A. Medley

    Present address: Department of Biology, University of Central Florida, 4000 Central Florida Boulevard, 32816-2368, Orlando, Florida, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Missouri State University, 901 South National Avenue, 65897, Springfield, Missouri, USA

    Kim A. Medley & John E. Havel

Authors
  1. Kim A. Medley
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. John E. Havel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Medley, K.A., Havel, J.E. Hydrology and local environmental factors influencing zooplankton communities in floodplain ponds. Wetlands 27, 864–872 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1672/0277-5212(2007)27[864:HALEFI]2.0.CO;2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1672/0277-5212(2007)27[864:HALEFI]2.0.CO;2

Key Words

  • hydrologic connections
  • hydroperiod
  • metacommunity
  • species-sorting
  • zooplankton