Abstract
The rotifer species present in samples from 180 small water bodies, or ponds, in England were identified and listed for each pond. These communities were used to provide a system of classification of ponds applicable on a national basis, using the program ‘TWINSPAN’. Sites were also ordinated using ‘DECORANA’ to identify major trends within the data set. The environmental factors most highly correlated with rotifer community were: (a) conductivity (P<0.001), (b) pH (P<0.001) and (c) permanence of water body (P<0.001). Out of 167 species, 32 were acting as indicators. It is suggested that a pond classification could be based on these species alone.
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Pontin, R.M., Langley, J.M. The use of rotifer communities to provide a preliminary national classification of small water bodies in England. Hydrobiologia 255, 411–419 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00025866
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00025866