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Biology and Ecology of Zooplankton: Latest Advances and Prospects

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Biodiversity and Functionality of Aquatic Ecosystems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 February 2024) | Viewed by 7818

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Hydrobiology and Protection of Ecosystems, University of Life Sciences, B. Dobrzańskiego 37, 20-262 Lublin, Poland
Interests: lake ecosystems; freshwater ecology; zooplankton; cladocera; copepoda; biodiversity; climate changes
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Zooplankton performs a crucial role in aquatic ecosystems, including active grazing on algae, detritus and various heterotrophs, taking part in nutrient regeneration and being food for fish and planktivorous organisms. Planktonic animals directly and indirectly support ecosystem services, including by clearing water through top-down control of algae and bacteria and supporting freshwater fauna for human consumption. In recent decades, this group have been subjected to strong human forces that have produced new challenges, including synthetic pollution, eutrophication, invasions of new taxa and physical and chemical changes in aquatic ecosystems accelerated by climate change.

In this context, I invite you submit contributions to the Special Issue entitled “Biology and Ecology of Zooplankton: Latest Advances and Prospects”. The specific topics may include, but are not limited to:

  • Zooplankton communities as indicators of environmental changes;
  • Zooplankton and climate changes;
  • Planktonic animals as invaders and casualties of biological invasions;
  • The impact of pollution on zooplankton biology and ecology;
  • The influence of catchment processes on freshwater and marine zooplankton;
  • Zooplankton as a potential harvestable resource;
  • Metabarcoding of zooplankton.

Both original field and experimental research papers and review papers are welcomed.

Prof. Dr. Małgorzata Adamczuk
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Water is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • zooplankton
  • environmental changes
  • climatic changes
  • catchment processes
  • pollution
  • food webs
  • invasive species

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 3082 KiB  
Article
Zooplankton Temporal, Longitudinal, and Vertical Diversity Patterns in the Floodplains of the Western Amazon
by Fernando Sánchez, Francisco Cuesta and Gabriela Echevarría
Water 2024, 16(8), 1166; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16081166 - 20 Apr 2024
Viewed by 1011
Abstract
The Western Amazon is a highly biodiverse area. Zooplankton diversity studies in the region have been primarily conducted in Peru and Colombia, with limited research in the Ecuadorian Amazon. To address this gap, our research aimed to enhance taxonomic knowledge and understand zooplankton [...] Read more.
The Western Amazon is a highly biodiverse area. Zooplankton diversity studies in the region have been primarily conducted in Peru and Colombia, with limited research in the Ecuadorian Amazon. To address this gap, our research aimed to enhance taxonomic knowledge and understand zooplankton diversity patterns in the Napo and Pastaza lower basins at different spatial and temporal scales. Two sampling expeditions were conducted in the high waters of 2021 and rising waters of 2022. Dry conditions in 2021 led to lower-than-expected water levels. The study identified 107 zooplankton species, revealing variations in richness and composition between years, lakes, and depth strata. Grande Lake, deeper and wider than Delfincocha, exhibited significant turnover variations across strata in both seasons. Despite a relative longitudinal homogenization between channels and floodplains during high waters, beta diversity across vertical and temporal gradients highlighted complex dynamic zooplankton communities in both lakes. In addition, we include the first records of 44 taxa for the Ecuadorian Amazon and 36 for Ecuador. These findings emphasize the need for targeted research and conservation efforts in the face of escalating environmental threats to the Western Amazon. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biology and Ecology of Zooplankton: Latest Advances and Prospects)
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12 pages, 1495 KiB  
Article
The Responses of Cladoceran Communities to the Single and Simultaneous Effects of Environmentally Relevant Increases in Temperature and Phosphorus Concentration in Freshwater Ecosystems
by Małgorzata Adamczuk
Water 2024, 16(2), 249; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16020249 - 11 Jan 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1195
Abstract
Environmental changes are important factors related to shifts in species compositions and abundances of aquatic communities. This study presents the responses of cladoceran communities to realistic scenarios of an increase in temperature and phosphorus concentration. This study was conducted under laboratory conditions, and [...] Read more.
Environmental changes are important factors related to shifts in species compositions and abundances of aquatic communities. This study presents the responses of cladoceran communities to realistic scenarios of an increase in temperature and phosphorus concentration. This study was conducted under laboratory conditions, and the outcomes of this study explain the causes of seasonal shifts in both abundance and species composition and allow us to predict their responses to climatic changes in aquatic ecosystems. The results showed that temperature increase was the more important trigger of shifts than phosphorus increase. Moreover, the simultaneous influence of increases in temperature and phosphorus concentration had a significantly higher impact than single factors. Under all the scenarios, the increased contributions of species that were dominant before the changes and the extinction of rare species were observed. Ultimately, cladoceran communities displayed functional overcompensation and loss of species in comparison to prechanged communities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biology and Ecology of Zooplankton: Latest Advances and Prospects)
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17 pages, 1809 KiB  
Article
Competition of Cladocerans for Natural Seston from a Tropical Shallow Lake
by Tânia Cristina dos Santos Ferreira, Lúcia Helena Sampaio da Silva and Marlene Sofia Arcifa
Water 2023, 15(19), 3373; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15193373 - 26 Sep 2023
Viewed by 890
Abstract
The planktonic cladocerans Ceriodaphnia richardi, Daphnia gessneri, and Daphnia birgei inhabit the limnetic and littoral zones of Lake Monte Alegre, where the former species tends to be abundant. Laboratory experiments were carried out to investigate the competition for seston of the [...] Read more.
The planktonic cladocerans Ceriodaphnia richardi, Daphnia gessneri, and Daphnia birgei inhabit the limnetic and littoral zones of Lake Monte Alegre, where the former species tends to be abundant. Laboratory experiments were carried out to investigate the competition for seston of the limnetic and littoral zones in cladocerans using life table data. In experiment 1, the species C. richardi and D. gessneri were fed seston from the limnetic zone (1–1.29 mg C L−1); in experiment 2, the species C. richardi and D. birgei were fed seston from the littoral zone. Despite the relatively high concentration of sestonic algae (0.96–1 mg C L−1), with predominance of nanoplankton, C. richardi outcompeted D. gessneri in the experiment with the limnetic seston. The species C. richardi and D. birgei benefited from the presence of each other in the experiment with littoral seston, where nanoplankton predominated, with increases in some parameters of the life table. D. birgei, however, showed better reproductive performance than C. richardi. A comparison between the results of the experiments suggests that the seston of the limnetic zone, in terms of quantity and quality, is better for C. richardi than the littoral seston. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biology and Ecology of Zooplankton: Latest Advances and Prospects)
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14 pages, 2047 KiB  
Article
Determination of the Optimal Conditions for the Mass Culture of Large-Type Rotifers (Brachionus plicatilis) at Low Temperatures
by Hae-Kyun Yoo, So-Sun Kim, Ki-Wook Lee, Suk-Young Lee, Min-Min Jung and Soo-Ji Woo
Water 2023, 15(18), 3310; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15183310 - 19 Sep 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2275
Abstract
We aimed to determine the optimal conditions for the mass culture of rotifers, which can be used as feed for cold-water fish species at low temperatures. The growth and specific growth rates (SGRs) of rotifers were assessed considering water temperature, salinity, density, dissolved [...] Read more.
We aimed to determine the optimal conditions for the mass culture of rotifers, which can be used as feed for cold-water fish species at low temperatures. The growth and specific growth rates (SGRs) of rotifers were assessed considering water temperature, salinity, density, dissolved oxygen (DO) levels, and the amount of Chlorella supplied as feed. The growth of rotifers was higher at 15 °C than at 10 °C and at salinities of ~11–17 psu. Initial inoculation densities of 500 and 700 individuals/mL resulted in the highest rotifer density, and SGR was highest at 100 individuals/mL. DO concentration did not significantly affect the growth and SGRs of rotifers. Enrichment with fatty acids is important to supplement the diet of cold-water fish species. Highly unsaturated fatty acid content increased with enrichment time to 14.04 ± 0.86% at 12 h and 15.58 ± 2.20% at 24 h. Thus, the optimal conditions for rotifer mass culture are a water temperature of 15 °C, salinity of 11–17 psu, initial inoculation density of 300–500 individuals/mL, DO concentration of 8 mg/L or more, and Chlorella supply at 7.5 × 1012 cells/mL. Therefore, the present study suggests optimal culture conditions of rotifers at low temperatures for breeding cold-water fish species. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biology and Ecology of Zooplankton: Latest Advances and Prospects)
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14 pages, 3453 KiB  
Article
Zooplankton in the Technogenic Aquatic Ecosystem of the North Crimean Canal, the Longest in Europe
by Nickolai Shadrin, Vladimir Yakovenko, Igor Moseychenko and Elena Anufriieva
Water 2023, 15(13), 2327; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15132327 - 22 Jun 2023
Viewed by 1820
Abstract
The construction and use of navigation and irrigation canals are among the common human alterations in landscapes and ecosystems. The North Crimean Canal (NCC) is the longest in Europe; its main branch is 403 km, and the total of all its branches exceeds [...] Read more.
The construction and use of navigation and irrigation canals are among the common human alterations in landscapes and ecosystems. The North Crimean Canal (NCC) is the longest in Europe; its main branch is 403 km, and the total of all its branches exceeds 10,000 km. It is a main driver of the significant environmental changes in an all-arid part of Crimea. No zooplankton studies in the canal have been carried out up to this time at all. In 2022, zooplankton was studied in different sites from May to October. Total zooplankton abundance fluctuated between 170 and 19,560 ind. m−3, and wet biomass between 0.75 and 1057 mg m−3. In total, 11 Rotifera species, 11 Cladocera species, and 15 Copepoda species, including 2 Harpacticoida, 5 Calanoida, and 8 Cyclopoida, were found in plankton. The most common Rotifera species were Brachionus calyciflorus, Euchlanis dilatate, and Keratella cochlearis. Among Cladocera, Chydorus sphaericus, Bosmina longirostris, and Coronatella rectangular have the highest frequency of occurrence. In Copepoda, these were Acanthocyclops vernalis, Eurytemora affinis, and Nitocra typica. Among the 37 species found in NCC, 10 were not previously noted in the water bodies of Crimea. Among rotifers, they were Ploesoma hudsoni, Polyarthra dolichoptera, Pompholyx complanata, Synchaeta grandis, and Synchaeta stylata. Bosminopsis zernowi, Rhynchotalona rostrata, and Scapholeberis mucronata were not noted before among Cladocera. Eurytemora lacustris and Cyclops smirnovi were first found in Crimea among Copepoda. New technogenic aquatic ecosystems such as NCC are the “gateway” for the invasion of alien species into the new regions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biology and Ecology of Zooplankton: Latest Advances and Prospects)
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