The Influence of Habitat Conditions on the Plankton in the Białe Oxbow Lake (Nadbużański Landscape Park)

The spatial differentiation of the physico-chemical parameters (Kd_PAR, pH, DOC, nutrient concentrations) and plankton communities (phytoplankton, Crustacea) was considered in the system: the water column without macrophytes, pleustophytes—lemnids (duckweeds) and hornwort Ceratophyllum demersum. It was demonstrated that at the study sites different habitat conditions occurred, which were related to the macrophyte assemblages. The highest values of the phytoplankton biomass and the greatest algal biodiversity were found in the site without vegetation, in both species-specific and functional terms. Zooplankton, dominated by Copepoda, reached the greatest density and species diversity at the Ceratophyllum site. Despite the substantial differentiation of habitats, the plankton diversity was quite low.