Diversity of Rotifer Communities in Lakes of the Suwalki Landscape Park

Studies of summer rotifer fauna of 11 shallow and 6 deep lakes of the Suwałki Landscape Park were conducted in an aim to assess the role of lake depth and biotic and abiotic factors in determining the diversity of rotifer communities in lakes undergoing a natural rate of eutrophication not accelerated by anthropopression. Some differences were observed when the group of shallow lakes was compared with that of deep lakes. The former were more differentiated as regards a list of rotifer species, partly due to the high proportion of species with low frequency. Consequently, their faunal originality was markedly higher and values of the percentage similarity of rotifer communities were much lower than in deep lakes. Species richness of rotifer fauna was also dependent on the trophic state of the studied lakes, the character of a nutrient limiting primary production, as well as biomass of diatoms and green algae.