Hydrobiologia (2016) 774:39–51 DOI 10.1007/s10750-015-2595-4 WETLANDS BIODIVERSITY AND PROCESSES Zooplankton diversity and macrophyte biometry in shallow water bodies of various trophic state Natalia Kuczyn´ska-Kippen . Tomasz Joniak Received: 18 September 2015 / Revised: 12 November 2015 / Accepted: 17 November 2015 / Published online: 1 December 2015 Ó The Author(s) 2015. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com Abstract In order to determine whether using indi- elimination of macrophyte-dominated refuges, cators of zooplankton diversity and macrophyte thereby lowering the macrophyte-site share, which parameters (density and biomass) could be a useful ranged from 47% in eutrophy, 40% in mesotrophy to tool for diagnosing the water quality of ponds we only 20% in hypereutrophy. Therefore, we assume that hypothesised that in various trophic types of shallow zooplankton diversity and macrophyte occurrence can water bodies parameters of a macrophyte habitat will be used for quality assessment of small water bodies. reflect zooplankton diversity. Thus, 439 stations (open water, helophytes, elodeids) were studied among 274 Keywords Shallow ponds Á Rotifer and crustacean pastoral ponds (mid-west Poland). In each trophic diversity Á Trophic status Á Aquatic plant biomass Á state of waters a key predictor of zooplankton diversity Environmental predictors was biomass of macrophytes attributed to a variety of ecological types or various species of macrophytes. A shift from the high importance of elodeids (e.g. Myriophyllum, Ceratophyllum demersum) in structur- Introduction ing zooplankton diversity in mesotrophic waters to helophytes (Typha angustifolia, Phragmites australis, Ponds, which are considered to be small ecological Schoenoplectus lacustris) in hypereutrophic ponds complexes, form model systems for studying various was recorded. Hypereutrophy proved to be extremely ecological relationships as well as evolutionary biol- unfavourable for zooplankton, as reflected in its lowest ogy. The necessity for environmental monitoring of diversity; rotifers reached their optimum in eutrophy global transformation relating e.g. to climate warming and crustaceans in mesotrophy. Adverse environmen- or human-induced eutrophication of waters (Ce´re´ghino tal conditions in hypereutrophic waters caused the et al., 2014) has recently arisen and ponds are perfect objects for such analyses. In small water bodies, where macrophyte-dominated zones often prevail and occa- Guest editors: Pierluigi Viaroli, Marco Bartoli & Jan Vymazal / sionally the whole water column is fully overgrown by Wetlands Biodiversity and Processes: Tools for Management and Conservation macrophytes with no typical open water areas, a development of new methods for water quality N. Kuczyn´ska-Kippen (&) Á T. Joniak assessment is required, especially as methods Department of Water Protection, Faculty of Biology, designed for large aquatic ecosystems such as lakes Adam Mickiewicz University, Umultowska 89, 61-614 Poznan, Poland may be unsuitable. Therefore, we directed our anal- e-mail: [email protected] yses towards the elaboration of simple methods to 123 40 Hydrobiologia (2016) 774:39–51 assess water conditions for small aquatic ecosystems. and crustaceans, both in large aquatic ecosystems such This is very important in the light of recent observa- as lakes and in small water bodies. tions made by many researchers who ascertain that Despite our knowledge of the key role played by there is a worldwide phenomenon concerning not only macrophytes as habitats for various organisms, our human-induced deterioration of water quality but also recognition of macrophytes as indicators of water the loss of pond biodiversity caused by human activity quality is still limited (Kłosowski & Jabłon´ska, 2009). (e.g. De Marco et al., 2014). The trophic state of water may also be fundamental for Aquatic vegetation, which shapes the structural the diversity of many other aquatic organisms (De environment for a variety of invertebrates in many Marco et al., 2014), including zooplankton (Barnett & systems (Stansfield et al., 1997; Cazzanelli et al., Beisner, 2007; Habelman & Haldna 2014). This is 2008), is often of primary importance. This is why, why zooplankton diversity features were examined not even if a pond is of a small area and depth, it is crucial only in as regards macrophyte architecture but also to carry out research in various microhabitats which with respect to different trophic levels of water and vary in their spatial complexity. The present study was physico-chemical parameters. It has also been shown therefore undertaken within three distinct types of (Malthus et al., 1990, Roman et al., 2001, Lyche- habitats: two vegetated sites (elodeids and helophytes) Solheim et al., 2013) that trophic conditions of water and another in the open water area. Elodeids are may be responsible for the occurrence of particular known to create habitats that are complex and provide plant species and thus presumably also have an impact the inhabiting organisms with a variety of ecological on the level of heterogeneity of a vegetated bed. niches (Tolonen et al., 2003; Kuczyn´ska-Kippen & Because the species diversity of organisms, besides Nagengast, 2006). Contrary to elodeids, helophytes other community factors such as abundance or trophic create on average habitats of a much lower level of groups (Zervoudaki et al., 2009; Obertegger & Manca, spatial and morphological entanglement (Kuczyn´ska- 2011), may undergo a contrasting response to trophic Kippen & Nagengast, 2006). Habitat complexity can conditions and thus be a good indicator of the water be expressed by the biometric features of a macro- quality we hypothesised that the biometric features of phyte habitat and measured as the length or biomass of a macrophyte habitat will significantly influence macrophyte stems in a certain unit of water (Nagen- zooplankton diversity, irrespective of certain macro- gast & Kuczyn´ska-Kippen, 2015). The level of such phyte species predominating in various trophic types complexity of a plant stand greatly depends on the of shallow water bodies. Therefore, the primary object ecological group that a macrophyte represents. of our study was to determine whether using indicators The varying architecture of macrophytes plays a of zooplankton diversity and macrophyte biometric multiplicity of ecological roles. They may create features would easily diagnose trophic conditions of refuge conditions for zooplankton. In ponds with fish water. Hence, we searched for the characteristics of presence, abundant communities of pelagic zooplank- biotic components within trophic groups of ponds. ters, especially larger-bodied crustaceans, despite their ecological requirements, will be found among patches of macrophytes during the daytime when fish Materials and methods are most active (Wojtal et al., 2003). At the same time plant habitat, due to its highly complex structure Study site connected with an increase in the fractal variation of a plant patch (McAbendroth et al., 2005; Dibble & The examination including 274 shallow water bodies Thomaz, 2006), may support the development of a was carried out during the optimum summer season in variety of periphytic planktonic organisms, thus the years 2004–2013. In order to avoid the diurnal favouring the development of zooplankton species of variation in both abiotic and biotic features all per- littoral origin (Duggan, 2001). Therefore, macrophyte formed field analyses and samplings were performed at build reflected in the plant density or biomass, known the same time—around midday. The study area was as plant architecture, is of significant importance for located within the following physico-geographical the inhabiting zooplankters. The higher the habitat macroregions: Lubusz Lakeland, Greater Poland Lake- complexity, the greater the diversity of both rotifers land, Southern Greater Poland Lowland and the Warta- 123 Hydrobiologia (2016) 774:39–51 41 Oder Glacial Valley (Kondracki, 2001) and four large of a macrophyte habitat, understood as the stem districts in central and western Poland in the Provinces density—length and dry plant biomass in 1 l of pond of Kujawy-Pomerania, Lower Silesia, Lubuskie and water. Macrophyte biometry was calculated so as to Wielkopolskie covering over 80,000 km2 (geographical provide data on the spatial and morphological com- coordinates of study area—in the north: 53°1001800N, plexity of a particular plant patch. 16°4605600E, in the south: 51°0301200N, 17°0405300E, in Zooplankton was sampled in triplicate (total the east: 52°2102100N, 17°5201700E, in the west: n = 1335) from randomly chosen places within each 51°5601800N, 15°3002400E). All the studied ponds were single site using a plexiglass core sampler (Schriver situated within an agricultural landscape: fields, pas- et al., 1995), going vertically through the vegetated tures and meadows or within residential and rural stand. In the case of the open water area, a calibrated settlements. They reached depths of between 0.1 and vessel of a volume of 5 l was applied. 20 l samples 5.0 m and had surface areas of between 0.001 and were collected from the open water zone, while 10 l 3.42 ha. They differed with respect to fish presence (in samples were taken from detritus-rich sites located 25% of the water bodies fish were absent) and to their within macrophytes. In order to avoid the effect of the origin (post-glacial ponds, oxbows and artificial ponds). vertical changeability in the abiotic and biotic