How Do Specific Environmental Conditions in Canals Affect the Structure and Variability of the Zooplankton Community?

Abstract

The present study investigates the responses of zooplankton (including changes in their structure and diversity) to physicochemical and biological parameters in two artificial waterways. Water samples were collected monthly from the Bydgoszcz Canal, the Noteć Canal, and the Brda River during the growing season of April–October 2019. We analyzed how selected parameters (including water temperature, Secchi disk visibility, oxygen concentration, conductivity, and pH, as well as nitrate, phosphate, and chl-a concentrations) affected seasonal variations in zooplankton diversity (T) and density (N). In total, we recorded 98 species, and average zooplankton density was 320 ind/L. At all sites, the same zooplankton species were dominant: Keratella cochlearis among rotifers and the Cladocera Bosmina longirostris among crustaceans. Rotifers dominated qualitatively and quantitatively over crustaceans. Zooplankton density and biomass, as well as the number of zooplankton species, were higher in the Bydgoszcz Canal than in the Brda River or the Noteć Canal. This may be connected to the locks on the Bydgoszcz Canal slowing down water flow, thereby increasing macrophyte vegetation, which creates ecological niches supporting zooplankton development.